Probably (hopefully) a simple answer, but how do I get the metal cover off the Dust Seal on the forks of my DT2 without damage? Same with the dust seal once I get the cover off. The left leg seems to have been leaking some. The left leg didn't have much oil in it when I drained it and the cover was covered in dirt encrusted oil near where the fender mounts. I just purchased a Seal Mate and want to see if wiping out the actual seal against the fork tube will take care of the possible leak. Everything on this bike was covered, and packed with sand and I'm afraid there may be sand under the cover.

 

I'll let those with specific experience with the metal cover type seen during that period comment specifically but best I can tell the metal cover just has a inside lip that catches the rubber dust seal underneath it. If it were me I'd try to lift it off first with my hand and a hard plastic or wooden wedge of some kind to assist in levering it up. Certainly wait until you get more responses. 

Good luck. Super clean machine. Nice!

Proceed with caution. The upper part of the lower fork tube, the dust boot, the chrome cover and the oil seal inside the fork tube and sometimes the upper chrome fork tube will become one piece after decades. Although yours looks like it had either good care or a restoration in the past. Very easy to damage the chrome cover and break off the upper part of the lower fork tube. The original fish oil turns to paste and will cause the dust boot to turn into a glue like substance after time. Start by loosening the upper triple clamp pinch bolt, loosen the fork cap. Then take a rubber strap wrench and see if you can rotate the chrome cover while the fork assembly is still held in place by the triple clamps. If not then some penetrating oil and heat from a hair dryer with patience over a day or two. When you get that off then remove the fork assembly from the triple clamps and the bottom allen bolt that goes up through the bottom while the fork spring provides tension. An impact wrench helps.  Then remove the cap, spacer, washer and spring. When you get the inner fork tube out remove the retaining ring above the fork seal. The fork seal is most likely frozen in the tube. The tube is thin and brittle where the seal is. Multiple soakings with penetrating oil with heat applied over several days and then use a multi jaw bearing/seal slide hammer. Gentle force. I've seen the upper portion of the tube break off with the seal or crack when trying to pry it out with a screwdriver.

Clean everything, new fork seals and dust boots and 175cc of 30w engine oil and you will be good for another 50 years.

Yes this was a long winded post but these parts are brittle and good replacements are hard to find.

Here is a photo to go along with your warning of how brittle the aluminum can be. My replacement part was nowhere near as nice as the original....
 

1971DT250 post=142196
yours looks like it had either good care or a restoration in the past.

*Thanks for noticing. Yes, it was fairly well protected (stored in a shed) since last being ridden in 1995. It still had pitting on every bit of chrome and rust in all the pitting. Hours spent with WD-40 and 0000 steel wool pads and she cleaned up real nice. Many more hours cleaning the oil and sand from every bit of the bike.

take a rubber strap wrench and see if you can rotate the chrome cover while the fork assembly is still held in place by the triple clamps. If not then some penetrating oil and heat from a hair dryer with patience over a day or two

*A bit more than I was looking for, but good info if/when I decide to replace the fork seals.

As of right now I simply want to remove the chrome cap and dust seal to gain access to the fork seal itself.