Leakproof seals don't float?

Hey guys.
I bought a set of the Leakproof brand seals for the roadholders off my 73. According to everything I've read on them, they operate by "floating" within their bore.

It took me a good deal of work to get them in, taking care to protect them as they slid past the lockring threads. However, upon observing stanchion movement without lockring in place, the seals remain firmly planted in the smooth lower bore, with no floating to speak of.

Is this how they should be working? I was under the impression that they moved a little to allow the sliders to gain momentum before breaking through the stiction of the seals.

Hi carwiz,
My experience is that the "Leakproof " seals are guaranteed to leak if they are allowed to float. I have never tried them in a Norton (or other Brit bike) which I believe holds them from floating anyway. Most other bikes (read Japanese) usually have space under the circlip in which those seals are supposed to be able to slide up and down. Every pair that I have seen installed that weren't somehow glued in (sealant), leaked.

GB

There is probably 1/8 to 3/16" of space between the lockring and seal when you thread the ring all the way in. So in theory the seal should have space to float but it fits so tightly in the bore that it can't move. I may be wrong; those are just my observations.

anyone else have additional input?

I recently rebuilt my forks and bought "genuine Norton seals" from the local shop. When I fitted them, they were
a) Slightly loose in the bore of the fork, ( I didn't have to knock them in, they fell in)
b) Half a millimeter shorter than the ones that I took out.

I wasn't sure the threaded rings would clamp them in place, and if they could move up and down, then oil could get around them..under the seal then around the sides.
My fix was to make a 0.5mm washer out of a plastic ice cream container. My thinking was it needed to be solid but not so hard it would damage the seal. I put it between the threaded ring and the seal.

No leaks.