Fork Seal Driver

[Dirty Dave]

Can anyone tell me the correct size for a fork seal driver for a 78/9 Gl1000?

You would think after 5 sets of replacements (Valk/Gl1200/Gl1000) I would have a clue.

At 71, I believe my brain is melting........

[Whiskerfish]

I do not know what the correct size is but I used a hunk of schedule 40 2 inch pvc I split it into 2 pieces and use them as clam shells to drive it in

[Fred Camper]

I too used Schedule 40 PVC and it did a fine job. I think I used zip ties to hold them together so I did not keep dropping them.

[Dirty Dave]

Thanks.

I have some in my tools that I can reduce slightly in size to fit.
Got tired of returning wrong sized drivers to Amazon.

[redglbx]

Ditto on the PVC,,,, I don’t split though, once I have the fork leg clean I coat the tube with lube , insert it and then slip a longer piece of PVC over it and use it as a light slide hammer to drive the seal home, never had a problem… good luck!

[gltriker]

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https://franksforks.com/HONDA%20FORK-TUBES.html

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Screenshot_20250110_171829_Chrome.jpg

[Dirty Dave]

Yeah thanks. Tube is 37mm. Lower fork leg inner diameter 47mm (ish). Seal is about 7mm.

So a seal driver should be somewhere between 47 & 37mm, so 43 mm should be a fair guess.
Before I gave up and improvising as per folks here with PVC (which I used in the past, where is it?)
I ordered a 43 mm driver from Amazon (Chinese). Clearly stamped 43mm. No where near.

Much larger than 47mm. Great that Amazon returns & refunds are so easy to do.

Like I said, this Ol' Boy seems to have a hard time these days. I'm amazed my Valk
clutch works.

[redglbx]

Yepper Dave, I feel your pain, it just doesn’t get easier,,,, I haven’t ridden any of my bikes for over 2 years now all due to my back fiasco…… my 76 is just sitting in my shop waiting for me to work on trying to figure out why it poofs out the exhaust at idle and it’s time to CHANGE THE BELTS ! I have a pile of new parts sitting there in anticipation of me getting to it.

I’ve decided to also empty the project pipeline and sell off some of the bikes like my 80 gl1000, my 84 standard gl1200 and my 79 CB750 super sport because it’s pretty certain that I’ll never get to them . Just hoping I can get my 76 running sweet again and maybe take it for a ride.

[Dirty Dave]

My 1st bike was a 75 CB750F.

So sorry to here about your situation. I wonder how much longer I will keep going with bikes.
They seem to be the only things I care about these days.......

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

It's PVC pipe for me. I have one (unsplit) that I've used for a range of fork diameters (CBs, GLs, VFs, Suz's). Years back, I picked it up cheap at the local hardware store. Not sure the size, but I have it clearly marked with a sharpie as a "Professional Fork Seal Driver." Works without complaint. Some day, I'll have a fork that's too small or large for the tool, I imagine.

[redglbx]

Dav, I had one of those (blue), my second bike . The very first one in our area, so different for a 750. It was a real hotrod , wish I had never sold it.

[Dirty Dave]

Yup. Blue.

Hopped on it and rode from Montreal to Vancouver, then down the left coast to LA.

Wish I had it as well.

BTW the PVC pipe is a perfect fit for the price of a hamburger.

[redglbx]

[Sidecar Bob]

I have 2 seal drivers made of Schedule 40 ABS DWV pipe hanging in my garage shop. One is 1-1/2" and the other 2".

The inside diameter of 1-1/2 ABS pipe is 1.615" (41mm) so that should work well for a GL1000's 37mm forks.

If you feel that it is not contacting the outer part of the seal (the part that actually needs to be driven in) well enough you can put an old seal on top of the new one to spread the load.

[redglbx]

Good explanation Bob, it should be noted which I think you did that the seal driver whatever you use needs to contact and press on the outer metal part of the seal, you really don’t want to press on the inner part as it will deform and damage the seal and probably cause early failure of the seal.