Fork Seals - what's up with that???

[bmanchee]

Okay, here's a weird one for you to ponder (or maybe someone has dealt with this before). I am replacing my leaky fork seals, and decided to try these Pro-Moly leak proof seals from Custom Chrome. Here's the page (part 25337):
http://www.customchrome.net/icatalog/full.aspx?page=911
Says they'll fit 35mm forks on FXRs of all years. They did fit diameter-wise, but upon reassembling the forks, the seals actually float up and down in the fork slider when the fork is moved. Like they are made too short or something, so that they don't fill the cavity in the slider where the seal rests. Is this normal for these seals? Do they expand when they're exposed to fork oil or road grime or something - LOL? There's another type of seal on that same web page (American Classic) where the description actually says something about the seals floating in the cavity. Is that for real? Can that really provide a good seal for the forks? Bear in mind that these are air forks for an FXRT - i can't imaging that a design like this would work out. Any experience or thoughts on this? Thanks.

[fxr57]

Sounds like the exact seals I put in my fxrs about a month ago. Not sure how they work, but they don't leak. The instructions say there designed to be taken out and put back in. The main reason I went with them is the stock seals cost 5 bucks? for the pair. Figured if I'm gonna take the forks apart may as well put in something decent.

[bmanchee]

LOL - yeah that was my thought too. I figured they had to be better than OEM at $26 a pop. Thanks for the input.

[bmanchee]

Anyone else have experience or opinions with these seals? I'm not sure if I should put the front end back together or go get some OEM seals or something? I found someone on another board that mentioned that aftermarket seals rarely last more than a year.