So what&#039;s the deal with Fork Seals? They&#039;ve been slowly leaking since I bought the bike, and not I have little suspension in the front end.<br /><br />So, what do I need to fix the problem? Just seals and fork oil? Anything else? I seem to recall my manual saying that my forks have compressed air as well - what&#039;s that all about?<br /><br />What kind of oil do I use? And can I just top it up with said oil until I get the seals done? Where do I fill them up? I suppose my manual will answer many of these questions but I don&#039;t have it with me and I&#039;m curious.<br /><br />Thanks in advance...<br /><br />K

On my bike you remove the plugs on top of the fork tubes( this is kind of a nut with a gasket around it) and pour in fluid. If you don&#039;t know or have the right fluid heavy grade diesel motor oil will work as a substitute in some cases.

Noname is basically correct - for normal shocks you drain out the old oil and replace ONLY TO THE FILL LINE with new.&nbsp; While you are at it, you may want to replace the internal springs or change their dampening by removing or adding shims.&nbsp; Gas charged shocks are typically nitrogen filled and are none servicable by home mechanics.&nbsp; Most gas filled shocks are expensive, but the upside is they can be rebuilt by the original company - e.g. Ohlins.&nbsp; If your bike has gas filled shocks, you will need to replace or rebuild them.&nbsp; Shocks for the most part are one item I wouldn&#039;t buy from salvage as ALL shocks slowly become less effective over time, either though the oil becoming dirty, leaks, etc.&nbsp; Unless my originals were bent badly, then I might consider salvage and an immediate rebuild.