Fork/Suspension Question

[geoknight1976]

I tried to find an answer to my question by searching the forums here, but no luck. I already know that my fork seals are leaking horribly and I am going to attempt to fix it here as soon as I get some parts in the mail. I loosened the fork dust seals to get a better look at how bad they were leaking and went for a little ride up and down my nice little bumpy road I got here. After parking it I noticed that the dust seals traveled up at least 6 inches on both forks. And I noticed that I could pull up on the front of the bike and it would stay in place until I pushed back down it. My question is should I invest in springs also or is this mainly a problem caused by the faulty seals? I've had a number of bikes but never had this problem before. Thanks

[squiggy]

And I noticed that I could pull up on the front of the bike and it would stay in place until I pushed back down it. My question is should I invest in springs also or is this mainly a problem caused by the faulty seals?

Since you state that you can compress the forks and they will not return on their own, then yes, you have very worn out springs. Or you have something internally preventing them from returning. I would presume that it would be accompanied with noise or grinding.

[woobie]

Any Idea how old the springs and oil you have in there now are?

[geoknight1976]

I am just going to assume that the seals and springs have not ever been changed. I just purchased the bike a few weeks ago. I am just clueless on front forks being I never had one apart. The oil looks pretty good, but I am assuming also that the previous owner kept adding fork oil without fixing the leak. I just want to have all the parts I need before I tear it apart.

[woobie]

Well if that's the case you may want to replace everything, Springs, oil, seals.

[hardlydangerous]

Yes replace the Springs, and use a top quality fork oil.

with my bike after a few hours the front end was so spongy and dived into turns and had so much sag it looked lowered next to my friends kat.
dialing in the front suspension was one of the best things I did for my bike.

When changing the seals be sure to clean the fork legs and components really well to remove any of the old oil and crud built up inside.

I went with progerssive springs and 1/2" longer spacer then recommended.
I used Amsoil Shock Therapy #10
Dampening set to 3 clicks out.

I'm 170lbs and aggressive rider and this suits my size and riding perfectly. For two up 1 go up a click on the dampening

It made a night and day difference. Now the bike handles and tracks like they should.