If I didn't chock my front wheel I'd be blowing seals like crazy! My bro Inlaw didn't think it mattered and twice in a row down a crappy road ended up replacing seals. I couldn't take the risk. I could likely slow down in the. Truck as well down those back roads but that's not likely to happen with the way I drive!
Not to go off topic, but I'm curious about the reasoning behind the belief that fork seals will blow from the forks being compressed by tie downs etc. on a trailer, or pickup etc......
All hard evidence points to it not being physically possible for this to happen on modern forks. There is no load on the seals at partial static compression other than the physical weight of a small amount of oil, which can't blow the seals.
The oil itself doesn't compress inside the fork, it only gets pushed thru valving during the action of the fork. At partial static compression, there is no load on the oil at all.
Sometimes you may have a tiny bit of positive air buildup, but never more than 1-2 psi, which is nowhere near enough to 'blow a seal'
Static partial compression of forks couldn't possibly create any where near the kind of load or shock load on the seals, fork internals etc. that riding itself does.
Simply put, anyone that believes they have 'blown their fork seals' from compressing the forks by tie downs has an un-related pre-existing problem with their forks, such as a scratch or nick on the slider, worn sliders, or a buildup of dirt in the wiper, or seal itself. Or?(insert problem here)
These problems can reveal themselves during static compression as the fork is compressed and held for extended periods of time at the spots where the real problem lies. People often mistake & scapegoat the resulting oil leak due to the forks being compressed by tie downs.
Riding the bike is what damages the seals, wipers & sliders. Static partial compression can make the damage obvious, due to the presence of oil leaking.
Back to topic.....
