Suspension while hauling.

bobkyle2

bobkyle2

A few weeks back my truck was in the shop for a few days. At the same time my bike was in the back of my truck. So it straped into my truck for close to 5 days. And it was strapped in pretty tight, Like the front suspension was sucked down pretty hard.

Fast forward to a week later i got a fork seal pouring fluid .

Could this have caused that. Or could it just have been time for new seals or faulty seals. I dont know a for sure answer on how old they were but the forks were gone through around 3 to 5 years ago. Not many hours on them. But a year of that riding was by a hardcore gooner.

Is it bad to strap them in so tight. And what can i do to haul the bike safely if it is hard on the forks to do that? :thumb:
 
SRAD97750

SRAD97750

Moderator
Staff member
My theory of forks leads me to believe...

The only time there is pressure on the seals is at the time of compression. Once the fork is sustained in one position the fluid/gas pressure goes to 0.
If your inner and outer fork have any slop(radially), the spring pressure could be slightly skewing the seal by pressing harder on one side.
I believe that leaving the forks compressed does no harm other than spring memory. You could possibly change the spring rate if you left it compressed long enough, as all steels have a certain memory.

So, no. Leaving them compressed in a new fork cannot cause the seal to fail.
-BIG DAN
 
bobkyle2

bobkyle2

James:
Yes and yes if it's for an extended time.

Try putting a block of wood (or get the real tool Click Here) in between your tire and front fender, before tightening it down.
Click to expand...
Sweet... I have seen those but never realized what they were used for.
SRAD97750:
My theory of forks leads me to believe...

The only time there is pressure on the seals is at the time of compression. Once the fork is sustained in one position the fluid/gas pressure goes to 0.
If your inner and outer fork have any slop(radially), the spring pressure could be slightly skewing the seal by pressing harder on one side.
I believe that leaving the forks compressed does no harm other than spring memory. You could possibly change the spring rate if you left it compressed long enough, as all steels have a certain memory.

So, no. Leaving them compressed in a new fork cannot cause the seal to fail.
-BIG DAN
Click to expand...

Thats what i was thinking... It only had pressure during fluid change process.
 
Travace

Travace

James:
Yes and yes if it's for an extended time.

Try putting a block of wood (or get the real tool Click Here) in between your tire and front fender, before tightening it down.
Click to expand...


I use one of those as im driving 2+ hours for a ride almost weekly. i figure i save a little wear and tear on my hauls to staging spots so i grabbed it.
 
SPEAKERMAN

SPEAKERMAN

No and no.
There is no time when the pressure is greater on the seals than when you are riding.
If you compress your forks 50%, you are barley compressing the air inside anyway, so the 'pressure' argument is wrong.
If your seals leak, they are probably dirty, or the wiper is dirty, holding in dirt under the seals.
Adding pressure for a long period of time allows the slow leak to show itself.


2. The compression of the air space is gradual. Reducing the air space will be felt by the rider from the middle of the fork's stroke to the point of bottoming. The corollary is that when you take oil out of your forks, you make them softer from the midstroke on. It has little effect on the first four inches of travel. If the pressure argument were valid, oil would squirt out of your leaky seals the moment you compressed your forks.
 
Travace

Travace

yea im just sittin back on this one. ..... i really dont know.... i know you are supposed to purge your forks after hauling but :noidea:
 
bobkyle2

bobkyle2

James:
:lol: Exactly.

I've been told by a few knowledge people that it's bad on the forks to have it tied down for extended periods. Guess we'll let this play out........ :popcorn:
Click to expand...

I wonder what they're trying to save... The seals or the springs.

I have no clue about the seals.(Thats why im asking :D) ....

I can see if you left the springs collapsed for periods of time it would be bad. Think of that like a torque wrench, Its bad to leave the torque wrench not zero'd out.
 
cleonard

cleonard

I think that USD forks are a lot more likely to have this happen. I wonder if compressed USD's have the oil at the seal and conventionals only have air. The conventionals may leak just as often, but it's only air.
 
Mihylo33

Mihylo33

Ok....
Why do we put our bikes on stands? to remove anywieght from the wheels. The more a spring stays in the "closed" or "tight" position the weaker the spring becomes... thats why you shouldnt keep your bike ratched down in the bed of your truck.

The blown seal thing is just an old wives tale from what I can tell especially since I have never busted a seal hauling a bike.
 
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