Fork seals keep blowing

Hi there

I have replaced the fork seals on my 2006 CBF500 three times in the last year. Each time I have been super careful and have used the red rubber grease supplied with the new seals. I do ride every day in all weathers but have fitted gaiters to try to protect the stanchions a bit.

Should I replace the bushes as well? I have used Pyramid Plastics seals each time, are there better seals than these?

Any help would be appreciated as it is annoying now.

Ian

What seals are you using - oem  or aftermarket? Did you use the same brand for all the changes?

I replaced my leaking seals with oem, one has been fine. The other is slightly leaking, but that is due to me being careless installing them, damaging the seal.

I would definitely be changing the make, they should not be blowing unless there is something wrong with your stanchion!

I used Pyramid Plastics seals for all changes.

I think I might change the bushes too as that used to work on my ER5.

Ian

fork seals mainly fail due to dirt getting dragged down in to the seal or corrosion on the fork leg itself

i exclusively use Pyramid seals on all my bikes, and have very few problems, but when i do it comes down to bike cleanliness   

you can clean out the dirt with a seal saver or an old negative from a camera, this only works some times, and if you catch it early   

but oem parts are probably the best option    
cbf500 > 2004 > front forks > seal set,fr,forks > 51490MN8305

Thanks for that it was a useful video. I have a Sealbuddy but it never seems to help, I do however ride in all weathers so maybe I need to wash off my forks more often. I fitted gaiters but the sit loosely on the stanchion and don't actually seal in the leg.

Ian

It might well be worth using Honda seals, however while you are at it you should also give your fork stanchions a good 'once over' - looking for dings and knackered plating in the area that passes through the seal - there's no point in keeping on replacing the seals if the stanchions are going to rip through them straight away.