'82 Katana Fork Seal Problem

[Joe Nardy]

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

[Agemax]

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

[Joe Nardy]

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?

[bwringer]

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Looks like the seal part number has been superceded -- it was originally 51153-49000.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

[Agemax]

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.....

[Joe Nardy]

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Looks like the seal part number has been superceded -- it was originally 51153-49000.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

[Joe Nardy]

yes, spring clip,wire clip what ever they are called. not a circlip but does the same job.....

Thank you Sir!

[gsrick]

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.

[eil]

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.)

[bwringer]

"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.

[Joe Nardy]

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......