I have a 2010 Roadking with 4200 miles. I was starting to look at the $400.00 fee for a 5000 mile service. I bought a shop service manual and will be doing the service myself. I can follow step by step directions but have some questions that the manual does not address.

1. There is a transmission drain plug and a primary drain plug. Does the Transmission filler plug hole fill both the transmission and the primary.

My Transmission fluid level was low so I decided to change all the fluids.

2. My drain plugs (all 3) had thread lock on them. Is this normal. My 1000 mile service was done at the dealer.

3. Do most of you replace the O rings with each oil change.


Thanks in advance.

 

Does the Transmission filler plug hole fill both the transmission and the primary

1/No, transmision is the dip stick, primary opening is you derby cover(clutch inspection cover) Be sure an not overfill primary. Put what the owners manual says and no more.

drain plugs (all 3) had thread lock on them

2/NO NO NO

Do most of you replace the O rings with each oil change

3/Yes, and I am very carefully to wipe the seal port area off were the o-ring seals. You can get away with it if o-ring looks good but I park on a home garage an I do not want a drip. Last time I skipped it, it driped. o-rings are $1.00 at Harley. Actually cost more at autozone. Sure you checked transmission correctly? upright and stick not screwed in? if it was low look for a leak under transmission. oil does not get out of transmission unless there is a problem unless some one did not put enough. Hope you are checking behind dealer that your oil is correct when you get your service done. Only way to keep them honest. I had a friend who bought the lifetime service package and at 30k the oil was black in the primary and magnet looked like a cotton candy. I doubt it had ever been changed.

 

Thanks for the info. I found the section on the clutch inspection cover. Now I am thinking that these screws are overtightened on the cover.

Yep besides the thread sealer the magnet for the primary had about a pea size ball of shavings attached to it.


My confidence in my dealer is falling sharply.

 

Probably normal. By the third change will be smaller. Transmission will also be smaller unless you catch it in between gears and do a lot of rakeing or do not shift hard enough into first from netural at startup. I put the new derby cover on and it had the locktite patch screws. I just new they were going to break before I got them out the next time but they did not. That will never happen again. I just snug them and recheck a few more times on the next two rides. After that they will stay tight without locktite

 

It is your owners manual which covers most of this well, specifying a service interval for every service item, and providing clear instructions for stuff like fluid changing & checking.

The o-rings are cheap (+ three come with the derby cover gasket); I replace them. Also I thoroughly clean the threads and seal area, and apply a very tiny amount of Teflon-paste thread seal, not lock, to the drain-plug threads. While cleaning, inspect the magnet carefully.

It is handy to have a chock or lift, or a helper, for servicing the primary case. This is a good time to adjust the clutch.

I have found that a medium-size plastic darkroom tray makes the ideal oil drain pan, and has a little pour-spout in one corner, aiding transfer to seal-able, portable plastic containers (I use discarded 1/2-gallon juice bottles because they have a very wide mouth; a funnel otherwise).

A bent piece of cardboard, and 2 holes punched in the oil filter, nearly eliminates the mess.

I recommend a Used Oil Analysis (Google Blackstone Labs) on the engine, at least, at each 5,000-mile change.

 

WTF? Every 5000 you are going to spend $40 changine engine oil and $25analyzing the old oil? sounds like a big waste of time and money to me. I only do a UOA when suspecting a problem or at no less than 50,000 miles on a bike or 100k on a car/truck or if I am buying a used vehicle to see what wear metals exist. The $25 is beter spend on high quality oil in the first place IMO.

 

Everything is put back together. I have a very nice new Derby cover. A better seal is used for the after market covers. Clutch is adjusted.
I
am going without the Teflon-paste thread seal on the drain plugs. I have a supply of O rings in case it starts to leak. In that event I will also use the teplon-paste.

I am using a lower cost synthetic oil recommended to me a long time roadking owner. He has been using it for 15 years without problems. I thought my head was going to explode if I read anymore post about oil.

I think I will change all the fluids again in 2000 miles since I have changed oil brands. That will also put me on a change schedule for the winter months.

 

All the help we gave you and you are not going to share what syn oil that has 15years testing???
Also send me your old oil, I put 6K on it for a whole year and do two on a filter. I want another bike some day and wife will fill sorry for me when I work on it too much and get me a new one.

 

This should not be either quality oil or UOA. Consider this insurance against an unexpected catastrophic failure on an expensive machine. For those who put on 10,000-15,000 miles a year it is not a large burden, $50-$75/yr against perhaps learning that a bearing is failing before the whole engine is lost; testing at less frequent intervals increases this risk. There appears to be some benefit in checking it every 5,000 miles, and having an early baseline is important, as we're looking for a change.

Admittedly, it's the guys fussiest about their maintenance who do this. I know this seems to be an unnecessary expense, and I truly hope it never forecasts a serious problem, but it also can tell me when it's time to trade. Yet few riders take advantage of this and, frankly, I haven't done it on my Tundra, though I think the smart money would.

BTW there is a long-standing UOA thread still kicking.

 

Ok. I was trying to stay out of the oil debate. I used VALVOLINE Maxlife Synthetic Blend 20W50. Now I did not think it had been around for 15 years, so he may have had another valvoline product prior to the Maxlife line becoming available.
I just got back from a ride 75miles then road in a parade for 45 min and then the 75miles back home. I could not tell if it ran better but it did not run worse. I don't have a temp gage but during the parade it did not feel as hot as during the last parade I was in a few months ago.