My left fork is pitted, I think from freeway riding, and the fork seals areleaking pretty bad. I am going to have to replace. I am thinking it would probably be cheaper to buy a used fork than try to replace tubes, bushings, seals, etc. Should I replace both or just the leaking one? Mine is a '94 900RR. Which years are compatible? Can I mix them? Does R/L matter? Or would I be better of trying to upgrade to upside down with a 17" wheel. What options are available? I really appreciate your opinions, please advise and thanks in advance.

 

I have heard of people who change their brake fluid twice yearly and their fork fluid every other year. To me that seems a little excessive, especially since most people never change either until it leaks. But there are reasons people don't, it's expensive and time-consuming. My point is that just about any used forks you buy will probably be in similar shape, or getting close. 93-97 forks (I have a set of 97's on right now) will fit without problems, and you could get 98-99 to fit through the triples, but the wheel shims and brake discs are different for those years, so stick with 93-97. The later the better, pre-95 came without adjustable rebound damping on the bottom of the fork leg. And if one fork is leaking, you can guess that the other is not far behind, but most used ones come in a set anyway. There are some on ebay right now, but it really pays to take your time and buy a nice, clean set from a trustworthy seller. Price out the used ones, then see how much your dealer or shop will charge for new seals and fluid for both--did I mention do both? Do both.

 

Thanks alot SpiritRR. I'm working on it.