Fork seal leak

[flynrider]

Regarding fork seal failures...what exactly happens when this occurs? Does the fork lose compression and gradually lower the front end? Or does it just lose all it's damping ability, etc?

I'm only curious about the consequences: If you're out on a ride, far from home, can you continue to ride the bike?

In the vast majority of cases, seal leaks develop gradually. In those cases you can continue to ride, just make sure it's not leaking on the brake.

A few years ago I made a dumb mistake and installed some lower windshield supports too low on my cb750s fork legs. They were fine with just me on the bike, but when I loaded all my gear for a 3500 mile camping/road trip, the front suspension compressed way more than usual under heavy braking. About 500 mi. into the trip, the lower windshield clamps had punched right through the seals. Doh!

I finished the last 3K miles with leaking seals. Handling was still OK. When I finally got around to replacing the seals another thousand or so miles later, there was still 3/4 of the fork oil remaining.

The worst part about leaking seals is the mess.

Pipes covered with burnt fork oil


Lower fork covered with oil


I even had fork oil on the fuel tank


Here's what a pair of jeans looked like after a few days on the highway.