Weeping fork seal
 

Well, I just ran-in my new X. 1st service was free, so I got them to ACF50 it at the same time. All seemed good until around 1100 miles, when I noticed a film of oil just above the fork dust seal on right hand side. Dealer says they'll replace fork seals under waranty, but could be a week or so getting parts/authorisation from Yamaha/workshop slot.....
So: should this happen so early in bike's life? I'm not that rough on her..... Is it dangerous to continue riding?? After a 30 mile ride, there was enough oil to wipe off with kitchen paper - only a 'weep'.

I wouldn't worry about it. A week isn't long, and you are unlikely to suffer any failures as a result.

I thought one of mine was leaking too until I realised that they had spilled some oil when refilling it at the service lol

Hi,
Ive a 09 XTX with 2500 miles on it, my front offside fork seal is leaking only now and again I will run it till its peeing out. So to wait a week before its fix should be no problem.

I ran with a leaking oil seal on my sports bike for 2 months, I didnt even notice a difference in the ride, wouldnt worry just for a week.

Thanks people.
This is the 2nd Yammy I've owned - I bought it as its billed as bullet-proof & exactly the thing I need to commute through winter & have a blast at the weekend. Build quality seems great, & just seems odd that fork seals should be duff, especially given reputation of Paioli. Perhaps it has something to do with bike sitting on showroom floor for at least 6 months????

seals
 

mine did too

I renewed my weeping for seal last week, as it was it was the offside as well, but you could run them long an weary as long as ye dont venture off road.:YellowWow_KKPB92:

Had an XTR for near 35k miles and only had the one fork seal go and it was in the middle of an off road weekend that it started, still road some 5 days and 2k miles on it before i got it replaced. Does seem strange though its weeping so early on

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...et/photo-1.jpg

+1 time on factory floor 5months

Leaking offside top fork seal 2011 xtz 4450km

Well, I had BOTH seals replaced under waranty at around 1200 miles. All was good until last week, when I noticed the right hand side is starting to weep again!!!!! Now on 3,500 miles. Weep is only very slight, but a line of oil is showing after a 30 mile run. Could it be that the cold winter weather has effected it & it will be fine come summer? I think its unlikely to be dirt as I don't ride much in the wet, but has anyone successfully cleaned out the seal with film/business card?? I have a horrible feeling that the first repair was unsuccessful & she'll have to go back to the dealer.......

click this link to ebay and get yourself one, it does a better job than a business card because of the hook part...watch the video

they probably sell them in your local bike shop

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seal-Mate-On...ht_1140wt_1302

Yeah, I've seen this advertised, but I still find it VERY strange that I should get this 'weeping' on a bike that is kept spotlessly clean, is hardly ridden in rain/mud/etc., never ridden off road (its an X....), & has done only 3.5k miles....
So: what is the 'acceptable' amount of fork oil/marks that should be visible on the stanchions over, say, 100 miles of running? Maybe someone could post some photos?? I hope its just me being paranoid - I'm a bit of a newbie after all!!!!

cut an old xray scan or 35mm negative into a similar shape....free seal mate :030:

LOL @ X-ray scan..

....'Cos us bikers all have those.. ;)

I've got plenty of 35mm negatives - do you just pop the dust seals with a screwdriver? They seem quite tightly fitted & I'm a bit concerned as the bike's still under warranty....

after reading this Thread, i was having the exact same problem with my XTX fork seals..i bought the tool and it works great..recommended buy..
i actually wonder how long they will take before they leak again???

The saga continues:
Have had right hand fork seal replaced twice now under warranty, and now it has started leaking AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mileage is now 8,500 - surely this can't keep happening? I don't believe its dirt related, as I keep things very clean, the forks are well protected & I'm a bit of a fair weather rider... I pulled dust cover away, but no sign of any major oil spillage or dirt. Cleaned it all up & went for 10 mile ride. Just enough oil to actually run down stanchion.
Has anyone else experience this type of trouble??? I thought seals should give thousands of miles & several years trouble free running. I don't ride like an idiot & don't pull wheelies etc. What is going on?

Weeping seals
 

I've had the seals replaced on my xt at 3500 miles under warranty so it looks like quite a common problem what is this repair or replacement tool

Check fork leg for damage,also un-clamp the leg try turning 1/4 turn re -clamp.:grouphug[1]:

Hmmm.... No visible damage to fork leg. All bolts etc seem tight, so I can't see why a 1/4 turn would do anything... I always keep bike spotless & rarely ride in rain or on really bad surfaces. Seems strange (& very annoying) that this should keep recurring, especially after being done twice under warranty already.

Not sure on a under/low milage bike but i had mine go at around 35-40k miles and replaced one first then it kept leaking but not as bad, after several fork seals it turned out my mechanic was using after market parts and there must have been a micro difference between this and the yamaha spec ones. Place a new yamaha one on the fork leg and no bother

Well, she's at the dealers at the moment. Its around 15 miles away, & I lost about a teaspoon of oil over this distance, on reasonably smooth roads... They think there is an 'inherent' problem & will carry out an 'in-depth' investigation under warranty. I reckon a new set of forks from Paoli will be needed, but G-d know what the lead time will be...... Anyway, they gave me an XJ6 loan bike, which although fast & loads of top-end, is VERY clunky & makes my wrists hurt!!! I walked to work this morning.
Watch this space.

Man this is bad its up to them to fix it and ensure they give you a bike your happy with. I would really complain to them.

I didnt trust my yamaha dealer as there where quiet a few reports of them saying and signing off on services etc which where found out not to be completed, brake pads changed when not required and charged etc etc. That and it seems to take twice as long for them to order in stuff than my local dealer even though he get the parts from....yes them!!!

I would say to them if its not fixed this time you want them to give you a replacement bike then they can have your bike get its fixed and sell it on. Bit rash i know but you gotta lay it out to these guys

To be fare, my local dealer has been very good. Their workshop is spotless & there are at least 20 guys working there - its pretty impressive. So far they have resolved problems without question & been very helpful & polite. I fear I may end up trading her in or doing some kind of deal, as I think the forks at least were 'made on a Friday'. It would be interesting to see how much an ex-demo bike, just over a year old with 8.5k miles would be valued at as trade-in under these circumstances; I don't think I could expect a straight swap, but who knows....

I'd be really interested to know what you get offered- I'd be highly tempted to suggest they replace the offending fork leg for a replacment and see if that cures it.

Incidentally, what would you trade for?

They've got another new XT on their showroom floor - been there for around a year. If I was the dealer, I'd offer to swap the forks from this & let Yamaha pick up the pieces.... However, I suspect Yamaha UKs warranty policy says otherwise. Trading in a 1 year old ex-demo bike, 8.5k miles, VGC - thats a tough one to call & depends on what value the trade bike is, financing or cash etc. Could be anywhere between �3 to �4k. Anyone got access to Glass's Guide??? The thought of �2k depreciation over a year is scary though, & anyway, I want to keep my X for at least a year. Lets hope it gets fixed!

I'd be expecting nearer the 4k mark, i've been keeping watch on prices for XTX's and even older models still fetch around 3k private-so say 2k for a dealer on an 05 model. You can ask any dealer for the list price, most will give you the info from the green book ;)

I'm wondering how long I'll keep my XTX for, mostly as I'll be pilling mileage on it and that always puts people off, regardless of maintenance

As a guide, i am trading mine in. 9k since Feb this year, well maintained with fsh and regular 3k oil changes. Akras, dna 1&2, fork mods, bungs and newish Maxxis presas. Looking at around �4k dealer part x on a xjr1300.

Well, she's back!!!! Dealer called earlier today - they replaced bushing & oil seal. Apparently there were no signs of anything abnormal, although the fork oil looked a bit 'old', despite the fact that this is seal replacement number 3....... Also, they said they replaced it FOC as 'good will' & Yamaha UK would not do a warranty claim as these parts are 'consumables' like tyres, clutch plates, brake pads etc. So: I have not lost confidence in my dealer, but I am a bit sceptical about Yamaha warranty (is it worth the paper its written on???), & am losing confidence in this particular motorcycle. It was nice to ride home, however, after riding the XJ6 Diversion.....
Will this happen yet again???? I'll keep you posted..............

Glad to hear your dealer saw sense and decided to exhibit good will, they probably realised it's more money to them in the long run. It's always a pain trying to get over a faulty bike, i've sold a few bikes for faults that I couldn't let go of even after they were fixed-particular issue of mine is a dropped bike, never the same.

If it doesn't happen again, i bet they had a trainee mechanic do it first couple of times and he bodged it :043:

oztenere what was the issue and how was it fixed? Mine is done the same.

I know this is an old thread but thought I'd post because I had a weeping fork seal and I fixed it for free with this method. The bike shop said I'd have to replace the seal... "and if I was doing one then the other one mustn't be far off so I should replace that as well..." $$$$

Anyway, googled cheap fixes and saw this post about using a Seal Mate, then Denny from the forum suggested using a piece of xray film cut into a similar shape. Well, I did it without having to remove the forks or anything; removed the dust cover, slid the film between the fork leg and the seal after cleaning the area thoroughly, basically scaping any crap out from the seal. Pumped the shocks up and down several times to reset the seal... had to do it about three times but soon no more oil leaked out and has been fine ever since.

I recommend trying this before replacing your weeping fork seals :icon_thumleft: