Do you HAVE to take apart the fork to change seal?

I have a 75 Z1B with a leaky fork seal. The question is if I take the snap ring out and expose the fork seal, can I use a seal puller and remove the old seal. Reinstall a new fork seal and reinstall the snap ring and ect.? I figure this way I would not have to fight taking the inner tube out. I plan on doing nothing to the insides. If I had to remove the inner tube all I would probably do is just cleaning. The inner tube is installed when placing a new seal in the outer tube housing anyways. Thanks in advance. Tim

You have to remove the fork leg out of the triples and the outer tube body.
Otherwise you can easily scratch or damage the chrome on the fork legs. Some old rusty seals can very difficult to remove
without the fork legs too, it´s like a PITA. Trust me, i am knowing about it.
Plus you can make a deep clean into the fork inner parts that can easily destroy your new seals!!!

Simple answer is Yes!
Trickiest bit is getting the old seal out and you need to be carefull when sliding the new seal over the end of the staction so as not to tear the seals lip on the chromed edge.
A few wraps of electricians tape or a plastic food bag over the end smeared over with lube helps the seal slide on.

Thanks guys and I knew I have to pull the forks out of the triple tree. might as well go ahead and just pull the inners. The inners are only a few years old because when I had the seals replaced last time the inners were corroded through the chrome and there was no way to seal that. Thanks again for the words of wisdom. Normally I would just have this done. The guy I used in the past has retired and the new pups want $200.00 to do them. I can do a lot of fixing of other stuff for $200.00. Tim

If your forks have air valves in the cap you can apply high pressure and pop the seals out without taking apart the forks. A friend of mine have done them this way anyway. Says it takes some pretty high pressure though - in the range of 175 psi.

If your seals are only a few years old and your inner tubes aren't nicked or pitted, it may just be a grain of sand caught in the seal. Cut a 1"x 6" sheet of plastic from a 1 liter soda bottle. Cut a small angled hook shape on the 6" side at one end. Slide the dust cover up on the inner fork tube. Wrap the plastic around the inner fork tube length wise with the hook end against the fork seal. Compress the fork, working the plastic strip down between the inner tube and seal at least 1" Rotate the inner and outer tubes, working the plastic strip around the entire diameter of each Slowly pull the plastic out. If you fork is leaking, the hook area will probably be filled with fork oil and hopefully the grit that was causing the leak. You may have to repeat a few times. It's worth a try before doing a full fork tear down
For my dirt bikes, I fill the area around the seal with some white lithium grease. It can't be seen with the dust boot in place and traps grime from getting down (up on inverted forks) in the seals. Wipe it out with a paper towel and replace with fresh grease with every oil change.

^^^^ What MDZ1 said. I've had good luck cleaning fork seals that had minor seepage. 35mm film negatives, overhead projector sheet, two liter coke bottle is some of the things I've used successfully.

MD. thanks for reminding me to try that. Someone actually makes the plastic thingy to clear out debris from under the seal. So far the leak isn't very intense just leaving oil on the inner fork tube and not running down the fork. I should add I am planning on installing progressive fork springs when I pull the forks. I figure 42 or so year old springs are probably ready for renewal. But I still have to order the springs.

Nice thing about having 2 motorcycles is when 1 is down I can still ride the other.

The 900 is getting a new Dynamo wire grommet too. I used a impact driver on the screws on the cover and all broke loose except for one. Wouldn't you know it..it figures there always has to be one. Also in a spot I can't slot without damaging the cover its self. So I went and got a #2 easy out with a corresponding sized drill. Sometimes I really hate Murphy.

In the mean time I will be out of town for a few days. I get to go to a cousins funeral in North West KS. My cousin was on a ladder in his garage. Fell off the ladder, hit his head and that was that. Wow out of no place.

Thanks again Tim

WOW, sorry about your cousin.
I had a problem with the seals (Two new sets) then tried the "no leak" type. Still leaked. Turned out the forks were bent very slightly. Never noticed it. I wound up twisting them in the clamps until I could feel a free spot. The leaks stopped. I then bought new fork tubes from Z1E and ordered progressive springs. All of that including the seals was under $200. I felt better knowing everything was clean inside and the next step will be emulators on the dampers....Some day. :whistle:
Steve

Yes the cousin was a shock but one never knows. I figure if my time comes it might as well be on a motorcycle. :whistle:

The fork seals are a few years old. Can't remember just how long ago but it could be up to 5 years. I installed repo fork boots from Redline Cycle after finding Z1 fork boots didn't hold up as well as I thought they should. The boots from Redline are pretty bullet proof with no cracks or signs of age.

I haven't hit any thing that might have cause a inner tube to misalign. And I replaced the inner tubes when the seals got replaced last time. This bike lives in a garage and rarely gets wet. For cleaning it gets spray and shine.

I bought the fork seals off ebay before I knew better. Now I get to pay for it.

How do you like the progressive springs? Worth it?

I like the springs. Not as harsh a ride.
Steve

Nessism wrote: If your forks have air valves in the cap you can apply high pressure and pop the seals out without taking apart the forks. A friend of mine have done them this way anyway. Says it takes some pretty high pressure though - in the range of 175 psi.

Nice. I've wondered about that.
Drain the oil first, I assume.
I've made the mistake of removing the drain screw before releasing the air pressure (only about 10 psi). It was a dirty bomb for sure.