Any suggestions on maintenance I should do on a new to me 2007 XL1200L low w/ 6000 miles. It hasn't had the 5k service done yet. Anything else I should do besides the 5k service?
If those are the original tires (and they have the oem Harley tire tread in the photo), they're dangerously hard at 9 years old, can slide unexpectedly on corners and might have awful rain traction. Check the tire dates to be sure (4 digit number in an oval on one side of the tire, first 2 digits, week of the year, 2nd 2, year).
If original tires, the axles probably haven't been pulled and near the coast, it may have had enough salt exposure to start rusting the axles and inside the spacers - they don't get any corrosion protection from the factory. If you can jack the bike, could take the weight off and see if you can pull an axle out a little ways by hand - if it needs a hammer, it'd could damage the bearings, so I'd let it go at that point till the next tire change. Make sure the axles get coated with grease or anti seize when they go back in, so they'll slip out with the next tire change with no bearing damage. Not a bad idea to also do the same to the swingarm pivot some time when the back wheel is off - those have spherical bearings and can handle light hammer persuasion.
If you don't have have torque wrenches, I really recommend them, even for small stuff like case screws, they're easy to strip using "hand" torque. I haven't bought a used Harley yet that didn't have some loose screws or bolts, good idea to check what you can reach. Not pulley bolts or brake disk bolts though, just a visual check; if you disturb the loctite on those, they'd need to be removed, cleaned, and put back with fresh loctite at minimum; a lot of folks don't even re-use them since the manual calls for new ones.
I bought a 2007 XL1200 last year, it had 5K on it, barely broken in, right?
The primary chain was too loose. Once I tightened it a little I noticed it shifted much better. The clutch also needed to be adjusted. The throttle & clutch cables needed to be lubed. In going over the bike, there were various little things here and there that needed replacing, like a muffler clamp. You get the idea. Go over the bike from head to toe.
I also changed the primary fluid (very easy) and brake fluid in both cylinders.
Oh, and, hugely important: check the date codes on your tires. My tires were the originals, 8 years old! Quite unsafe and some dry rot.
Another tip, before you get a hammer out, try using a rubber mallet on stuff, metal hammers are a last resort, you don't shock other stuff whilst your knocking something out the bike, I can't remember the last time I actually needed to use a metal hammer.
Thanks for all the advice everyone. They are the original tires, from the 17th week of 2006. Bummer about the tires, they seem like they're in really good condition and ride nice. New tires will go on the top of my list though. I'm too new a rider to take a chance if they're unsafe. Is the dealer the best option for tires?
I'm probably just gonna purchase from Revzilla because they're $200 cheaper than HD w/ free shipping. How are the Dunlop Harley-Davidson D401 Tires for OEM replacement?
04-20-2016, 10:07 AM
