All Balls vs Oem.

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by Josh Brands, Nov 16, 2020.

  1. Josh Brands

    Josh Brands New Member

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    Just curious if anybody else has had this issue. Front fork seals were leaking on my 02 I went to Honda to get some new seals and they told me due to COVID it would take awhile to get them. So I ordered them and had to wait. Then the weather changed and the weekend was going up to 20+ Degrees so I ran out and got a set of all balls fork seals. Installed them and went for a 600 km ride on the weekend. By the time I got back home the forks were leaking again. I did some inquiries a with some of my fellow riders and they have never had success with that company. Just curious if any of you have ever run into that problem with All Balls products? I shall add that I now have the oem fork seals, dust caps, bushings and clip replaced.

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  2. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I have installed them on the RC26 as a test and have had ZERO issues over a couple thousand miles.. If yours failed immediately like that I would be very weary that you have a rock chip or something that is tearing the seal. Even a hard dried bug can make a seal fail.

    Or you got some shit seals.

    I go over the forks VERY closely when I do seals and stone down anything that looks like a problem.

    Also, wrapping some saran wrap around the top of the tube before you slide the seal over and down is a cheap and easy way to avoid possible install damage.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2020
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  3. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    allballs represents the lowest-dollar lowest quality chinese crap you can buy. i did use them for head bearings on my beater bike, a yamaha radian, but they shouldn't be used in safety- critical areas like wheel bearings.

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    for fork seals use OEM only or be prepared to replace cheap substitutes soon...........as you discovered. :mad:
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2020
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  4. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Now it's on. :Pop2:
     
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  5. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    For fork seals, I use OEM only. Steering head bearings, All Balls OK, has all you need for a decent price. For wheels, no.
     
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  6. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    I've also used TourMax and SKF fork seals. I believe SKF has a reputation for high quality and reduced slider friction. The TourMax parts are made in Japan and I suspect are probably made by the same manufacturer as Honda OEM. I recently had the experience of twice replacing seals on my Silver Wing, which to be fair had been sitting unused for a few years near the coast and the stanchions were not great (some surface corrosion and pitting). I think the first set I tried were Pyramid Parts and did not seal well at all, the replacement Tour Max parts have been perfect.

    I've used AllBalls tapered rollers in the steering heads of a few bikes and never had an issue with them; the performance there has a whole lot more to do with how you adjust them than the basic product.
     
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  7. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    SKF are good, and pricey. Dirt bikers use them because they are so good. If you want the best, go for them.
    However, none are going to be good with stanchions that are rough. You have to polish that up first.
     
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  8. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    ^^^before storage i rub some engine oil on the fork stanchions.
     
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  9. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    They are "OK" quality, not great, not horrible. I used them on my 5th gen VFR for both the headset and the fork seals. I did not have any issues, but then I only put 500 miles on them before I sold the bike. May be best to stick with OEM if you really love (and use) the bike
     
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  10. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    no free lunch. parts that sell for half price need replacement twice as often.
     
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  11. ridervfr

    ridervfr Member

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    My VFRs get Original Honda parts most of the time. I go with stock steering head bearings, fork seals etc. My Kawasaki EX00 being a lower designed quality bike came with loose balls in its steering head and I went with All Balls because they used a captured cage for the balls, no issues and 20,000+ miles with zero issues. I would not use anything other than OEM made in Japan wheel bearings if I was replacing btw.
     
  12. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    While I only use high quality bearings in my wheels and hubs, I still always pop off the dust seals and pack in some high quality water-proof grease. You'd be surprised how little grease is in some bearings, even good ones. Plus I want to be sure there is grease in there, you never know. Not like steering head bearings where you are responsible for the grease.
     
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