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GSF1250SA Bandit Fork Seals

cowboyup3371

cowboyup3371

Forum Guru
Past Site Supporter
Discovered tonight that I’ll need to replace the Bandit’s fork seals when I get home. I’ll read through my service manual later this week but does anyone have any tips to help me with them or are they similar to my 550?

Also, any advice on where to place the bike lift so as to no affect the 4-1 pipe would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have no idea your situation, but do you think one of those Motion Pro Seal Mate fork seal cleaners may be worth a try? They've been talked about around here before & seemed several said they worked for them...Just a thought
 
They should be very similar to your 550.. Every RSU Suzuki fork I've worked on has been basically the same. You'll need to find some other pipe (or split some ABS and tape it back together) to get the right diameter for pushing the seals in. :)
 
It's a cartridge fork, so there are some extra bits to deal with in there. The instructions in the Haynes or FSM are pretty clear; you'll need to make or buy a rod holder tool with the correct size slot, and there's a crucial measurement when you're reassembling the preload adjuster to the damper rod.

And yes, the Seal Mate is worth a try! Pop the dust seals up and go around the oil seal once or twice and see if you get any schmoo. Sometimes it's just a really crusty bug or something.

Get some magnification and clean and inspect and feel the tubes very carefully for damage.


A few things:

- OEM seals are the ONLY ones worth bothering with.

- You can probably skip replacing the dust seals if they seem reasonably OK-ish.

- Take a look under the dust seal to make sure the clip hasn't rusted. If so, replace when you replace the seals. Rusty clips are a common source of seal damage.

- An adjustable seal driver (they're sold under various names) is a worthwhile purchase. Not sure of the diameter of these forks, but using PVC might be difficult. It works great on a GS because a common pipe size slips over the fork tube perfectly, but on fatter forks you might not be able to find a pipe size that works.

- Replace the copper washer gasket under the bolt at the bottom (and use Loctite). I usually order up at least one new bolt, too, since these sometimes get damaged in the process and they're a very oddball thread.

- The 1/2" drive impact hex set at Harbor Freight is excellent quality (believe it or not) and the best way to remove the bottom bolt with an impact gun.

- Unless the bike has very low mileage, I'd also recommend replacing the slide bushings (#11 and [NODE="5"]Uncategorized Groups[/NODE] on the fiche).


Not sure on oil weight; 10W is sort of a generic all-purpose recommendation, but maybe Bandit forums or owners will know more. And this might be a good time to consider dropping in a set of Sonic straight rate springs, if that hasn't done already.
 
This is what I've done for a seal driver a few times. You can use tape instead of a clamp if you like. You just find the closest one, split the pipe on a mitre saw and them sand the edges back till it fits.

https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2020/...k-seal-driver/

I guess this idea should probably work too but I've not tried it!

https://www.instructables.com/Homebu...seal-without-/

I didn't realise the bandit was a cartridge fork. I assumed it would be the same as the Vstrom which in turn was the same as the old RSU GSXR or Katana or there abouts.
I did some USD cartridge ones on a BMW recently. Not too difficult but more faff than RSU.. :)

You'll be fine I'm sure. :)
 
Last edited:
Thank you guys. I read back through the service records and the PO never had to change the seals before so they are probably due. Especially considering the bike has over 99,000 miles on it already (yes, I will record that day):eek:.

I will email sonic springs to see what my options are and order the parts soon. Also going out to Iron Pony this morning to see if they have the tools
 
Picked up the seal driver and ordered all of the parts to include the damper rod holder doohickey from Iron Pony since they'll get it to me early next week. Now to talk to Sonic Springs about new springs for up front. Rdesmond, I know you don't own them anymore and yes, it's not hard to send an email asking what the right spring rate will be but I sure wish Sonic hadn't removed their calculator from the site. I guess they have merged with another company now - DMr Performance Suspension so hopefully they will still be helpful.
 
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