Leaking fork

[too many toys]

My Busa seems to have developed a leak in the left fork. Oil drips out when parked as well. The bike has 11,770 miles on it and is a 07. How do I go about fixing this? Also how do I add oil until I can get it fixed? The bike is really unstable with no oil in one tube

 

[busafan08]

If your handy with tools and you have a workshop manual it should be ok i have done a couple on my goldwing it was not that hard just take your time and do your homework if you cant of to the dealer they charge like a wounded bull

 

[Flicka]

Clickity ---> https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/gen-ii-busa-information/147920-another-run-fork-seals.html

I don't know about the differences between Gen I and II, but this will give you an idea of what you're up against.

 

[E Zurcher]

Try a seal saver first. Simple tool that works wonders.

 

[dadofthree]

That should do it for ya. Best of luck.

 

[too many toys]

Seal saver? I will check that. What weight oil comes stock?

 

[busafan08]

Seal saver? I will check that. What weight oil comes stock?

5WT on my 08 gen2 I would say same for your 07

 

[too many toys]

Got it. Thanks. Does anybody have a way of getting the fork tube out without buying a headstand? I only have the stand that lifts by the fork bottom and I really don't want to buy another

 

[Salty]

I mounted 2 - 6ft 2x4's across three studs in my garage ceiling, pre drilled and mouted heavy duty eye bolts in the 2x4's and then used 2 tie down straps attached to my frame sliders on either side to lift my hayabusa up in the air high enough to remove the front wheel and forks from the bike. Cost me $152 at my local shop for walk in service including upgrading to racetech springs back when I did my 05 Hayabusa. Just did my 11 Hayabusa but this time I had a Pitbull Yoke stand to do it with, cost me $172 this time including new racetech 1.1 kg Springs. Definitely worth changing out the fork springs if your gonna do the seals if you way significantly more or less than the .96 killogram springs are rated for. You can check Racetech's website to find your correct weight springs for your body weight.

Good luck

 

[FlatlandBusa]

Try a seal saver first. Simple tool that works wonders.

This! It works more often than not.

 

[Trout]

My Busa seems to have developed a leak in the left fork. Oil drips out when parked as well. The bike has 11,770 miles on it and is a 07. How do I go about fixing this? Also how do I add oil until I can get it fixed? The bike is really unstable with no oil in one tube

You can't add oil without removing the tube. After you get the tube off, you may as well replace the seal. Do both at the same time. Mine is also a 2007. I had to replace seals at 4800 miles, and they are leaking badly again at 16000 miles. I need to do them again this week.

Seal saver? I will check that. What weight oil comes stock?

Stock is 0 weight for Gen 1. I checked multiple sources. My local shop says they put 5 weight back in the Gen 1's. I used ATF.

Got it. Thanks. Does anybody have a way of getting the fork tube out without buying a headstand? I only have the stand that lifts by the fork bottom and I really don't want to buy another

The manual says to lift the bike at the header pipes under the engine with a floor jack. Many people squawk at this and go to great lengths to come up with a "better" solution. I have lifted my bike on the headers with a floor jack and a piece of wood (padding) many times. It works perfectly. If you have stock header tubes, then put the rear on a stand and lift the front of the bike with a floor jack and don't worry about it. There are absolutely no marks on my header pipes.

 

[too many toys]

You can't add oil without removing the tube. After you get the tube off, you may as well replace the seal. Do both at the same time. Mine is also a 2007. I had to replace seals at 4800 miles, and they are leaking badly again at 16000 miles. I need to do them again this week.



Stock is 0 weight for Gen 1. I checked multiple sources. My local shop says they put 5 weight back in the Gen 1's. I used ATF.



The manual says to lift the bike at the header pipes under the engine with a floor jack. Many people squawk at this and go to great lengths to come up with a "better" solution. I have lifted my bike on the headers with a floor jack and a piece of wood (padding) many times. It works perfectly. If you have stock header tubes, then put the rear on a stand and lift the front of the bike with a floor jack and don't worry about it. There are absolutely no marks on my header pipes.

That's a wealth of info. Thanks. I can use regular ATF in the forks? Really? That would make it so easy as I haven't been able to find fork oil in any store around here

 

[IG.]

A small but important side point on how to prevent your forks from leaking assuming you don't land wheelies hard. As you ride, insects, brake dust, and other crap sticks to the fork tubes, hardens over time, and if not removed grinds both your dust seals and oil seals over time. To prevent this from happening, all you need is WD40 and a few pieces of paper towel.

Fold a sheet of paper towel so that it is about 3"-4" wide. Roll it tight, unroll, and spray with WD40. Pass the rolled end in front of the fork tube, and easily grab the other end from the inside (it curves around the tube and it is easy to grab with your fingers). Wrap around the tube, and slide gently sideways, and up-and-down effectively getting rid of all the junk. Get a fresh piece of paper towel and repeat the same steps, but without WD40. It will take you a minute or two, and your fork will be clean as a whistle, and ready for another ride. Keep your forks clean and it is very likely you will never have to change the seals again.

 

[too many toys]

I bought the bike new and have yet to pull a wheelie for fear of dropping it. Thanks for the input

Will regular ATF be ok for the forks ? Dexron? Mercon? Type F?

 

[Trout]

That's a wealth of info. Thanks. I can use regular ATF in the forks? Really? That would make it so easy as I haven't been able to find fork oil in any store around here

This is somewhat of a touchy subject, and there are people who will argue the other way, but the fact of the matter is that motorcycle manufacturers used to put ATF in the forks from the factory. ATF is a top notch hydraulic fluid. In our modern age of marketing and hype, someone figured out that you could put the hydraulic fluid in a special bottle labeled "Motorcycle Fork Oil" and charge 4-5 times the price. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

I won't argue that the formulation for fork oil is probably tweaked a little from the old days. Think of it this way... a modern automatic transmission is an extremely sophisticated piece of hydraulic equipment, with requirements for high-heat operation, lots of fragile seals, low tolerance for contaminants, etc. A motorcycle fork, even a fancy cartridge type, is just a few tubes pushing oil through holes to provide damping.

Another argument against ATF is that the viscosity is not disclosed. I mentioned that the Busa comes from the factory with 0 weight. My local dealer uses 5 weight because 0 is not common. Some people like to use 10 weight or whatever to tune the suspension somewhat. Back when I used to work as a mechanic, it was "urban legend" that most ATF was about 7 weight.

7 weight is close enough for me. I'm not a racer and I don't tune my suspension. I've got about 12000 miles on this last fork oil change, and the bike handles perfectly fine with ATF in the fork tubes.

Sorry for the long reply. Sometimes I get going and I can't......

EDIT: I use Dexron III

 

[too many toys]

Ok, oil and seals are done in the left fork. Bike feels a little too stiff with just one fork done. Not sure what to do about the other. BTW I am 6'1" tall and weigh 280

Also for those about to do this the drain plug is 10mm not 8

 

[RedBusarider]

Why not do the other fork too?

I would not consider doing just one fork because one was leaking.
The second one might not be too far behind even if it looks OK now.

That would be like changing only only of your front brake lines and not the other. Get my point?

 

[too many toys]

Sorry, that's not what I meant. Sometimes I get my thoughts confused while I type.

I'm absolutely going to do the other fork. I was pressed for time yesterday and I needed the bike that's why I did just the one. What I really meant to say was I didn't know if I was going to use the trans fluid in both fork tubes after feeling how stiff it was after just changing the one. Guess I could just use a softer setting right?

 

[1bondoman]

I like catching them before they lose too much fluid just put the fork upside down and take the lower fork tube out. Then pry the seals out and install the new ones and never see any fork oil!

 

[Salty]

Before spending so much time contemplating your fluids based on the feel of the suspension, try having your sag set on your front suspension and then setting the rebound adequately. Find a local race shop for help if you cant do it solo. You will need a friend or someone at the least to help with measurements while you hop on and off the bike....theirs lots of videos on setting up your sag and rebound levels on youtube...