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    '82 Katana Fork Seal Problem

    I am in the process of replacing the fork seals on my '82 Katana and am having an issue with the seals. The new fork seals are noticeably thicker than the old seals. The part number is correct per Boulevard Suzuki's parts fiche, 51153-08C20. It is item #4 in the fiche. However, the parts above the seal are different on my forks. The fiche shows an e-ring above the seal with no washer. My forks have a flat washer and a wire ring, like the forks on my '83 GS1100E. See items 4,5, and 6 on the '83 fiche. My issue is that there is not sufficient room to engage the wire clip if I use the washer due to the additional thickness of the new seal. The ring will engage if I don't use the washer. I think this will be okay since that is what the '82 Kat fiche shows, although it also shows a different type of ring. I can't see any problems with doing this. The washer doesn't do anything more than provide a more even contact surface for the retaining clip. It isn't like the fork could come apart if the clip came out. I don't have any other choice at this point but would appreciate your thoughts.

    Thanks,
    Joe
    IBA# 24077
    '15 BMW R1200GS Adventure
    '07 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS
    '08 Yamaha WR250R

    "Krusty's inner circle is a completely unorganized group of grumpy individuals uninterested in niceties like factual information. Our main purpose, in an unorganized fashion, is to do little more than engage in anecdotal stories and idle chit-chat while providing little or no actual useful information. And, of course, ride a lot and have tons of fun.....in a Krusty manner."


    #2
    i have 1100 katana forks on my GS and they do not have the washer above the seal. just the spring clip.
    1978 GS1085.

    Just remember, an opinion without 3.14 is just an onion!

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Agemax View Post
      i have 1100 katana forks on my GS and they do not have the washer above the seal. just the spring clip.
      Thanks! By spring clip do you mean the wire type?
      IBA# 24077
      '15 BMW R1200GS Adventure
      '07 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS
      '08 Yamaha WR250R

      "Krusty's inner circle is a completely unorganized group of grumpy individuals uninterested in niceties like factual information. Our main purpose, in an unorganized fashion, is to do little more than engage in anecdotal stories and idle chit-chat while providing little or no actual useful information. And, of course, ride a lot and have tons of fun.....in a Krusty manner."

      Comment


        #4
        Many bikes use just the wire clip over the seal with no washer in between.

        It'll be fine.



        Looks like the seal part number has been superceded -- it was originally 51153-49000.

        Not sure where the washer came from. Some aftermaket seal kits include a washer, so maybe that's it. Hard to imagine a pristine bike with so few miles has had the fork seals replaced already, but the '80s were a crazy decade...
        1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
        2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
        2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
        Eat more venison.

        Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

        Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

        SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

        Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Joe Nardy View Post
          Thanks! By spring clip do you mean the wire type?
          yes, spring clip,wire clip what ever they are called. not a circlip but does the same job.....
          1978 GS1085.

          Just remember, an opinion without 3.14 is just an onion!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by bwringer View Post
            Many bikes use just the wire clip over the seal with no washer in between.

            It'll be fine.



            Looks like the seal part number has been superceded -- it was originally 51153-49000.

            Not sure where the washer came from. Some aftermaket seal kits include a washer, so maybe that's it. Hard to imagine a pristine bike with so few miles has had the fork seals replaced already, but the '80s were a crazy decade...
            Good point Brian. The seals do not look like any OEM seals I have ever seen. They are completely flat on top and sides and have no markings whatsoever. All the Suzuki seals I have used have a raised lip on the upper inner lip and also on the outer lower lip. The OEM seals have NGK markings. Also, when I disassembled the forks the seals pulled out from the sliders with no resistance whatsoever. The OEM seals usually take more work to pull out.

            Thanks for the reply,

            Joe
            IBA# 24077
            '15 BMW R1200GS Adventure
            '07 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS
            '08 Yamaha WR250R

            "Krusty's inner circle is a completely unorganized group of grumpy individuals uninterested in niceties like factual information. Our main purpose, in an unorganized fashion, is to do little more than engage in anecdotal stories and idle chit-chat while providing little or no actual useful information. And, of course, ride a lot and have tons of fun.....in a Krusty manner."

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Agemax View Post
              yes, spring clip,wire clip what ever they are called. not a circlip but does the same job.....
              Thank you Sir!
              IBA# 24077
              '15 BMW R1200GS Adventure
              '07 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS
              '08 Yamaha WR250R

              "Krusty's inner circle is a completely unorganized group of grumpy individuals uninterested in niceties like factual information. Our main purpose, in an unorganized fashion, is to do little more than engage in anecdotal stories and idle chit-chat while providing little or no actual useful information. And, of course, ride a lot and have tons of fun.....in a Krusty manner."

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                Many bikes use just the wire clip over the seal with no washer in between.

                It'll be fine.



                Looks like the seal part number has been superceded -- it was originally 51153-49000.

                Not sure where the washer came from. Some aftermaket seal kits include a washer, so maybe that's it. Hard to imagine a pristine bike with so few miles has had the fork seals replaced already, but the '80s were an awesome decade...
                Had to fix that for ya.

                Eric sent this to me;

                Just tell him to replace the worthless factory retaining wire with an inside snap ring and be done with it!
                It accomplishes both replacing the flat washer and secures the seal MUCH better.
                :cool:GSRick
                No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.

                Eric Bang RIP 9/5/2018
                Have some bikes ready for us when we meet up.

                Comment


                  #9
                  When I took apart the forks on my 850GL, one fork had an OEM seal with no washer and the other fork had an aftermarket fork seal with a washer.

                  My theory is that the aftermarket seal was squishy and so required the washer to keep it in place. The Suzuki seals are reinforced internally with metal and plastic and thus need no washer. (But they are a lot harder to remove.)
                  Charles
                  --
                  1979 Suzuki GS850G

                  Read BassCliff's GSR Greeting and Mega-Welcome!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    "Leak Proof" brand seals come with a metal washer, and they do not have a metal "frame", so they're very easy to install. This may be what Joe found in his bike.

                    BTW, Leak Proof seals leak... they do work well for a while, they work well on imperfect forks, and they're much easier to install, but... they wear out pretty quickly.

                    OEM fork seals are the best, hands down. The brand is actually "NOK". NGK makes spark plugs.
                    1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
                    2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
                    2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
                    Eat more venison.

                    Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

                    Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

                    SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

                    Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                      OEM fork seals are the best, hands down. The brand is actually "NOK". NGK makes spark plugs.
                      That's funny. I thought it looked like 'NOK' but I never heard of that so I figured it must be 'NGK'. It's hard with my old eyes......
                      IBA# 24077
                      '15 BMW R1200GS Adventure
                      '07 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS
                      '08 Yamaha WR250R

                      "Krusty's inner circle is a completely unorganized group of grumpy individuals uninterested in niceties like factual information. Our main purpose, in an unorganized fashion, is to do little more than engage in anecdotal stories and idle chit-chat while providing little or no actual useful information. And, of course, ride a lot and have tons of fun.....in a Krusty manner."

                      Comment

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