The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2

Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: beemer on June 18, 2008, 04:25:37 AM

Title: Fork seal protector?
Post by: beemer on June 18, 2008, 04:25:37 AM

Anybody use these?
http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=43209

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: montmil on June 18, 2008, 07:58:24 AM

Have not seen the neoprene parts on a bike. many BMW riders replace the rubber fork slider caps with the traditional bellows-style protectors. A classic look.

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: R65Guy on June 18, 2008, 10:35:54 AM

I had a black set a few years ago.  They seemed to always be crooked and I had to straighten them back up all the time.  Then they faded pretty quickly and looked crappy so I took them off.  You can use them as drink huggies at the end of a good day's ride  ;)

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: montmil on June 18, 2008, 10:52:04 AM

Quote

... You can use them as drink huggies at the end of a good day's ride  ;)

A recycler motorcycler... I like it  ::)

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: Altritter on June 19, 2008, 07:33:18 AM

After checking with my car mechanic (owner of an R1100, a Suzuki 650 and a 25cc Honda scooter), I bought a pair for my bike a month or so ago. He thinks they are a good idea to protect the tubes from stone dings on the tubes, which can cause the seals to wear out prematurely.

I notice the same problems with the A&S boots that you do. (It's hard to configure them to be loose enough to slide on the tubes, but also tight enough to stay attached to the seals at the bottom.) I've tried bandaging the A&S items with old-style 2"-wide black (the newer ones are desert green) elastic velcro US Army trouser blousers (for putting trouser legs inside boots), but haven't had much luck. The elastic bands are too tight & cause the fork gaiters to ride up on the tubes, defeating the purpose of protecting the seals. Bottom line: the A&S protectors are better than nothing, but not optimal.

(BTW, A&S states in the fine print that the red color on the advertisement is for illustrative purposes only, and that their protectors come in black only.)

I want to install the bellows type, despite the high cost (about 4X the price of the A&S style). I've seen their photo in Bob's catalog, but I've never seen them in reality. Question: Do I assume correctly that it is necessary to disassemble the top of the fork assembly to install the bellows-type fork gaiters?

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: montmil on June 19, 2008, 07:36:07 AM

Quote

Question: Do I assume correctly that it is necessary to disassemble the top of the fork assembly to install the bellows-type fork gaiters?

You will have to pull the fork legs from the triple clamps.

Title: Re: Fork seal protector?
Post by: Altritter on June 19, 2008, 07:43:43 AM

That's what I suspected. Thanks.