washed bike and found ....

[azguzzirep]

That I think I have a leaking fork seal.

The rear side of the left fork had a black oily sticky residue on it. It had also missed onto the brake caliper. Well , the bike is nearly 20 years old now.

[atavar]

That'll teach you to waste time washing instead of riding.. 

[Triple Jim]

You might try the credit card seal cleaning trick before giving up on the seal.

[derek533]

You might try the credit card seal cleaning trick before giving up on the seal.

http://sealmate.net/  Kind of the same concept but this is designed specifically for fork seals.  It's thinner too and easier to slip under the dust boot. 

Used this on my last bike and it worked perfectly and stopped the leak.  For $5, it's worth a shot IMO. 

[Guzzistajohn]

I've used a piece of plastic milk jug or soda bottle and cut it into the shape shown on the photo. It worked

[guzzi4me]

I've used a piece of plastic milk jug or soda bottle and cut it into the shape shown on the photo. It worked

Now THAT'S Guzzi content!!!

Will have to try it when needed....

Jeff

[Guzzistajohn]

Now THAT'S Guzzi content!!!

Will have to try it when needed....

Jeff

Doesn't everyone think like that? Emprovise and overcome!

[Arizona Wayne]

Doesn't everyone think like that? Emprovise and overcome!

I'm not that smart.......instead I got some rubber gaitors and dealt with it that way.  When I decided to do that 20? years ago I went to the local Harley dealer figuring they'd have some.......and all those macho/husky looking dudes didn't have a clue what I was talking about !!    So I went to my local Suzuki dealer to get some.    Where I lived then small insects (rice farms) blew out your exposed fork seals in no time, especially @ sunrise or sunset. 

[azguzzirep]

That'll teach you to waste time washing instead of riding..

I washed it because I put 1K km on it last weekend.

I'll look into re-sealing the seal but like I said , the bike is nearly 20 years old. It has under 20K miles which means it sat a lot. 1K km per year!

[pete mcgee]

Fork gaiters, look better than carved up milk bottles but you need to lengthen your arms or shorten your pockets to buy them. I need new ones the ones I have have worn through after only 21 years, who do I sue?
Like you I haven't had a fork issue for over 20 years, 2 weeks ago I put the 200,000 mile old 38mm marzocchis in for a rebuild and to get gold valve emulators fitted, the guy asked if I wanted the seals replaced, I replied it might be a good idea as these were 21 years old
Keep bugs and stone chips and dirt off your stanchions and the seals can east a long time.

[Dukedesmo]

Keep bugs and stone chips and dirt off your stanchions and the seals can east a long time.

Until they fill up with water!

I had a Ducati 250 Scrambler many years ago that had been standing outside for a while before it came to me, first time I used the front brake water squirted out of the gaiters as they were both full...

[not-fishing]

That I think I have a leaking fork seal.

The rear side of the left fork had a black oily sticky residue on it. It had also missed onto the brake caliper. Well , the bike is nearly 20 years old now.

If you rebuild the forks, think about getting the right springs for your weight given that you've increased your girth like many of us have in the last 20 years.  Heck even if I weighed what I did  20 years ago I'd still be to heavy for my springs.

[azguzzirep]

If you rebuild the forks, think about getting the right springs for your weight given that you've increased your girth like many of us have in the last 20 years.  Heck even if I weighed what I did  20 years ago I'd still be to heavy for my springs.

Ha!  I weigh 60lbs less now
 than when I moved here 4.5 years ago😀

[leafman60]

Cleaning a seal with a piece of milk carton or sealmate has worked for me several times.  It saves a helluva lot of trouble in many cases.

[John A]

If cleaning the seal doesn't work and you replace the seals thats the time to install gaiters. What model bike is it? On an EV and a Bassa, I used gaiters for a BMW. They are a very tight fit, especially on the large end but will go on and don't need anything to retain them. Make sure they have a drain hole in the back so they don't fill with water.

I have installed progressive springs in this one and the gaiters also act as a bottoming stop when fully compressed which has worked out well, even if rarely bottoms.

[azguzzirep]

My bike is an EV.

Gaiters might look about as appropriate as;

* mini skirts in church
* army boots at dance social
* bibbed overalls at a wedding
* next,

( I got nothing against gaiters, just not on my EV.😊)

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ok, here's the 35mm film trick. Pry down the dust cover.. you don't want to push dirt (there *will* be some) from the dust cover up into the seal.
2016-09-15_10-59-01 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Here's the special Guzzi tool.  The idea is to just slide it into the fork seal and run it counter clockwise for a revolution pulling it down as you complete the revolution. Oil will leak out (duh) when you are doing this, but not much.
2016-09-15_10-59-23 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Wipe the oil off, exercise the crap out of the forks.. there will be some residual oil..wipe it off, do it again, etc.
Dry, now? Kool. Clean up the dust cover, reinstall it, and go for a ride.
So far, so good..
2016-09-15_10-59-46 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Cost? Oh, about 200 bux if you take the forks to the Ducati dealer..  I'll rebuild them myself this Winter. They need it after several years and 14K miles. The Ohlins are delicate things.