Dang it!

[Canyon Runner]

I knew I shouldn't have started reading posts about suspensions.

Went out for a wonderful long ride this weekend, from the Valley of the Sun at about 1100 feet of elevation up to Greer, Arizona at about 8500 feet, and back down.

Just plain old magic stuff.

However, as I was about at the halfway point, I noticed my right front fork was weeping oil.

Well, she started out weeping, anyway. By the time I was finished with the twisty heaven that is highway 191 near the New Mexico border, it was a full on cry.

Now, I hope, as always, you will forgive my basic ignorance to things mechanical, but I wanted to ask a couple questions of the very knowledgeable crowd in here.

1) My quick search of the forum, and my possibly error filled interpretation, seems to indicate that the forks are not primary with respect to the front suspension of the bike, but rather take a back seat to the primary system, which is the telelever system. I checked over that device (spring and shock) pretty closely when I started to notice the oil on the fork, and all seemed good (spring looked good/ no evidence of any leaks or problematic behavior down there). This seems consistent with the fact that the weeping oil did not seem to have an appreciable effect on the travel range of the fork, although I will admit the whole scene had me riding a bit more cautiously. Is my basic understanding on target?

2) If this is the case (and I guess even if it isn't), are the forks something than one replaces when they lose a seal, or (as is the case on my mountain bike) something that someone rebuilds?

3) Was I putting myself or the machine in danger by riding through this? As I mentioned, I was definately tracking the fork travel and the relative geometry of the ride, and although I kept seeing and wiping off oil (maybe three teaspoons or so, total, not counting some that made it's way down the fork and left on the wind), I did not see or feel anything that would have indicated it was time for me to get off the road. Of course, fixing is now a high priority for me, but at the time I was trying to avoid ruining a great ride, causing a boatload of inconvenience, and paying a big bill. Is weeping oil in the forks a safety issue, or a quality of the ride issue? What would be the characteristic one would expect from a 1150R with a single fork that has lost a seal? Would the remaining fork, in essence, become a "mono shock" along with the telelever? Or do the forks play a role at all (beyond the obvious)?

Anyway, safe and sound, and hopefully not stupid. Any insight that the assembled could give me on the front forks and associated suspension would be greatly appreciated. I figure, if I just keep learning, I might eventually get good at this!

Cheers!

[boxermania]

Canyon Runner

DON'T PANIC as you are correct in your observation. The forks on our bikes don't function like the standard variety. The fix should be easy and I would do both at this time, likewise you didn't mention the mileage on your bike, but if you are above 30 K miles I would consider replacing the coilover as well....your call.

Check out the fiche at:

http://www.ascycles.com

and you'll see the components and what needs to be replaced....not aq big deal.

Good luck

[Canyon Runner]

Thanks Boxermania!

As I suspected (hoped). I have just over 20K on the bike right now, which is why I had started to read a bit more about the suspension, etc. Hopefully, that won't come for a while.

Advice and reassurance most appreciated!

-Kyle

[CycleRob]

The forktube seals are easy to change compared to conventional forks, but if you are without any experience doing so, it'd be best and cheapest if you removed the forks from the bike and take them to a M/C dealer with the new seals. P/N 31422311988 for $14.60 each. Any dealership will know how, so a BMW dealer isn't needed if it's far away.

Just like drive chains and batterys, fork seals don't just die before 50K miles . . . . they are usually murdered. My 2002 50R has over 63,800 miles with the original, completely dry, leak free fork seals. Am I just lucky?
No.
I just make sure the chrome forktube the seal slides over is !ALWAYS! clean. Give them a wipedown to remove bug guts and dirt after every ride and even during a ride stop if it's a long dirty one.
Best cleaner is WD-40 sprayed on a wadded/folded paper towel. It cleans, lubricates and leaves it slippery for a short period where things won't stick. It also will not hurt the top rubber dust seal that you see. BTW, you can pry that top dust seal upward and off out of the way to clean the area underneath it. That's when you'll see the seal inside that keeps the oil in the forktube. I use a big knife to get between the rubber edge and the top of the slider, then just rotate the blade downward to alternately pry it up on it's opposing sides. Once it's up a little, 8 strong fingernails pulling upward can pop it out. After cleaning, just use 4 fingertips of each hand to pull it back downward into place. If you can't do that dry, smear a tiny film of grease on it's OD beforehand.
Now you'll be lucky too. (the next time)

.

[Canyon Runner]

OK, I admit it! I murdered the seal!!

(Perry Mason grins at the clever nature of his questioning.)

Seriously... Thanks, Rob. I'm learning a bit more all the time. Interestingly, I have had some issues with hardware (mainly fasteners associated with my BMW touring screen) vibrating loose on that side of the bike, right near that fork. And I have noticed a bit of weep before, but noting like this. I am wondering if maybe that fork has been less than totally efficient for some time now.

In any case, I am admittedly bad with the cleaning routine (I keep coming out to wash it, and end up riding it instead), but I will definately add this to the list of "cosmetics is one thing, but this needs to be done for the sake of the longevity of the equipment" list.

And, as always, your advice is greatly appreciated.