And so for my next trick...

[Terry]

I spent a bit of time on my leaky fork last night. As received the bike had spent 3 years outdoors, maybe somewhere coastal based on the corrosion. On the hidden inside of the left stanchion (behind the mudguard and adjacent to the disc) there was a decent amount of corrosion; the right leg, and the exposed part of the left leg were not near as bad and my assumption is that salt spray was being washed off by periodic rain in those areas. As I was doing the rebuild I carefully filed off any protrusions and then polished further with 400-grit emery paper which has left no "lips" that can catch on the seal but there are a handful of divots that you can just catch a fingernail in at the right angle. The little black specks on the chrome above the obvious oily line are all that is visible of these divots. 

I was hoping to fill these with metal epoxy, but after application and then sanding back the divots are still there, maybe just too small/shallow to have enough adherence to the putty. So I have given everything another good emery paper rub down, and will hope for a better result with a new seal. I am not ruling out that I may have caused some damage to the last seal when I pushed that over the bushing groove as I know I did that a few times as I was figuring the fork out, so I will take extra care (and wrap the sharp parts in insulation tape) when I fit the new seal. 

 

Plans B and C are to buy a used fork (there is a local breaker that has a decent pair for US$320) or I can get a new part ex Webike for a little less money, or there are replacement tubes on eBay for about US$230 (but that will require disassembly of the axle/brake mount from the old tube, which looks a bit challenging). 

 

At this point I am inclinded to reassembly with the old part with new seal, and some finger crossing. 

[Captain 80s]

I would give it one more go with a new seal knowing that you're not installing/removing it multiple times over the top of the tube and being extra careful by wrapping the lip and groove. 

 

Then you will know for sure if you have to source another tube. and it might buy you more time as it may not leak as bad if it starts to leave a ring.

[Terry]

Thanks Mike; the divots aren't really any different to a rock dent and I've dealt with those before without leaks so I was disappointed with this outcome. I'm trying to avoid spending too much more money on Earl, as far as I know this is the last mechanical issue that I need to deal with (famous last words...). 

[MBrane]

 My experience with stanchions like that is if your fingernail catches on it it will take out a seal, but fine polishing will make some pretty large pits acceptable. As mentioned use protection, and lube when installing the seals over the top of the tube. I use Ziplock bags or multiple layers of plastic wrap whichever is handy.

 

 Packing the space between the oil, and dust seals with grease will also help as any debris that gets past the dust seal gets suspended in the grease.

 

 

[Terry]

18 hours ago, MBrane said:

 My experience with stanchions like that is if your fingernail catches on it it will take out a seal, but fine polishing will make some pretty large pits acceptable. As mentioned use protection, and lube when installing the seals over the top of the tube. I use Ziplock bags or multiple layers of plastic wrap whichever is handy.

 

 Packing the space between the oil, and dust seals with grease will also help as any debris that gets past the dust seal gets suspended in the grease.

 

 

Yeah, did all of that, thanks for the advice; used insulation tape wrapped around the stanchion where the upper bushing sits, and coated the new oil and dust seals with red rubber grease. This time around I have used some fancy SKF seals, and I have spent a good amount of time with the 400-grit paper on the pits. Installation was really easy using a neato fork seal driver that I bought from Aliexpress ($22!). 

 

I re-used my home-built fork spring compressor; it's a little agricultural and consists of two 900mm lengths of 90x22 decking timber with a 50mm joiner length screwed in at one end to make a U; then two bolts are screwed in about 300mm from the joiner projecting in to catch the holes in the plastic preload spacer. I put a ratchet strap through the axle hole and tie it around the joiner and ratchet that until the wood points up. I now just push down on the ends of the wood and can easily compress the spring to reach the damper rod bolt.

I did buy one of those handy forked plates that slip under the damper locknut and hold everything still so you can refit the fork cap which makes this less of a three-handed task. I also bought the supposedly correct tool to compress the springs but my trebuchet design is much easier to use! 

 

 

 

[Captain 80s]

I need to get that forked plate, or make one.  I manage, but I could manage easier.

[Terry]

11 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

I need to get that forked plate, or make one.  I manage, but I could manage easier.

I never needed it on all my RWU forks either but the USD design is quite a different beast. I have usually been able to catch the underside of the locknut on top of the spacer while I wind a cap on.

 

I buy a lot of bits like these on Aliexpress; I know they aren't always the best quality but they are cheap and usually travel swiftly, and it is a whole lot easier than trying to find similar bits locally. 

[Terry]

Earl may be getting renamed Öldicht! (a poor pun for my German-reading friends) as he is no longer weeping fluids from either end. We had a little 150km shake-down run after the recent work, the forks are now weep-free (for now) and the shaft likewise is keeping its oil inside. Earl is running famously well, handling nicely but the centrestand came under attack again. The new front subframe has made no real difference and is still sitting a bit to the right which means the tabs on the frame are bent and I am not touching those...The new LED lights make him look a little more modern.

 

For S&G I disconnected the cable from the exhaust flap actuator, and have to say the soundtrack is much improved, with a nice smooth rumble at low revs now. Take that, noise police!

 

[Terry]

Earl and I completed another test run today, about 350km of the best bumpy and twisty roads that I know of close to home. He passed with flying colours although the forks bottomed a couple of times and I lost count of the centrestand clashes on dippy bends, but they seem to be lessening (as is the centrestand). The forks and shaft have remained leak free! I remain highly impressed with the chassis and braking, and the ground clearance has also been untroubled although I have been edge-to-edge on the Road5 rear tyre. Even the fuel economy was suprisingly decent at 17km/L.