Fork Boot/Gaiters

[Leo.CMember]

I’m currently in the process of gathering all the bits and pieces for a complete rebuild (not by choice & more on that to come) :blink: I pulled the forks off a while ago and saw the gaiters/ boots what ever you want to call them were holed and full of dirt and crap. I’ve seen a few around but 1/2 are synthetic and the other, natural rubber. Which is better and why?

Thanks B.W.

[GregMember]

From experience the genuine honda ones last longer than aftermarket cheap arse ones. The genuine ones seem to be more rubber than the aftermarket ones if that helps.
BTW no matter which ones you fit it pays to pull them up every now and then and clean any crud out if there is any that is.

I just yesterday purchased a set of the full length neoprene ones for the new factory forks for my XR :woohoo:

TB

[Mick DMember]

Hey TB, where did you get the Neoprene ones and how much? I noticed my ones are starting to perish.

[scott bockingMember]

Trailboss wrote:

From experience the genuine honda ones last longer than aftermarket cheap arse ones. The genuine ones seem to be more rubber than the aftermarket ones if that helps.
BTW no matter which ones you fit it pays to pull them up every now and then and clean any crud out if there is any that is.

I just yesterday purchased a set of the full length neoprene ones for the new factory forks for my XR :woohoo:

TB

Are they the neoprene style that fit tight to the fork leg? If so I would be worried about trapped grit scoring your sliders. They were popular on mountain bikes for about 5 minute a but ended up doing more damage than no boots at all.

STM

[GregMember]

singletrackmind wrote:

Trailboss wrote:

From experience the genuine honda ones last longer than aftermarket cheap arse ones. The genuine ones seem to be more rubber than the aftermarket ones if that helps.
BTW no matter which ones you fit it pays to pull them up every now and then and clean any crud out if there is any that is.

I just yesterday purchased a set of the full length neoprene ones for the new factory forks for my XR :woohoo:

TB

Are they the neoprene style that fit tight to the fork leg? If so I would be worried about trapped grit scoring your sliders. They were popular on mountain bikes for about 5 minute a but ended up doing more damage than no boots at all.

STM

That was my concern Scott as I had spoken to KTMrat once about him making me a set and and said the same thing about the crap under them. I emailed ol mate in the US where they are made and asked the same question, he said they had the problem with the earlier ones but these ones are sealed and he promised they are a good thing. For the price I figured they were worth a try and would keep a real close eye on them. The only question I have now but hadnt asked was if they are sealed how do they not blow up like Snowy’s blow goat when the forks are compressed? :blink:

Thanks for the heads up

TB

[Steve WyethMember]

Slightly off topic. Of the 2 sets of IT forks I have the ones with the boots were in much condition than the ones thatdidn’t have them. There is visible scoring of the fork leg uppers where sand and dirt has collected around the seals of the forks that don’t have boots.

The boots I have have a small hole in the rubber to let the air out during compression.

[Eric SmithMember]

In my experience it is best to have gaiters, and the more rubber-based the better. I think the harder plastic ones scratch the forks. I have not had any experience with the neoprene ones but as the posts above indicate, you’d have to be pretty careful not to allow any buildup of crud in there. It will surprise you how much the gaiters will save the forks, even from small stones. That said, JRD once had to replace a fork on an XR400 when a rock hit thrown from the rear wheel of another bike hit the fork through the gaiter. And that my friends is the extent of my wisdom for today!

[Leo.CMember]

Ive ordered and received a pair of black OEM style boots from Pyramid Parts Australia that was sent from
N.Z. :huh: $30 direct from their shop postage took about a week and a 1/2 to get here, will review when fitted, Thanks all for your contributions.

B.W.

[AlexMember]

Pyramid Parts? Notorious for selling cheap rubbish. Hopefully you have more luck than some. I run full length neoprene socks on my USD forks. Have done so for my last 2 Katos. They are stitched down the full length. They do gather dust under them inevitably but I regularly squirt the garden hose up from the bottom to flush. Chrome finish on fork sliders is pretty tuff stuff. The fork socks definitely keep the seals cleaner so less chance of oil leaks. Note I am not talking about the short neoprene stubbie holder ones – they are no good. They are only good to collect crud under them.

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