Do my Fireblade's fork seals need replacing?

Q. I was advised at my MoT that one fork seal on my ’04 Fireblade was worn (there was slight misting of oil on the fork).

The garage said they could replace just the one, but when I rang the main Honda dealer I got the bike from, they advised changing both (which I agree with), but also said that both top and bottom bushes should also be changed. Is this really necessary?

The bike has only done 9000 miles and I do less than 1000 miles a year, just a couple of track days and occasional riding.

A. We would replace both fork seals because if one has failed, the other will have worn more rapidly.

However the bushes should not be worn at 9000 miles, unless the forks have been run low on oil because of the leak.

If that was the case, you’d see some exposed brass under the grey bearing surface, in which case the bushes should be replaced.