The Versys fork seals are leaking

It never rains, it pours. Or so it seems here at home. I've made a hash of my XR400 Carburetor repair, yesterday I blew a brake line on my venerable old 2003 Honda Civic, and today while riding my bike, I blew a front left fork seal. :'(

You will be happy to know that I found a fix that cost me ten dollars and hours of labour. Seal Mate saves the day!

I wonder if this is all just dirt under the seals and if I can use the "seal mate" trick with a piece of old 35mm film or negative?

Motion Pro Seal Mate

If you are thinking about buying a Seal Mate, and you live in Canada, you may want to do so here:

http://sealmate.net/seal_mate_instructions.html

I've had some experience replacing fork seals on a Kawasaki KLR 650, but the Versys uses the inverted upside down fork configuration, and my research shows that the job is just as messy, and requires some specialized tools to service the fork that I simply don't have at the moment. So lining up for this job, I find I need the following bits based on servicing both front forks as opposed to only one:

• SEAL,DUST (Ref # 92093)           92093-0035      2 Each 
• SEAL-OIL (Ref # 92049)              92049-0058       2 Each

Fork Oil:

Specialized tools:

• Fork Spring Compressor tool
• Fork Bleed tool
• "Finger" plate

Fork Spring Compressor Kit for inverted forks

These are from Traxxion Dynamics and if you find cheap Chinese knock offs that look very similar, the word on the street is be very careful, as they tend to break more than they work as compared to this Made in USA model. 

I found a comprehensive video that shows service on similar forks to the Versys, but this is not exactly the same as out bike. Please let me know if you have a better source for this. 

Part 1

Part 2

eBay sourced tool that does not get good reviews. Buyer Beware:

The price is right, but is it worth it?

This is a real DIY approach.



That's all for now.

I did manage to get them sorted out using Seal Mate, and got another season out of them! https://www.ridereports.ca/2016/05/leaking-fork-seals-solved.html

Update 2018-07-14:

The leaking fork seals have been replaced at long last.