Front fork oil seal

bumpy

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As the fork leg moves up and down, is it normal for it to leave a ring of oil on the chromed leg. It only happens on right hand leg.
 
if it's only

a light coating on the fork leg I would not worry too much, a small amount restricted to the slider is quite normal. If it's weeping over the top then it sounds like the seal may need replacing.
 
As the fork leg moves up and down, is it normal for it to leave a ring of oil on the chromed leg. It only happens on right hand leg.

Oil on one fork leg!

I think you know the answer don't you! :D

Would you be shocked to hear you've got an oil seal leak & no, it's not normal.
 
Oil on the leg is not normal. There should be none.
 
Are you sure it is oil?:nenau My current GSA and previous GS both left black lines (rings) on the fork leg that sort of looks like oil but is only crud thrown up onto the foks and kind of "pushed" up to the extent of the suspension travel?

At least it gives a gague as to how hard you have been working the front end:D
 
Fork oil seals should be lubricated regularly with light oil to stop them drying ot and cracking. BUT as the GS has a separate damper/spring assembly on the front, I'm not sure there is anything in the fork leg worth worrying about.

I regularly clear the trail crud out of the top of my mountain bike forks by adding a few drops of 3-in-1 oil and pumping them and wiping the stanchions until theres nothing but clean dry oil left.

I think a leaking fork oil seal will make a bike fail its MOT test but again I'm not sure the telelever front is subject to the same check (at least, perhaps not at a BuMW dealers).

I'd just clean it off and keep an eye on it.
 
Emmm.

Trouble is this right hand fork seal was just replaced under warranty. It used to leave a puddle of oil on top of the seal, but now it just leaves a wet ring on the shiny leg.

Could this leg have been over filled initially and is just shedding the excess oil?
 
Emmm.

Trouble is this right hand fork seal was just replaced under warranty. It used to leave a puddle of oil on top of the seal, but now it just leaves a wet ring on the shiny leg.

Could this leg have been over filled initially and is just shedding the excess oil?


If it's a new seal it's just likely to be the grease in the lip of seal or the dust cover.
 
If it's a new seal it's just likely to be the grease in the lip of seal or the dust cover.

Thanks, I'll give it a chance to work its way out the system, but i dont remember seing this when the bike/seals were brand new.
 
The replacement new oil seal is now dribbling oil down the fork leg. Its back to the dealer:mad:
 
The replacement new oil seal is now dribbling oil down the fork leg. Its back to the dealer:mad:

Having a bit of bad luck here.

The first seal (from new) wept oil.

The replacement seal pissed oil out and was found to have been installed upside down.

The third seal is weeping again.

So its back to the dealer yet again. :blast
 


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