KOK blue seals vs SKF green fork seals

cdoggy81
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Edited Date/Time 10/10/2021 1:25am
Anyone try these new seals out on their bikes? They look to be & marketed as an SKF equivalent but at a better price point. I went to buy a set of SKF seals the other day & at $75 I just had to see what else was available. These seem to be ~ $50 & OEM ~ $35.
LMK your thoughts or experience with them if any.
Thanks!

https://becausebluesbetter.com/?make=6558&model=7714&year_id=7896&post_…



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slipdog
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5/3/2021 6:35am
Pretty sure KOK is from China
1
cdoggy81
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5/3/2021 7:21am
“ We are a family owned business that saw an opportunity to be the first company in Taiwan to develop the oil seal. Over more than 5 decades, we’ve worked hard to become leaders in developing proprietary solutions for sealing and vibration control for some of the world’s coolest, most advanced machines.

Our parent company, KOK, has designed dampening and sealing solutions for bullet trains, super cars, and heavy duty excavation equipment.

We know sealing, and now we’re stoked to be offering solutions to motocross enthusiasts across the globe.

Our innovative technology and decades of research has now come together to create the most superior range of oil seals for off road racing and street forks.

We make seals for riders who are obsessed with motorsport! ”

The Shop

YZed250
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5/3/2021 10:36am
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40acres
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5/3/2021 11:55am
slipdog wrote:
Missed it by that much... Quailty tends to just as sub par from either country.
Okay
DuroTools
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5/3/2021 6:00pm
These look like the seals on my mountain bike. No complaints from me about the seals if they are manufactured by the same Co.
FahQ
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5/3/2021 6:48pm
Look for NOK
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cdoggy81
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5/4/2021 3:12pm Edited Date/Time 5/5/2021 9:05am
slipdog wrote:
Missed it by that much... Quailty tends to just as sub par from either country.
Swamy, Swanson, Samsonite.... close slipdog 😎
When sourcing product from LCC’s there can be a big difference from within the same country & region even. My company contract mfg & private label a lot from both countries & bottom line is you can get a good product but it takes a LOT of work!

Yes, same company as MTB seals Duro.

NOK is that same or lower price point as OEM or more like All Balls store stuff FahQ?
1
m21racing
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5/4/2021 5:38pm
There is another blue seal developed by csr suspension in Indiana. It also competes with the skf seals in terms of quality and longevity. I have used them, and they worked very well. Keys I've always looked at are; fluid to match seal compound and new, quality bushings.
3
cdoggy81
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5/4/2021 7:10pm Edited Date/Time 5/5/2021 9:05am
Roger that. I would bet they private label those seals for CSR.
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FahQ
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5/5/2021 8:52am
cdoggy81 wrote:
Swamy, Swanson, Samsonite.... close slipdog 😎 When sourcing product from LCC’s there can be a big difference from within the same country & region even. My...
Swamy, Swanson, Samsonite.... close slipdog 😎
When sourcing product from LCC’s there can be a big difference from within the same country & region even. My company contract mfg & private label a lot from both countries & bottom line is you can get a good product but it takes a LOT of work!

Yes, same company as MTB seals Duro.

NOK is that same or lower price point as OEM or more like All Balls store stuff FahQ?
OEM is typically NOK Wink
Kinda funny this new company is KOK
2
cdoggy81
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5/5/2021 9:09am
Haha, yeah & thats kinda what I was wanting to figure out. Are these new blue seals just basic oem seals colored blue & marketed as the new & improved?
Or did they actually improve the seal somehow & create something better (like what SKF did)?
slipdog
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5/5/2021 1:22pm
OOHHHHH.... "Samsonite", I was way off!
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cdoggy81
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5/5/2021 4:56pm
slipdog wrote:
OOHHHHH.... "Samsonite", I was way off!
Haha, glad you got that one LoL 😂
1
9/19/2021 2:45pm
Anybody ever get any of these to test out?
jaun
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9/23/2021 3:46am
cdoggy81 wrote:
Swamy, Swanson, Samsonite.... close slipdog 😎 When sourcing product from LCC’s there can be a big difference from within the same country & region even. My...
Swamy, Swanson, Samsonite.... close slipdog 😎
When sourcing product from LCC’s there can be a big difference from within the same country & region even. My company contract mfg & private label a lot from both countries & bottom line is you can get a good product but it takes a LOT of work!

Yes, same company as MTB seals Duro.

NOK is that same or lower price point as OEM or more like All Balls store stuff FahQ?
FahQ wrote:
OEM is typically NOK Wink
Kinda funny this new company is KOK
Yep NOK make all jap OEM bike seals, for WP they use SKF
9/23/2021 1:58pm
Well... I got some today. Not much to say, really. They look like fork seals.... I like the blue, it should go good on my Yamaha "because blue is better", but we all know that. Woohoo

Now it's the test of stiction and time, to see if they are really worth $50.
4
Rider 5280
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9/23/2021 2:50pm
Well... I got some today. Not much to say, really. They look like fork seals.... I like the blue, it should go good on my Yamaha...
Well... I got some today. Not much to say, really. They look like fork seals.... I like the blue, it should go good on my Yamaha "because blue is better", but we all know that. Woohoo

Now it's the test of stiction and time, to see if they are really worth $50.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
1
10/2/2021 4:24pm
Just installed the Blue forks seals and they are easily the tightest fork seal I have ever installed. There is tons of stiction in the seals. You could probably run these on a 47mm Showa fork. Junk.
cdoggy81
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10/2/2021 7:10pm
Damn, sorry to hear that. Appreciate the feedback, sorry this one didn’t work out Sad
10/2/2021 8:34pm
Somebody had to try them.

When I put the oil in the outer tubes and went to lift the tube up to the cartridge the whole fork came off the floor. I had to put my foot on the axle lug to fully extend it.
cdoggy81
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10/3/2021 2:07pm
🤦‍♂️
FGR01
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Fantasy
10/4/2021 7:10am
These sound like the red "leak proof" seals that were sold by MSR and maybe a few other companies. I put them on some guys bikes at their request. Damn things pretty much converted woods suspension to SX suspension! haha
6
10/4/2021 1:54pm Edited Date/Time 10/4/2021 1:56pm
These are worse than that. Seriously. Like you, I've had guys give me some pretty crappy seals to use before, but these take the cake. I must have checked the packaging 3 or 4 times to make sure they weren't 47mm seal. I'm wondering if they got package wrong.

I'm sort'a worried they might rub the chrome off the tubes.
3
Kartwheel
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10/5/2021 4:29pm
Use NOK Japanese made OEM nothing else is as good thus far
For WP forks I use a KYB seal made for the PSF1 or PSF2 air forks they are a single spring seal and work really well in the WP stuff
1
Richy
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10/10/2021 1:25am
I always figured by the time you're taking your fork apart, it's gotta be worth the extra to throw SKF in. Some decent stuff is coming out of Taiwan and Korea, even China though that has way lower odds, but another $20 - $30 on a job you don't want to have to do over again for proven seals has to be worth it.

Good enough for Le Mans cars, Moto GP bikes, all sorts of big time fancy stuff, has to be a good move.
1
10/10/2021 8:59am
Richy wrote:
I always figured by the time you're taking your fork apart, it's gotta be worth the extra to throw SKF in. Some decent stuff is coming...
I always figured by the time you're taking your fork apart, it's gotta be worth the extra to throw SKF in. Some decent stuff is coming out of Taiwan and Korea, even China though that has way lower odds, but another $20 - $30 on a job you don't want to have to do over again for proven seals has to be worth it.

Good enough for Le Mans cars, Moto GP bikes, all sorts of big time fancy stuff, has to be a good move.
I don’t think I’ve actually had skfs go bad. I’ve had them leak, but after a cleaning they sealed up fine. I believe I put 170 hours on my first set before replacing. Now I replace them every 2-3 services
10/10/2021 6:10pm Edited Date/Time 10/12/2021 9:28am
Yeah, I know what you guys are saying. I normally run SKF, but I was just giving these a try for the sake of this thread and sharing my findings so nobody wastes their money on them.

And for an update, I let a guy ride my bike today who's forks I have valved similar to mine, but mine are set up to be a little softer. He actually thought mine where firmer over roots and rocks than his, so the seals seem to be creating considerably more stiction than his OE Yamaha seals. So, the blue seals are coming out. They are officially junk in my book.
5

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