1000rr Fork seals SUCK
05-03-2008, 01:40 PM
#41
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
SOON MAN!!!!!!
so what is 5000kms? like 12k miles?
And my dealer does seals for like $300+ They'll only do them in a set of left and right (even though I only need the right side on both sets).
**** that... these were BRAND ******* NEW!!!!!! And I DO NOT MOUSETRAPP!!! Nor do I strap the hell outta my bike.
****. I beat the **** outta the f4i forks for seasons upon seasons w/ no problems... but a couple weeks and the 1krr seals blow for NO REASON!?!?!
I am not happy w/ honda right now.
so what is 5000kms? like 12k miles?
And my dealer does seals for like $300+ They'll only do them in a set of left and right (even though I only need the right side on both sets).
**** that... these were BRAND ******* NEW!!!!!! And I DO NOT MOUSETRAPP!!! Nor do I strap the hell outta my bike.
****. I beat the **** outta the f4i forks for seasons upon seasons w/ no problems... but a couple weeks and the 1krr seals blow for NO REASON!?!?!
I am not happy w/ honda right now.
If you can change yout motor oil, and ride a wheelie, you should be capable of changing seals..
Its like a 1 hour job, maybe 2 if your slow
Get a manual for your bike, and it'll have the entire fork rebuild process listed with pictures..
Its really easy..
Last edited by Towlieee; 05-03-2008 at 01:43 PM.
05-03-2008, 04:54 PM
#43
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05-03-2008, 06:43 PM
#44
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
if you are using them for stoppies hardcore then you probably will. performance use of the front end like that you have ot keep the parts tip top shape.
and why would you use thicker fluid? it'll be way off on the valving. stock fluid breaks down super fast so the stock fluid wasn't up to par to begin with if you had more then 10 hours on them. putting a high quality fluid of the recommended weight will increase performence quite a bit over the factory fluid. i would do that before changing the viscosity and throwing off the suspension dynamics.
on any new race bike i setup the first thing i do is change the stock fluid out for quality fluid and it makes a great improvement. and when used hard, fluid only lasts 10-15 hours. it heats up and breaks down fast.
and why would you use thicker fluid? it'll be way off on the valving. stock fluid breaks down super fast so the stock fluid wasn't up to par to begin with if you had more then 10 hours on them. putting a high quality fluid of the recommended weight will increase performence quite a bit over the factory fluid. i would do that before changing the viscosity and throwing off the suspension dynamics.
on any new race bike i setup the first thing i do is change the stock fluid out for quality fluid and it makes a great improvement. and when used hard, fluid only lasts 10-15 hours. it heats up and breaks down fast.
I'm gonna get a set of those "seal savers" and hope for the best. I still can't understand it though.... these were absolutely MINTY MINT MINT Brandzy newzy. Not a scratch or blemish on the tubes.
I always hear thicker fluid is good...
: I guess I'll just go w/ same weight. I really don't know... I'm just startin to get into the whole "payin attention to my suspension settings" 
It does make a big difference though. After I cranked everything down to full tight and couldn't roll for ****... I turned the rebound out a 1/2 turn and the compression out 1/4... then pre-load 1 line showing.
Same on the rear shock.... the weight transfer is sooooooo freekin smooth now, w/ no excess play.
I'm hittin what used to take the top of 2nd... at the top of 1st (200ft)... w/ only about 100ft approach.
Not impressive to most... but for me it's huge. And that's EXACTLY what I've been working for.... slow TALL rolls from slow-er short approaches.
I forsee easilly rolling at least 400-500ft this season from mid to top 3rd gear (300ft approach).
That's what the service manual says... and that's what I've always thought.
05-03-2008, 08:39 PM
#45
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
05-11-2008, 12:32 PM
#47
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
in all honesty, suspension fluids all come from 5wt. Any other weights are a derivitive of 5wt. they change the polymers in there to get the deserved "weight" from that 5wt. now when going heavier, that means they have to alter the 5 wt with a different polymer. Because they aren't in true form, they break down really easily and once heated generally don't act like a true 10wt or whatever it is. so basically if you stick iwth the original 5wt it is hte most stable and wo'nt change once heated.
this is why almost all manufacturers use 5wt standard (and why race teams use 5 wt).
05-11-2008, 02:23 PM
#48
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
that's because you hear it from people that don't build suspensions.
in all honesty, suspension fluids all come from 5wt. Any other weights are a derivitive of 5wt. they change the polymers in there to get the deserved "weight" from that 5wt. now when going heavier, that means they have to alter the 5 wt with a different polymer. Because they aren't in true form, they break down really easily and once heated generally don't act like a true 10wt or whatever it is. so basically if you stick iwth the original 5wt it is hte most stable and wo'nt change once heated.
this is why almost all manufacturers use 5wt standard (and why race teams use 5 wt).
in all honesty, suspension fluids all come from 5wt. Any other weights are a derivitive of 5wt. they change the polymers in there to get the deserved "weight" from that 5wt. now when going heavier, that means they have to alter the 5 wt with a different polymer. Because they aren't in true form, they break down really easily and once heated generally don't act like a true 10wt or whatever it is. so basically if you stick iwth the original 5wt it is hte most stable and wo'nt change once heated.
this is why almost all manufacturers use 5wt standard (and why race teams use 5 wt).
so that's what I bought.
05-11-2008, 05:38 PM
#49
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
for some reason I blew my 954 fork seals for the 3rd time within a year, now I keep sweeping off the oil whenever I take a break during practice.
I realy don´t know the reason cause meanwhile I set the wheelies down soft, I do a lot of stoppies but that can´t be the reason, fork bushings are also brand new.
It has always been the left side but now it´s leaking at both sides at the same time, **** sucks, and I just replaced them 5 weeks ago.
Guess it´s that cheap aftermarket **** that blows, next week I´m gonna get me a set of OEM fork seals at Honda, hope they are better....
I realy don´t know the reason cause meanwhile I set the wheelies down soft, I do a lot of stoppies but that can´t be the reason, fork bushings are also brand new.
It has always been the left side but now it´s leaking at both sides at the same time, **** sucks, and I just replaced them 5 weeks ago.
Guess it´s that cheap aftermarket **** that blows, next week I´m gonna get me a set of OEM fork seals at Honda, hope they are better....
Last edited by T'RIC'KY; 05-11-2008 at 05:40 PM.
05-12-2008, 09:48 AM
#50
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
Spoke with my very pissed friend about his 1000rr
He has had it about a month, put around 500 miles on it.. He doesn't stunt.. Only rips the occasional highwaywheelie, and always sets it down easy.
His seals are blown and he is heated about it.
He has had it about a month, put around 500 miles on it.. He doesn't stunt.. Only rips the occasional highwaywheelie, and always sets it down easy.
His seals are blown and he is heated about it.
05-12-2008, 10:57 AM
#52
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
But for 929/954 forks you can't build a PVC fork seal driver as easy towellie. With the f4i forks you can slide a PVC pipe over the tubes and hit the seals, but with inverted forks you can't slide anything over the leg like that, so you need something that can clamp on.
For my 954 forks I just went and bought the driver tool from Honda, it was like $60.
05-12-2008, 12:13 PM
#53
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
You don't need those for 929/954 forks, I don't know about 1000rr forks.
But for 929/954 forks you can't build a PVC fork seal driver as easy towellie. With the f4i forks you can slide a PVC pipe over the tubes and hit the seals, but with inverted forks you can't slide anything over the leg like that, so you need something that can clamp on.
For my 954 forks I just went and bought the driver tool from Honda, it was like $60.
But for 929/954 forks you can't build a PVC fork seal driver as easy towellie. With the f4i forks you can slide a PVC pipe over the tubes and hit the seals, but with inverted forks you can't slide anything over the leg like that, so you need something that can clamp on.
For my 954 forks I just went and bought the driver tool from Honda, it was like $60.
duh!
05-12-2008, 12:23 PM
#54
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
Yah, my PVC drivers were cut in half, since I couldn't find the right diameter tube (my tube was a bit too small). But the PVC isn't very heavy and there's a lot of friction due to them being wrapped pretty tight with duct tape (so they'd conform to the tube and hit the seal right). I just didn't feel I could get enough power in that small area under those circumstances
05-12-2008, 12:32 PM
#55
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
Sometimes you get a bike that was built on a Friday. I love my RR for endos. 4000 miles and no problems yet. But yeah, the inverted forks are crazy easy to rebuild. I rebuilt my 04 R1 without even sliding the tubes off the bike. No special tools. I used the old seals to tap the new ones into place. This is a dumb question I'm sure but what's mousetraping?
05-12-2008, 01:11 PM
#56
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05-12-2008, 02:19 PM
#58
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
Yah, my PVC drivers were cut in half, since I couldn't find the right diameter tube (my tube was a bit too small). But the PVC isn't very heavy and there's a lot of friction due to them being wrapped pretty tight with duct tape (so they'd conform to the tube and hit the seal right). I just didn't feel I could get enough power in that small area under those circumstances
and also, I used a hose clamp. Kinda makes its a pain in the *** since you gotta get teh hose clamp in the perfect posisiton, but I managed to make it work on both my f4i and a friends 600rr (never done 1000rr's thought, but I'm guessing they are close to 600rr inverted)
edit: oh ya,the pvc I used was a hair too big also.
I just took my fork seals into the hardware store, and got the closest peice of pvc I could
Then I used a dremel, to cut about 8 slits into it length wise, that way the pvc could pull together to a smaller size.
I think a better, but more expensive option, would be to look for a thin walled metal pipe.. Surely there has to be a metal pipe out there that'll fit the seals perfect
But then you'll probably end up spending $10-$30 on metal, and it'll be a pain to slice the whole thing in half
Last edited by Towlieee; 05-12-2008 at 02:23 PM.
05-12-2008, 02:21 PM
#59
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
Sometimes you get a bike that was built on a Friday. I love my RR for endos. 4000 miles and no problems yet. But yeah, the inverted forks are crazy easy to rebuild. I rebuilt my 04 R1 without even sliding the tubes off the bike. No special tools. I used the old seals to tap the new ones into place. This is a dumb question I'm sure but what's mousetraping?
4000 miles is nothing..
For someone thats rides a LOT, 4000 miles is like 2 months out of the dealership..
I know the first year I rode my f4i, I put a lil over 10k on it.. and I didn't even feel like I rode it THAT much
05-12-2008, 02:21 PM
#60
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Re: 1000rr Fork seals SUCK
ya I cut them in half
and also, I used a hose clamp. Kinda makes its a pain in the *** since you gotta get teh hose clamp in the perfect posisiton, but I managed to make it work on both my f4i and a friends 600rr (never done 1000rr's thought, but I'm guessing they are close to 600rr inverted)
and also, I used a hose clamp. Kinda makes its a pain in the *** since you gotta get teh hose clamp in the perfect posisiton, but I managed to make it work on both my f4i and a friends 600rr (never done 1000rr's thought, but I'm guessing they are close to 600rr inverted)
