So bike in sig...when I got her last year, had a slight leak in fork oil..running down lower 1/2 of the fork and making wheels messy now 'n then. Rode all summer/fall.

Last week, she musta really blew out....walked outta my office on Friday and the front wheel collected a TON of oil that leaked down the fork. Sitting in the hot sun all day I'm sure didn't help.

Front wheel 'n lower forks chatty has hell when I slow down to a stop sign....so time to pull them forks 'n replace the seals 'n fill 'em up with new oil.

Looking around for guides on FLH type fork seal replacement...not having luck finding much. '83 FLHS. I keep thinking there's a lot more work on the FLH types...or is it the same as FX forks all in all?

 

You have a 77 and later FLH front fork. To remove the slider you need a 6mm allen wrench to fit the bolt in the bottom of the slider. It then should pull off to give you access to the seal part number 45843-77. Some times this bolt just spins and gives you problems. If you use an electric or air impact it usually comes right off.

 

There is a lot of info regarding front suspension in the touring section that you should find useful. I chose to replace the stock components on my ’03 Ultra with Progressive Monotubes and could not be happier with the results. Not sure if that is an option for your bike, but something to consider.

 

Try these:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Pyh...r_embedded#t=0

 

I've seen this before ... she's cute

 

Did she get any sleep the night before she made that video?

So she took 'em all the way out, meaning undid the top end huh?
Hopefully I can do the "just pull 'em out from the bottom" method, haul the front end up on a chain in the garage.

Thanks for tips so far. No budget for replacing whole inners with more cushy newer types, just gonna do the 18 dollar seal set and buncha oil.

 

If you have room in your budget for new bushings that would help a lot, they are the only other maintenance items.

 

I'd remove the forks and perform the rebuild on a workbench.

 

I'm probably over thinking this, or running on lack of sleep...but trying to picture how to fill up the oil in there...when I've done this "bottom out" approach. The fill screw down on the bottom of the forks.

 

To do it that way, once reassembled you would need to pump in a measured amount through the drain plug.