2 weeks Ago By David Booth
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This is, without a doubt, the most cost-effective and time-efficient tool in all of motorcycling .
It’s Motion Pro’s Seal Mate, and the reason I call it “the most cost-effective tool in motorcycling” is simple: the ratio of the cost of the repair it can save to the cost of the tool required is second to none. And, not only that, what is otherwise a fairly complex mechanical travail can be done by the most ham-handed of clumsies. I know, because I’m clumsy and I’ve used it often.
The repair it avoids is replacing leaky seals on a motorcycle’s front forks, which, if you’ve ever done it — or, more probably, had it done by a professional for you — involves removing the front brakes and wheel, removing the forks themselves, dismantling them, replacing the seals, reassembling the forks, and then, if you or your pro are doing a good job, the tedious job of filling the forks with precisely the right type and amount of fork oil. A top-notch professional suspension specialist can do it in a couple of hours. A Joe-Blow mechanic might take an hour longer, and, as for you and I, well, if we don’t have the specialist tools, we are going to be at it for a while.
At $80 to $125 an hour shop fees and a minimum of $50 for seals (not to mention replacing the fork bushings “while you’re in there”) it’s going to set you back some coin. For $10.00 flat on Fortnine.
ca (or $14.99 delivered to your doorstep in one day by Amazon ), the Sealmate can do the job in about five minutes — 10 minutes, tops — and requires next to no disassembly. Where to buy Motion Pro Seal Mate: Amazon In fact, it’s so very simple.
All one has to do is remove the fork’s upper dust cap, then take the thin plastic strip, and place it vertically against the fork in question above the oozing seal. Then, making sure the curved “hook” end is facing down into the seal — or up into the seal on “inverted” forks” — curve the Seal Mate around the tube and then force it down past the seal. Don’t worry, it can’t go too deep; it will eventually bottom on the seal’s lower boss.
Now rotate it around — ensuring that the hook portion is moving forwards — one complete revolution and remove it. Look closely and you’ll probably see some dirt particles mixed in with all the grimy oil. That’s what the hook is for — to gather up said dirt that is preventing the seal from mating with the fork tube.
Repeat as necessary — probably about three or four times — until there’s no more particles. Now pump the forks up and down to reseat the seals. This is probably the longest part of the process.
It’s certainly the most vigorous. And don’t worry if some fork fluid still leaks out the first few pumps. Said excess will go away as fork and seal become one again.
That’s it. Like I said, it probably takes five minutes per fork leg, and most of that is the aforementioned pumping to reseat the seal. It’s amazing how large a leak it will fix.
My old Honda’s tubes looked like they’d spouted a geyser, pumping 5W oil all over fork lowers and brakes. Five minutes on each seal probably saved me about $300 in professional fork disassembly. I carry one around wherever I go.
Hell, it takes up absolutely no space. All for ten lousy bucks. Like I said: Most.
Cost. Effective. Tool.
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