alright guys so the fork seals on my CBR are blown and theres oil starting to leak on my left fork tube anyway, not that bad. that being said I am NOT going to ride it I just cant do that to her and shes going to the shop soon. that being said it makes me think what if I did ride, so my questions whats your opinion on riding with a fork seal leaking? would you just ride? not ride? whats your opinion and your take on it?


its not advice again im not going to ride it im just seeing what you guys think maybe others are afraid to ask this

 

Depends on how badly it's leaking. I rode on a leaking seal for a couple months because I didn't really have a choice, and it wasn't too terribly bad. I just tried to keep it clean and away from my rotors/brake system.

 

I would change the seals to be honest as you don't want to compromise your bike's handling. If you do replace them check the fork stanchions for any pitting etc or your new seals will go the same way in a short space of time!

 

check the forks and change as soon as possible, i have ridden with leaky seals before only because its my only transport, if the leaks just leaving residue on the stantion just keep it wiped off, or you can pop the dust seal up and wrap a little bit of cloth ontop of the seal and push the cap back down, but i wouldnt ride it like it for too long

 

Are you sure the seals are bad or is there possibly just some grit that is caught up under the seal? You can get that out with some thin plastic, such as a piece of 35mm film negative. If you don't have any of this they say a .002" feeler gauge will work.

Free fix for leaky fork seals

What is the 35mm film trick for leaking fork seal

 

I too have ridden with leaking fork seals, just kept them wiped off and it was only a tiny bit.

However it was caused by pitting on the fork tubes, so had to replace them as well, don't skimp on this otherwise it'll be money down the drain.

Don't know about 'blown' seals, I would have thought that if oil was pushed past the seal by excessive pressure, then they would re-seal once the pressure reduced.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always thought that 'blown seals' was a Bull **** term used by unscrupulous sellers.