Dust Gaiter Lube During Fork Seal Replacement (K1100)

[Niemand]

Section 31.16 of the K1100LT/RS repair manual states one should pack the dust gaiter with something similar to Shell Retinax A or Gleitmo 805 during reassembly.

Has anyone had luck finding the Gleitmo in the U.S. in smaller doses than the kilo tub I am seeing sold for over $100?  (The smaller cartridge seems to be unavailable from the few places I have found it.)

What alternative should I use if neither of these are available?

Danke.


**Edit on 10/22/2015 to update:  Just got notified when this old post was relocated, and figured I would let anyone that cares know I actually found the Gleitmo available in a grease gun cartridge size.  (I believe it is called for elsewhere too, but I can't recall where at the moment.)  I used it during the fork seal job back then, and have had zero issues with leaks since.  My guess is it is there to condition the rubber a bit and ease the seal's ability to slide along the upper fork tube.

[johnny]

[Lawrence]

I've never even heard of that, much less seen the stuff.  I would use whatever grease I had at hand.  After all, this isn't a critical wear point, is it? The fork tubes essentially run dry when they just have the 'wipers' as opposed to the gaiters, right?

[Niemand]

The fork tubes essentially run dry when they just have the 'wipers' as opposed to the gaiters, right?

I am not referring to the gaiters as most know them that are add on bits used for covering the forks, but rather the dust caps that are fitted above the seals on all Ks.  I just called them gaiters because the manual does.  You are correct, however, that it isn't exactly a critical wear point, but I was still curious what folks are using.

[Scott_]

I've not used anything on mine when assembling. Neither has the dealer that did my forks before me.
Not saying it's right or wrong, just sharing my experience.
Don't know why they call for it to be in there. Is it to keep the oil in? That's what the seal is supposed to be for.
Maybe I should pack some grease in there and see what happens.
Both and I mean BOTH seals started leaking at the same time when I was riding at 10deg outside. I don't think they like the cold temps.