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Anybody have a fork seal go out unusually soon?

2028 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  J-Pip
I have less than a year on the machine and about 4500 miles. On the way home today, the left fork seal let loose. I was going down the road at about 35MPH when i felt a vibration throught the bars and pgs. Felt like a bad wheel bearing. As I'm riding, I start looking around the bike and see the fork oil running down the tube and caliper mount. Stopped off at a grocery store and performed a little firstaid to get me home with dry brakes. I called the dealer and they said that Triumph wouldn't warranty the fork seals after the first 1000 miles because they deem it a consumable part (wear item). I wasn't happy with the answer, but can see the point. This happen to anybody else? Does the dealer answer sound right?

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G
Change dealer, or call another for a second opinion. 16k on mine no probs. Hope I haven't just jinxed myself.
G
The vibration you're talking about sounds a bit strange. Maybe there's a problem with the fork bushes that has caused the seal to leak? If this is the case you should have a better case getting them to replace the seal.

Phil
This is only the second time I have heard of a 1050 fork seal going out early. The other one MAY have been due to a new rider learning to wheelie. Triumph and many other manufacturers consider the fork seals a consumable.

It sucks that this happened. They are not hard to change.
G
Hey Devious, what do you think would have caused the vibration? I haven't had much experience but I haven't heard of a fork seal causing vibration.

Phil
If the seal allowed a good amount of the fluid to leak out before you wrapped the fork, the difference between the good fork and the one with less fluid, can amplify any road or wheel vibrations.

Did the fluid leak onto the brake rotor?
I lost enough fluid to adversly affect the dampening ability in that fork. That is the rebound side and is causing the vibration I feel from the rough surface roads we have here. No fluid got on the disc or pads. I bought a can of brake cleaner at the grocery store (only in Idaho can you service your brakes and pickup something for dinner at the same store.) and wiped everything down before I wrapped the fork. Brakes work fine, but the front suspension is off. I called a second shop to confirm the 1000 mile warranty. A new seal/dust seal set is about $34 from the dealer as an FYI.
I just talked with Traxxion Suspension about a cartridge replacement, they replace seals for $25 each, so the dealer's price is about right. I don't know what the dealer will charge to replace it.

I doubt you will be able to get it covered under warranty, but call around to different dealers (IF there are any in your area), you might get lucky.
It would take a month for the dealer to get around to it. I'll just do it this weekend real quick. It's not worth the trouble.
I would check the runout on that wheel. If a hard landing did blowout the seal it could have bent the rim (or possibly axle but I doubt it). A bent rim is going to cause a lot more noticeable vibration than loss of damping. Check the tire for a bubble too.
Devious2xs said:
This is only the second time I have heard of a 1050 fork seal going out early. The other one MAY have been due to a new rider learning to wheelie. Triumph and many other manufacturers consider the fork seals a consumable.

It sucks that this happened. They are not hard to change.
I may have been this person ;D 2nd day I had mine they started leaking. Not as bad as yours. It was a pain in the ass to get em done by the dealer and a very long story but, they did do it under waranty. Maybe I was lucky, I don't know - My freind had the same problem on his Aprilia Factory with Ohlins. They didn't cover his.
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