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2014 Dl650 Forks

3256 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  NBvstrom, 
J
2
I have a great mechanic, & he's very "into" OEM parts as you can see my forks need a fixing!
Outlaw Racing OR561331 Fork Oil Seal & Dust Seal Kit states that these seals, in their words "Extends typical seal life by 3 to 5 times over OEM seals"! Does anyone have any experience with Outlaw Racing product or these seals specifically or other of their products, & if so is their statement true that these extend seal life 3 to 5 times over OEM's?
Also do the forks use regular motor oil or do I need specific oil & if so what weight (oil) & how much oil for each fork, does it have to be OEM is there better or maybe cheaper & better oil for them???
Finally labor cost, what should the labor cost be approximately???
Appreciate any advice, I'm a Stromtrooper & have been since the day I purchased my "baby" Brand New 2014 at a greatly reduced price in 2015! Anytime I have a question I come here first!
Tire Automotive tire Tread Wheel Synthetic rubber

Tire Wheel Bicycle tire Automotive tire Tread
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Wee van Cleef
Is that pitting in the tube? Looks like it but pics can deceive.
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Marmora
Looks like oil & dirt.You didn’t say how many miles on er.Seven years on original parts seems to point in the direction of buying original parts.Might be time to upgrade suspension while it is apart.
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D.T.
I use the all balls racing seal kits. Cheaper than OEM. But, YRMW.
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Spec
In my experience OEM fork seals are always better than aftermarket. Haven't heard of Outlaw Racing so no opinion on their claims.

Fork seals typically last for years though. Usually when they do weep it's because grit has worked it's way into the seals. Various "tools" will clean out the gunk. Pull up the dust seals and run the tool in between the seal and fork tube.

Clean fork seals

Try that before taking it to a mechanic 👍
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D.T.
Lift up the dust seal and clean under it once in a while. Wheelies are not really good for the fork seals either. AMHIK. :whistle:
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Wee van Cleef
I bet the fluid looks like espresso.
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Fox
If you want to extend seal life 3-5x, all you have to do is wipe any stuck-on grime or bugs off the fork tubes with a wet rag before a ride. This is especially critical if you rode through the wet during the previous ride.

For the rebuild, IMO it's worth the extra to get OEM or Honda seals if compatible (Honda 91005-MCT-003 works for Gen 1 at least). I have almost 90k miles on Honda seals with no leaks.
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J
A little more info, on my situation with the forks, I was in a hit & run accident where the vehicle hit me broke my leg in the impact & my foot needed a plate & screws, the bike was sitting from March 11 2022 till 9/1/2022, I trust my mechanic impeccably & from the pics you can see, he cleaned them when he gave the bike back to me, but he's asking for $25 each for 4 OEM seals & for the fork oil also a crazy amount because he want to get I guess OEM for oil, I can get a liter of the CORRECT oil for my bike from Amazon for $19 as well as all the tools including an oil level device to do the job myself, BUT... I know most of the people do all or most of the work done themselves, there are some things I have done & continue to do on my own! For labor he's asking $350 because he says he has to pull the forks apart!
I need some advice, if I can do it myself I'm pretty capable of doing most jobs on my bike, but pulling the forks apart is not a skill I have!
The total my mechanic is asking for is $510 & he says he has all the parts already, it's a lot of money, but it's for my "baby" so any & all advice is appreciated!
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Marmora
Look on this site- - lots of videos elsewhere. Your “buddy.Has he mentioned incedentionapls?
Try the pull-up seals & clean method.Old timers used photographic film negetives to clean out crud.
My opinion is Canadian $500.00 is more than enough; for parts(&) labour. MERICAN $ is 30% less.
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Wee van Cleef
Can you get the forks off the bike?
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Gert
My go to guide when it comes to replacing fork seals on my 1st gen Wee, is Replacing Front Fork Oil Seals. If I remember correctly, most of those steps apply to your ride.
Some of the owners of your model type have reportd difficulty when it came to seperating the uppers from the lowers: Need Help Seperating Upper and Lower Fork Tubes
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Dantrax
My buddy cleaned up his tubes. Didn't remove anything. He got a piece of camera film (instead of that orange tool in the video) and slid it in, out and twisted it around in the seals. That reseated his seals.
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N
When I purchased my new to me bike back in June, I thought so too I had to replace the fork seals. An old guy showed me once to cut a curved piece of plastic (used from a water bottle) and cut the end like a hook. Lay it along the tube and insert the hook end into the seal adn go around the tube/seal a few times. My last 2 new to me bikes have been leak free ever since. There was alot if dirt just stuck between the seal and fork tube.
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