Opinions on seal savers

So I used to run the old accordion boots on my dirt bikes to protect the forks. But now I'm looking at these neoprene sealsaver products to keep the dirt out.

I see a lot of positive feedback on them, but I'm wondering here if anybody has actually run them for any length of time and has any opinion.

One thing I do wonder about is that it is inevitable that some of the dirt the savers are keeping away from the seals is going to work it's way under the neoprene. And that leaves me wondering if that dirt is going to act like fine sandpaper while it's between the neoprene and the fork, and start working its magic as imitation sandpaper on the fork tube. I'm sure you can clean the sealsavers while you're cleaning the rest of the bike, but that doesn't do anything for the hours any dirt was trapped between the neoprene and the fork tube.

Thoughts? Experiences? Opinions?

I think Ivan (vwsandman) has them on his bike IIRC. I was looking at those myself and you hit on the same thing that went through my little peanut. Abrasion behind the scene.

I have precisely Zero sealsaver experience, but what I keep thinking of is how many other types of seals have 'drain' holes so that what does get in, can then fall out. Sealsavers don't have that which makes me also wonder about trapped dirt.

I'm not one to spend a bunch of time washing my bikes. Once or twice a year if they're lucky, but I do frequently run a damp rag over the forks on the WR. That's been my mode so far, but then, my WRX doesn't see the kind of mud that some do.

*coughs*

i was steered away from using them for the same reasons.....trapped dirt.

this is also the same problem with the film negative trick ,even if your lucky enough to get it cleared out to stop the leak , there will be dirt past the seal(s) and it will be right at the lower bushing point grinding away. plus forks only hold a small amount of oil and there's no way to tell how much has already leaked out.

dirtytrixx400 wrote:

i was steered away from using them for the same reasons.....trapped dirt.

this is also the same problem with the film negative trick ,even if your lucky enough to get it cleared out to stop the leak , there will be dirt past the seal(s) and it will be right at the lower bushing point grinding away. plus forks only hold a small amount of oil and there's no way to tell how much has already leaked out.

Yes, the 35mm film trick is something I've done back in the day - with the same reservations. I tried to mitigate the possibilities of pushing dirt in there by trimming the film to a wedge shape, going in at an angle, and then working my way up and out as I went around. No reason to tell how successful I was, of course. But that's what the accordion boots are for anyways.

My riding conditions don't include a lot of riding through dust or mud, very little in fact, but I am going to think about tracking down a set of boots anyways.

Those "guaranteed for life" wipers/fork seals I saw in Penco the other day really interested me. Pretty bold claim. Of course, they wouldn't be covering the labour to redo the seals, just replacement of the seals themselves.

the long life seals i believe are the best choice ......they usually have 3 seal lip edges contacting the inner tube vs. only a single lip edge for the stockers.
i know that low stiction/friction from seal drag is a high priority on mx bike design and i'm sure it's the same for our bike's too.....a single edge seal with low tension.

on some things i prefer long life over the "race" type parts.

Does anyone else think they look like shit? :)

YZEtc wrote:

Does anyone else think they look like shit? :)

+1

I had an LC4 640 and had to replace the seals (both were leaking) at about 700 miles. I then put a set of seal savers on the bike and rode it another 5k miles and never had another leaking seal.
I put seal savers on the R² as I don't like having to replace fork seals. I did not have a problem with dirt under the seal savers on the LC4. jim

Yamaha recommends cleaning and regreasing the fork oil and dust seal after every ride in the mud. On my 2002 WR250F I had to replace the oil seal and fork oil after six months. I installed seal savers and haven't had a leak since. You can roll the seal savers up occassionally and clean any dirt out of there. You need to use a heat gun to bend the fork tube protector a little on the inside for more clearance so you don't wear a hole in the saver. Fork savers help prevent the fork tube from getting dented by flying rocks.

The long awaited what does Sandman think post!

Here is my .02: The work and I have not seen any dirt get past them, BUT if you are using the OEM R fork protectors which rub on the fork anyway, THEY will destroy your Seal Savers! The rubbing bores holes clean through them. I have Holes in mine where they fit up over the outer fork tube, so what protection they now have is debatable....I now only use the X fork guard and suggest you all do the same, it is stiffer and does not rub the fork and the protection is pretty much the same. I actually think I am going to get another pair of Seal Savers, they are cheap, and if they are not getting holes wore in them from the fork protector I think they will help protect the seal. I had a seal go bad and thankfully it was replaced under warranty, but this seemed like cheap insurance to me. You will have to pull off the forks to install them, and that sounds like a perfect time to drain your fork oil and put in some Yamaha One anyway...you have all done that by now anyway right? Just like break in oil in your engine, the fork oil should be changed after a few good agresive rides and at least every two years after that or sooner.....you will be amazed at will come out of that fork.....

And no, I have not done it yet myself.... but will be doing it when I get back home next week from my extended work trip out to Reno, NV... With luck I can escape the hell of Wisconsin (not so bad, just boring) and we will be moving to Reno next spring.....Out door lovers paradise! Between the Kayaking, Snowboarding, Rock climbing, Mountain Biking, and oh yeah Motorcycling (street and dirt) I will be in Heaven! Going to need some Rotopax fuel cans, Bigguns rack, saddle bags, ect as my Son and I will turn into desert rats travelling all over Nevada going to old Ghost towns and mines....have to convert our bikes into new age pack mules!

Hope it all works out!



Oh yeah one more thing, the Seal Saver web site is a bit outdated looking, but they have great service and make some other neat products you may be interested in as well. I highly recomend them to all.

Ivan

Sandman, do you mean to use the R protectors? I guess I'm not understanding this:

Quote :

BUT if you are using the OEM X fork protectors which rub on the fork anyway, THEY will destroy your Seal Savers! I now only use the X fork guard and suggest you all do the same

I only use the X fork protectors on My R, as far as I am concerned the R fork protectors are Junk, they rub the forks, they flop around, if you are at the Dealer and you see an X and an R next to each other check the difference between the two, you will see what I mean...I now only use the X guards on my bike no matter what wheels I am using X or R ( I have both) I think they are about $12 or so dollars each so they are a cheap fix, but only come in black so that may be a problem for some...does not bother me...

Okay, so you meant to say "if you are using the OEM R protectors...". Gotcha.