Justin:

I just completed my very first fork seal replacement, and I didn't see any other
replies to your question. Therefore, I'll go ahead and share my thoughts about
my very limited experience with my XV750.

1. I would highly recommend replacing the seals on both forks. Probably not an
absolute requirement if you're on a tight budget, but recommended nonetheless.

2. I haven't seen any kits; I had to buy the parts individually (1 oil seal and
1 dust seal for each fork). I was lucky enough to find genuine Yamaha parts on
E-Bay for about 1/2 the price of the dealer.

3. Keep all of the parts in order as you remove them!!

4. The cap/hex bolt at the top of the forks requires a 17mm hex tool. I was
able to find an old lug nut that fit perfectly and welded it to a steel bar to
make a wrench. There is spring pressure on the bolt so it will want to pop off
when you unscrew it.

5. The cap/hex bolt at the very bottom will likely just spin. It is intended to
be removed using a 22mm hex tool (you can make your own using a 1" dowel) to
hold the damper tube way down inside, but the easiest way is simply to use an
impact wrench on the cap bolt.

6. Clean everything in mineral spirits -- there likely is a layer of gunk that
settled at the bottom.

7. To install and seat the new oil seal, use a 2 foot length of 1-1/4" PVC -- it
fits perfectly (at least on my 750). It may need to be seated quite firmly in
order to re-install the snap ring.

8. Use new fork oil. Replace the oil in both forks, even if you choose not to
replace the seals on both.

9. When re-installing the 17mm cap/hex bolt at the top, make sure the forks are
already on the bike with the front wheel off the ground. This will extend the
forks as far as possible and give you the lowest spring force to fight against.

Good luck!

Steve

--- In ViragoOwnersclub@yahoogroups.com, "Justin" <jdelost@...> wrote:
>
> During a recent ride on my Virago, I noticed a clear fluid running down one of
the forks which means, I'm sure, that one of my fork seals has broken. I plan to
do the job myself since I just lost my job and can't afford to pay anyone to do
it. Can anyone who has done this before provide me with any tips, suggestions or
other help? I want to make sure that I buy all that I need to do the job, buy
nothing more. I also want to be able to take everything into consideration that
I will need to know in order to avoid doing any damage. I am assuming that I
should just replace both even though only one has started to leak. Does someone
sell a kit to do this, or do I just have to buy all individual parts?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help offered.
>
> Justin
>