Marzocchi 48mm CC Forks

[Clay]

Originally Posted by GMP

Steve,

Think its worth changing to KYB seals for less stiction if I take the fork down for service soon, or just wait till they are due?

Glen,
I have yet to have a stock Marzocchi seal leak but every time I have a SKF seal put in, it will start leaking.
The stock seals are tight but they don't seem to ever leak.
Clay

[Jakobi]

Originally Posted by Clay

Glen,
I have yet to have a stock Marzocchi seal leak but every time I have a SKF seal put in, it will start leaking.
The stock seals are tight but they don't seem to ever leak.
Clay

Don't SKF offer 2 grades of seal? A low stiction model and a durable one? From the research I did re seals Genuine KYB seem to be preffered choice of Terry Hay (Shock Treatment/Race Tech Australia).

"The SKF seals have low drag and guess what...low durability. So far I have not passed comment on the SKF seals until I have had time to assess them on a number of bikes and over a period of several months. On average I have found them to fail appr 40% faster than others. My seal of choice for the KTMs is the kayaba seals found in YZFs or KXFs. Lower drag than the KTMs with comparable durability. Given that they sell for half the price of the SKF makes them a no brainer."

"The results are what the results are. I'm not trying to sell seals here, just simply relaying the data. If you've been lucky so far....that's nice. We have tried these seals on over 40 bikes for the past 7 months. I won't be ordering any more. I would suggest you try the KYB seals. Very little difference in drag and much more reliable."

[GMP]

As a rule I always reseal my forks off season, so I have no surprises in season. I will do this with KYB stuff, but was just questioning if there was an improvement in stiction that made doing it sooner rather than later. I do not doubt the stock stuff is durable, and stiction is vastly reduced with seal grease under the wiper. They are really only bad after the bike sits for awhile.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by twowheels

Try one of the sliding socket bars so you can bare down from both sides with the socket in the middle ...

... very easy to engage if you apply force directly down on the cap. I'll post a picture when I get a chance, but in the meantime consider this justification to buy another tool if you don't have one of these already.

[GMP]

Have one. Steve, but what about removal? Is there danger of tearing out threads and must you apply force to counter?

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by GMP

Have one. Steve, but what about removal? Is there danger of tearing out threads and must you apply force to counter?

As good practice I apply downforce when I'm backing it out, but its not really too much of an issue because the oil tends to keep the piston and PFP mostly pulled down into the cartridge. If you've got the PFP preload backed out there's only a mild pop.

The threads also seem to be beefier than what you typically see on a WP/KYB/Showa.

[GMP]

OK sounds good. Plan to crack mine open, service and tweak valving this weekend/next week.

[Jim Cook]

Originally Posted by GMP

As a rule I always reseal my forks off season, so I have no surprises in season. I will do this with KYB stuff, but was just questioning if there was an improvement in stiction that made doing it sooner rather than later. I do not doubt the stock stuff is durable, and stiction is vastly reduced with seal grease under the wiper. They are really only bad after the bike sits for awhile.

Good stuff in this thread. I wish to add my $.02 worth, if you all will indulge me.

I've found that many bikes of different brands suffer "stiction" in the fork action after sitting for a while.
My theory is that the upper lip of the seal will dry somewhat, and the stiction is the result of that loss of lubrication.

Glenn,
I see that you use seal grease under the wiper for this condition.
My favorite remedy is to cut a 1/4" diameter "string" of air filter material and saturate it in fork oil; and then place it between the fork seal and the wiper.
This gives lubrication after the bike has been sitting for a while, and also tends to catch any dust and grit that gets by the wiper; temporarily keeping it out of the oil seal.
When cleaning the bike after an extremely nasty ride, it's easy to pull the wiper, and clean and re-oil the air filter material "string".

Up through the time it was stolen (June 22), my '06 with the 'Zoke 45 Shivers never had a seal leak, or even weep. That was 4 years on the original seals and almost 3 years on the set installed when I had them modified. (I received the 2006 DE300 on Sept 1, 2005.)

Good Riding and Suspension Tuning to You All!
Jim


.

[GMP]

Jim,

You ae completely correct. What I neglected to state was that I in fact use a section of 1/8" nylon cord packed with seal grease between the wiper and seal. Been doing this for years, and I think we discussed it on the old Smackover forum. This acts as both a grease retainer and additional dirt catcher. I pop the wipers every few rides and clean/regrease. You know when the wipers are shot because the cord will get very dirty quickly. Seals can last me up to two seasons, but I now do them in the winter so I have no problems.

Good to hear from you, and sorry about your bikes.

[Synergy-Seals]

Guys keep Synergy Flex Seals in mind.
Extreme durability and longevity and they are removable and can be reinstalled o er and o er.
We developed these seals almost 10 years ago.

They are also very slippery once broken in.

I have customers calling up all the time stating that they need new seals finally after 4 years 5 years 2 years.

They are different to install but once you do it a couple times they are very simple to do.

Go to youtube ans search "synergyseals".

Rob