How bad is that? Loading the bike for homestead and I saw about 1/4 oz of oil has leaked out. Don't think there is going to be any suspension guys there this weekend. Is it ok to race on them if I promise to take them in for service next week???
I had this happen to me. I packed my shit and took a long drive home. If it gets to your brake pads you're fucked. Edit, that's after I used a seal mate and tried to stop it from leaking without much success
Sometimes seals weep a little from storage, then stop weeping with use. An actual leaking seal will only get worse. It may go from 'mild leak' to 'oil everywhere' in a few laps. If you can tell the difference, you can probably make a safe decision. If you have the seals, I'd bet another racer will have the tools. I keep a set in my spares just in case.
Leaky fork seals are the worst. As mentioned above, definitely worth a check on cleaning them first. I had the same thing happen to me earlier this year and a local shop used something closer to the "seal doctor" or whatever and it cut down the leaking to almost nothing for the whole weekend. Might help, might not.
You didn't loose a 1/4 oz. A little fluid makes a big mess, especially on non-permeable surfaces. You probably lost a lot less, but you still need fork seals and you have less oil in your fork than you used to. Probably won't be noticeable in performance. I'm assuming you have dust seals. Pull down the dust seal and make a diaper by tightly twisting up a piece of shop towel (the blue paper ones) into a thin "rope" and then wedge it between the dust seal and the oil seal around the circumference of the tube and press the oil seal back into place to keep it there. It'll at least soak up whatever oil seeps out so it doesn't get on your pads, rotors or tires. It'll get you through the weekend. You won't damage anything with a little less oil in one leg, but definitely check it after every session and keep the slider tubes wiped down and clean.
Make this Squatch Racing Seal Mate Plus Fork Seal Cleaning Tool - Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R3WDDQ...abc_B3ZV4FW947GWCZXP04FF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 out of a flat (not ribbed) plastic bottle (Fiji water) run it inside and around the seals a few times with a rag underneath. then do the towel noodle trick . Or just that. that should do it
Why not replace the seals at the track, if you can do it yourself even better. Pretty sure there will be guys that can give you a hand
I tied a rag around one and tie wrapped it and did a whole weekend of track days with no ill effects once.
very bad! bad for you and anyone that gets in your oild and crashes.... should not even pass tech you really want to be the guy that hurt someone else because you knew you had a oil leak?
Like said, has them bike sat a while? Mine always did it and my dirtbike does it too from lack of use. Wipe it off after a ride and seems to be fine thereafter.
This worked! Thanks Mike! There was nobody at the track that knows any more than me, which isn't much. They're going in for service this week.
