Twinkle toes strikes again

So, having been riding about with a leaking right fork-seal for far longer than is excusable *looks sheepish*... I finally got my 5th gen to the garage to get it sorted. It's been a few weeks since it started seeping, and I've been fighting a running battle to prevent the fork-oil from fouling my brakes - stupid I know, but I just can't not-ride! You know how it is :doh:

It is, after a good few years of riding, the first time I've used a garage for anything other than an MOT (that's roadworthiness testing in case you guys in the states call it summut else). I don't much like letting anyone else take a spanner to my bike, especially if I'm not there leaning over their shoulder with a "you better treat that with care, or else" look on my face, but I just didn't have the means to sort it myself. No workshop for a start... All of my mechanics has to be done at the side of the road.

It seemed to make sense to get the bits myself rather than pay garage premiums on parts, so I got ordering. Silly to have the forks apart to change a seal and not do the rest whilst it's there to be done, so new oil seals, dust seals and bushes courtesy of HRC (I have no qualms spending a little more on decent parts, often the alternative is a false-economy in my experience, but I was a little worried by the potential response from the garage that was to fit them to the "not certified for road use" label on the bags, hehe!) and some lovely fresh fork oil.

The result - a hole in my wallet, and an oil-tight fork!

Better than that though, my oh my did that do wonders for the old lady! The difference in the way it rides is dramatic - no more crashing and thumping over crappy British road surfaces. She feels waaaaay more smooth and sure-footed! I was aware of the gradual loss in ride quality, and knew that a fork rebuild is supposed to do wonders but really was taken back by the return of the nice, nimble, smoothness of the ride that was the result. Money well spent!

I guess it's no wonder really, given that new fork oil is a job easily overlooked, such that there's every chance that the oil replaced was the stuff put in by the Honda assembly mechanic when the thing rolled out of the factory 16 or 17 years ago. It got me wondering though, whether what I payed was typical. If so, whilst it's not a sum I part with without noticing, I'd recommend it to anyone riding a bike over a certain age... After parts, the cost (this was an independent garage) was £170 ish. That's $247 for the guys in the states. Anyone else had this done? How did the cost compare? And did you feel the same benefit afterwards?

 

16 or 17 year old fork oil....wow. Fork oil drain, flush, and refill at least once a year, complete tear down and inspection every other year.

 

I'm guessing of course - she's only been in my hands for the last two of those. I'd love to think that prior owners had taken as much care as it sounds like you do, but to be frank NorcalBoy I suspect that you're the exception rather than the rule in keeping on top of that job. Most people I've spoken to about doing it give me a blank look "change the fork oil?" or shrug and make excuses about more important mechanical maintenance...

 

Gota chuckle reading your post, well done my friend. To answer your question as use miles as a measure, then also use time and type of riding, but on the norm it's like every 10k. Aas far as cost goes here state side I just did a whole redo with valving and springs that ran $500 plus. on an oil seal job that you did with the parts, I'd say you did quite ok. yes money well worth spending for sure.

 

From my shop:

 

Interesting. Lint, this is embarrassing, but I feel duty bound to make you aware that your profile pic appears to have been taken from the wrong direction...

 

RVFR, She had 15 thousand on the clock when I bought her two years ago (14 year old bike with 15k - what do people use them for, coffee tables?!), and I've done a further 18k since then, so no questioning that it was loooong overdue, whether it was the first time or not...
Out of curiosity, how much benefit do you feel after a 10k change? I'd imagine that to be sufficiently frequent that no too much degradation had taken place in the interim? Same to you NorcalBoy?

Did the re-valve and spring work its wonders?

Oh, and as for type of riding - I've never taken her to a track, and my road riding is pretty varied but suffice to say that I would consider it a shameful waste to buy a machine that'll give a supercar a run for its price-tag and not use it for that which it was intended!