Pitted Fork Tubes and Leaking Oil

Ok I have been lurking around on this site for a while and learing many important tips. This forum is great.
OK, now to my nagging problem. The inner fork tubes on my 1983 XJ750RK with 2683 miles are pitted. I changed the nasty fork tube oil and it started leaking from the "dust seals" really bad. I finally drained most of it back out. I plan to rebuild the front forks this fall when I tear apart the front end for reconditioning. I rebuilt the back end last winter. Some where in this bikes life, it was left sitting out side in the snow and rain, I know what a waste. I am in the process of restoring.
Is there any thing I can do to limp along until this fall, I want to ride the bike this summer. Most of my travel is local not much highway.
Is there any way to have the inner fork tubes redone or just try and replace them?

 

How deep is the pitting?

It may be able to be buffed out and just the seals replaced. the fork seals take just a few hours if everything goes well.

Otherwise new tubes are available Len (Chacal) @ xj4ever has some. Logo in the upper right.

 

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1 ... art=0.html
Link to a thread on how to replace your seals/rebuild your front end, you could try putting much thicker oil in your forks like diff oil as it might not get past the seals a easily. Probably not the best idea but might keep you going until you get your front en rebuilt.
Good luck
Al

 

If it only started leaking after you changed oil then maybe the pitting is not the cause. I had new seals installed and one of them began to leak immediately (out the top through the dust seal). I was about the take it back when I read a post about using a small plastic tool to "clean" the seal and decided to give it a try. The tool is basically a thin piece of plastic that you insert between the strut and the seal and gently move all the way around the strut. It is shaped so that any grit or dirt is forced up and out. Some folks use a piece of 35mm film, and others have used a very thin feeler gauge. I tried both, and sure enough the leak disappeared. Don't know which one worked for me, but one of them did. So it's worth a try. Just be very careful when inserting the film or gauge so as not to damage the seal, and once inserted go all the way around with film or feeler gauge slightly angled to force any grit or dirt out.

 

Thanks for the input. The pits are pretty deep. Not that large but deep enough to trap the oil and move it past the seals. I will try the cleaning method and put a little heavier oil in and see what happens.

 

The inners are stainless? What is pitted? Sure seals are not wrong-side up (flip 'em)?

 

When I say the inner fork tubes, I am referring to the tubes that are visable above the dust sheilds and what is mounted to the triple tree. I would refer to the outers as the bottom aluminum part that what inner tube fits into.
Now that I hopefully cleared up, the exposed tubes had rust spots on them that I polished off with a cleaning pad and WD40. I know "cheap" stainless will rust so maybe that's the deal. This had sat outside for a few years so I have done a lot of clean up and more to go.

 

what kind of bike has stainless fork tubes?

 

They're not stainless; they are "hard chrome" plated (not "appearance chrome.")

It doesn't take much in the way of pitting to carry oil past fresh seals; and/or damage said seals.

It costs nearly as much to get a set of fork tubes re-plated and re-ground as it does to replace them. Much easier and more reliable to just replace.

 

I have never tried this but read in "Motorcycle mechanics" magazine many years ago that you could use a blowlamp - or paint stripper type gun - to burn the oil from the pits then fill them with an epoxy resin - araldite is what we call it - and very carefully sand to the original profile.

This may extend the life of the inner tubes.

 

Hmmm ... thought they were stainless -- my bad...

 

Thanks to everyone. Good discussion. Sounds like new tubes in the fall.

 

I just wanted to make the simple point that if they are upside down, they will obviously leak - like - alot