fork seal replacment
- Thread starter turkman
- Start date
I could not see what wieght oil to put in there. I'm thinking 40W would make it pretty stiff.
Thanks
Thanks
today Ive been struggling with my auto clutch but have had the bike out a few times between scuffs on the clutch shoes...I noticed the last time across the lawn it wasn't banging again...so there is some dampening in there now.....once I figure out how to do it I'll probably use hydraulic oil.........if I dont get mad and get rid of it over this dopey clutch
I put W40 in my Yamaha years ago. It did make it a better deal for racing. I just wonder what they put in there from the factory? Hydralic or motor oil?
When my WC-I forks started leaking I added fork oil and it just leaked out again. The rubber used in the seals cracks and there is nothing you can do but replace them. I'm not sure if Whizzer USA still has them on hand, if not I'm sure there is something out there that would work. By the way, I think standard fork oil is 10 wt but can be purchased slightly higher viscosity.
I started this thread because I had a set of older Whizzer hyd forks and they leaked so I contacted Whizzer and all they had in stock was a set of dust covers,so I went to my local dirt bike shop and the mechanic showed me how to break them down,I took the seals out and the o-rings and took them to bearings inc.the seal is a wierd one with a double lip they couldn't find it so I searched one the web and bought a set that had only 1 lip.With all the searching and looking I found that they make a 20wt fork oil and that I could put a piece of 1ince DOM tubing about 1 1/4" long in to stiffin them up,I polised the shafts with 1500 wet dry and up the whole thing back together.Results the forks were stiffer but still leaked my shafts are too pitted. I went on e bay and bid on a pair of shafts and won them for $170.I thought my troubles were over but alas the new one are a larger dia. so I had to rebore my triple trees,having done all this "fun"stuff I now know more about a pair of bike forks that I thought looked cool and bought a the swapmeet for $30 than anybody should ever know but that is the way of a "do it yourself "guy like me Later Bob
You are a TROOPER, Bob. That's a lot of work to fix an oil leak. I'm thinking my next move will be to remove the forks and install a custom springer front end, no dampening, but no leaks either, plus they are way cool. I've already changed the triple tree to accomodate risers instead of a gooseneck. Good luck with your project.
Fork oil is formulated with defoaming additives if you not gonna spend $5 for the right stuff you might try jack oil here's a pic of what the guy at the dirt bike shop recommended that I bought and have had no problems with. Brake fluid will F the whole thing up.Google is a great tool good luck Bob
Attachments
Last edited:
Well, Whizzerdude, I've used it for a long time but am not sure of its makeup. Some of the guys who used to race say it is mineral oil, others have said its hydraulic. I've even heard ts the same stuff they use in hydraulic shocks. All I can say for sure is you can buy it from JC Whitney, J&P Cycles, or at many motorcycle shops. The last bottle I bought was 8oz and it was about $15.
Thanks guys. My '99 has the stock Whizzer forks. They are not leaking (yet). They are way to spungy though. The roads in my town are the worst. The fork bottoms out alot.
Now I know what goes in there and why. Surely I can find some fork oil out there with a higher viscosity to stiffen that puppy up. I guess I really screwed up when I put motor oil in my old Yamaha. It did work with no ill effects though. I raced that bike and the front end washed out before I changed the fork oil and put stiffer shocks on the rear.
My other Whizzer has a fixed up Monarch fork. No leaks or real suspension there but I like the look.
Now I know what goes in there and why. Surely I can find some fork oil out there with a higher viscosity to stiffen that puppy up. I guess I really screwed up when I put motor oil in my old Yamaha. It did work with no ill effects though. I raced that bike and the front end washed out before I changed the fork oil and put stiffer shocks on the rear.
My other Whizzer has a fixed up Monarch fork. No leaks or real suspension there but I like the look.
The Monarch has been all welded up and is primered at this point. My plate is full this time of year. It's just too hot here in the summer.
I attached some pic's I think. I don't see them in this post so I'll post it and see what happens.
Jim
I attached some pic's I think. I don't see them in this post so I'll post it and see what happens.
Jim
Jim, as I understand it all WC-1s are spungy, especially if you modify them to cruise in the 40mph range. Part of it is the weak springs, but part is the small diameter of the fork tubes in relation to the weight of the bike. The tubes are 1" in diameter on the WC-1, they are 1 1/4" on my other MBs. You might be able to compensate for the weak springs a bit by placing a plug between the spring and end cap on each fork tube. On my Yamahas I used a 1" section of PVC pipe that fit inside the fork tube. It was a challenge getting the end plug back on but when I did the forks were much stiffer. I am thinking about this fix for my WC-I or I might just install a custom springer like the ones on my other bikes. If I go this route I'll have to drill out the triple trees for the larger fork tubes. It's always something!!!
