At 51,000km the righ-hand fork of my Stone began weeping. I decided to have a go at replacing the seal myself. When I bought the new seals, the Guzzi mechanic said that 50,000km was pretty good going for a heavy bike. The job took me 3 hours, including full removal and replacement of the fork, seal, wheel, windscreen, mudguard, etc. I took my time but could now do it in half that time, I reckon.

	The tell-tale signs of a worn fork seal. Rings of grime where dirt meets weeping fork oil. Closer examination show fork oil spatters on the fuel tank and crash guard.
	Remove the fork and drain the oil.
	The dust cover can be levered up with a knife blade.....
	....then a broad-bladed screwdriver. Slide it off the fork stauchion.
	A wire spring-clip sits in a groove above the seal to hold it in position.
	It comes out - and goes back in - simply; you don't need circlip pliers, a screwdrive will do.
	Up end the fork and remove the bolt. This was in very tight and I eventually had to place the fork leg in the vice and put a length of pipe on the Allen key for leverage. When the bolt comes undone, a teflon plunger will slide out of the fork staunchion, so be prepared for it and catch it. This now frees up the staunchion which can be slid out of the lower fork leg. (I now stopped taking pictures because everything was really greasy with fork oil!) Remove the old seal. This took some time. I used a broad-bladed screwdriver and slowly worked around the seal. I put an old leather glove on the edge of the fork leg to protect it as I worked around. Eventually, and with patience so that I didn't scratch the inside of the fork, the old seal moved up and then came free. (You can buy a tool for this job which is bent, for leverage, and has a rounded end so you can't scratch the fork).
	Now replace the stanchion and the teflon plunger and replace the bolt in the bottom of the fork leg. The new seal came with some special grease so I gave it a good coating and slid it over the staunchion and down to the lower fork leg. (Use fork oil if you don't have any grease). You need to seat the seal evenly so I bought this piece of PVC pipe from the local hardware shop which fitted perfectly. I found the best technique was to lift the lower leg with my left hand and hold the PVC with my right, and drop the leg on to a cloth-covered wooden stool, letting momentum do the work (like putting a sledge hammer head onto a new handle). Only a two or three gentle drops were needed. Replace the spring-clip, then the dust cover using the momentum method.

Refill the fork, reassemble the bike, then go for a test ride. And check the front brake with a few pumps of the handle before you do. I didn't....but I certainly will next time!