1100 evo SKF Fork Seals

[oldndumb]

Slightly overdue on my fork oil replacement, I went to my local bearing and seal house to buy some seals and found out that they no longer carried auto/transportation seals; just industrial/construction related items. So, I went online looking for a source when I came across a lot of chatter about the SKF fork seals. Seems that a lot of the dirt bike riders favor them over the oem NOKs. Watched a few YouTubes which had demonstrations of the SKF reduced stiction. Convinced to try a set, I started searching sites which carried them and kept striking out. The 1100 evo uses a 43X54X11. The sites which carried a 43 only had them in a 9.9 thickness.

Gave up on getting them then I tried one more site. I called http://www.ridejbi.com mainly because his video was very informative. Spoke with him and he explained that SKF includes a shim which brings the seal to 11.0 Mm for the Marzocchi fork. Nobody else shared this info with me. Ordered a set and had them in a few days.

To me the seal does feel more slippery compared to a NOK. The seal and shim stack does measure out to 11.0 mm. Installation was no different than with the oem. Once the fork is assembled there is no doubt that the normal stiction is gone. The hype and the videos are not an exaggeration.

I've only done one ride of about five 5 miles on them using my original settings. Pretty sure that the rebound and compression will need adjusting.

Long term wear is yet to be determined. As it stands now I am very pleased and, as good as NOKs are, I do not think I will be using them again.

Anyone interested, take a look at this demo:



Anyone really interested, look at his site. http://www.ridejbi.com



Anyone wanting to get rid of their unsightly stiction needs to call ridejbi.  

[EEL]

Cost compared to standard seals?

[oldndumb]

Cost compared to standard seals?

Ducati online dealer price w/shipping: $118.72

ridejbi price w/shipping: $75.96

[EEL]

Is that seal shim just plastic or some heavy rubber? I'm worried about scratching up the inner tube as the fork seal drive up and down during the compression and rebound stroke.

[Slide Panda]

I put a set of SKFs in my KTMs forks - definitely slide more easily

[oldndumb]

Is that seal shim just plastic or some heavy rubber? I'm worried about scratching up the inner tube as the fork seal drive up and down during the compression and rebound stroke.

Actually the opposite of what you are suggesting. The "rubber" or whatever elastic material the seal is made out of is so slick, scoring of the tube would be the last thing you would expect. The shim is a type of slick plastic, precisely sized, and not a tight fit. In the video, note how easily the tube slides. The video is not an exaggeration or staged. Mine did the same thing.

Slide Panda, now that I am aware of them, I've noticed several KTM's with them. I've also seen a few KTM's with orange seals, but do not know what brand they are.

[EEL]

Actually the opposite of what you are suggesting. The "rubber" or whatever elastic material the seal is made out of is so slick, scoring of the tube would be the last thing you would expect. The shim is a type of slick plastic, precisely sized, and not a tight fit. In the video, note how easily the tube slides. The video is not an exaggeration or staged. Mine did the same thing.

Thanks for the clarification. I will definitely run with these when my seals fail. Probably still have a good 2 years before that happens.

[oldndumb]

Maybe I'm spending money when not needed, but I always change seals when refreshing the fork fluid. To my way of thinking, I've got everything apart, why not go back together with new packings.

I also learned a while ago that refreshing the fluid is more of a function of miles, not time. When I disassemble a fork set, I drain the old fluid into a Tupperware tub. I also catch the runoff from cleaning the cartridges in the same tube. I then let it settle overnight and run a magnet in the fluid  the next day. Invariably the magnet will collect a fuzzball on the end. Although it is an extremely fine mess of magnetic schmutch, it is also abrasive since it consists mainly of fine particles which have worn off of the springs.

As noted, I also do not go the "pump and dump" routine which some prefer. I always remove and clean the cartridge. You can let a fork tube drain upside down overnight and then remove the cartridge and see that it will still have contaminated oil in it.

Forks are very reliable and maybe I'm going overboard trying to take care of them. But it is so simple to do, and not that expensive.

[brad black]

if i replaced seals every time i did a fork oil change most owners would complain about the extra cost.  i'd have a few customer bikes that have 2 or 3 or more fork oil changes on the original seals.

i have used a few sets of skf seals.  apart from the colour, they're great.