Fork seals....

[KaTMandoo]

My front fork seals are leaking. I have a 99 KTM 300 MXC with the standard marzochi or whatever forks. I am going to need to replace these seals. I have a few questions...

1) how much is it gonna cost me to replace the seals for just parts?
2) can i do this by myself? I am a novice to repair work but always willing to learn
3) what can i do to keep this from happening again? it seems like every bike i have the fork seals go. I am gonna put the fork boots on after replacing them, these plastic gaurds suck for mud.


thx
KaTMandoo

ps. sorry if this is the wrong forum, just let me know, i tried to guess my best...

 

[WhiPit]

Kat,

First off, those are WP "Extreme" forks on the front of your '99.

Second, there are certain precautions you can take to help the seals last longer (longer than what, I don't know - longer than they did this last time?).

Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $15.00 and $20.00 each for the seals from your local KTM dealer.

You can do the work yourself, but I would suggest either supervision from someone who has replaced fork seals before, or a manual that your dealer should be able to get for you (for a price, of course).

You'll also need a seal driver. They aren't cheap, but it's the only way to do the job right. Some people say they make their own. You might ask around the board on that subject.

:D

 

[shockdoc]

You will also want to check your fork bushings at the same time. They run approx. $20 apiece times 4. One other thing I have seen many times is small nicks in the fork lower legs. They are thin walled & easily cause "high" spots on the inside of the leg. This creates stiction and eats up the slide bushing. I have a special hone made to fix it so you won't wreck another bushing.


doc