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Hi all, looking for some opinions/advice on drawbacks of driving bike around with busted fork seals. My 2004 rockster has 3800 miles on board and have noticed the usual tide marks on both forks with and oily residue left after a ride.
I was going to wait until the 6000 mile service to get this job done as it doesnt seem to affect the performance or handling of the bike in anyway. I know that this oil is purely for lubricating the sliders but am I doing any long term damage??

Also I am still running with some fairly ancient Dunlop D207 tyres. These have been on the bike since new and I reckon theres another couple of thousand miles on them. Several biking buddies of mine say that I should change them as the rubber degrades over time thus effecting grip and handling. I dont know as I'm just bike from a fairly vigorous 150 mile spin taking in mountain roads and motorways and I cant fault them

In these recessionary times I cant justify binning a perfectly good set of tyres...

First the tires. Is the bike stored indoors? And are the sidewalls weather checked (cracked). If the bike is stored indoors, maybe you can get away with the current tires for awhile longer. If there is ANY weather checking you need new tires now. Given that you have only 3800 miles in 7 years I would change the fork seals. Another 5 to 6 years for that maintenance is a bit much. I would do a 6000 mile maintence now just because of the time its been around. Things do deteriorate.

In these recessionary times I cant justify binning a perfectly good set of tyres...

The issue is whether or not those old tires are still "perfectly good".

Which costs less: a new set of tires with known performance and integrity, or miscellany bike parts needed to fix crash damage caused by an old tire that lost grip or blew out a sidewall? Only you can answer that question.

My unscientific belief is that frequent oil changes and fresh tires are inexpensive insurance.

Bike was stored indoors most of its life. I purchased it with approx 750 miles on board a couple of months back as previous owner used it as a garage ornament. I immediatley changed all engine, gearbox and transmission fluids along with plugs and filters for good measure.
Tyres are in excellent condition with no signs of any cracking (just showing the usual wear and tear from driving on rubbish roads!)
Think I will get the summer out of them before changing to a set of new Michelins.

With regards to fork seals no harm in waiting til next service. Also not a big deal for DIY: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97873

Brgds
Oliver

Hey, thanks for that. Thats an excellent link. Used to frequent this site a couple of years back when I had a GS. I think someone of my limited mechanical ability could attempt something llke that. Especially as my local garage were charging eur120 for doing it.....