K5 wee ..best fork seal replacement (genuine?) + a few other questions !

[willywombat]

been off the wee for a while due to illness but need to sort the LH fork seal before MOT
never done seals before and wondered whether people always change both sides when only one is leaking or is the good side best left alone ?
Also where's the cheapest source of genuine spares etc ...not keen on main dealers to be honest  and their maxed out prices ! Presume re the seals it's best to go genuine or is there a better option?
All and any advice much appreciated
thanks
Bill in Devon

[Robotstar5]

First off, why did the seal fail?, if it was pitted stanchion etc. you need to sort that or the new seals will fail quickly.

[willywombat]

Not sure why it failed yet ...stanchions seem smooth and clean
My only concern is that it happened soon after fitment of a Cosmo fork brace . I was careful re alignment /adjustment etc and travel was smooth afterwards but seemed a bit of a coincidence .
Are fork braces known to occasionally cause such problems ?

[bigpie]

I used all balls seals on my K5, didn't have issues. Had the fork brace on my wee and now on glee.

You could try the milk carton trick to clean out any gunk that might be causing the leak.

.

[willywombat]

already tried a sealmate ..didn't seem to help unfortunately.

[Hondaman]

Did you slacken the spindle pinch bolt & bounce the forks  after fitting the brace?
Unlikely to make a difference but you never know.

OE seals for me, I've tried oe suppliers like NOK but the design isn't the same as oe & leaked after not long.
It's a good time to change the fork oil & inspect the bushes too

[kwackboy]

I always recommend OEM seals and generally do both forks at the same time.
The job to replace them isn't hard but quite involved if you don't know what you are doing. 

[Gert]

Replacing fork seals are easy if following a well documented guide like: https://blacklabadventures.com/2012/04/14/replacing-front-fork-seals/
I replaced mine on the K6 Wee a couple of years ago and all is still OK.

I read on another site that if the Suzuki OEM seals are not available, then Honda seal will work. Maybe someone can confirm this claim...

http://www.stromtrooper.com/v-strom-service-maintenance-questions-discussions/300585-possible-fork-seal-fix-print.html?pp=40  possible fork seal fix ?
"What you actually want are either OEM seals, or Honda seals, part number 51490-MCF-000. The Honda part includes one wiper and one seal, so two of them get you what you need, and they are WAY cheaper than the Suzuki part, and more common to boot."