I've had some pretty bad luck with James fork seals, multiple times, many have leaked right off the bat. I only use Showa OEM now and have never had one leak. I'm subscribed to see your progress.

 

I am really interested in this thread, I can't wait to see the suspension upgrade. Are you thinking of converting your gauges to LED? If so who are you planning on going with? I want to convert the instrument lighting on my FXDL to LED as well.

 

Thanks, Nomad! That's exactly the kind of input I was looking for. I assume OEM seals from HD are from Showa? I have all the individual pieces sitting in a shopping cart on the Ronnie's HD page now, just doing my research before hitting the "submit" button.

 

You are correct sir. OEM is Showa.

 

I'm about 75% sure that I'll do an LED conversion, but I'm still looking at stuff from Motogadget, Dakota Digital, Koso, etc. But there's something about each aftermarket item that just isn't quite how I would like it. And my intention wasn't to get too deep into rewiring the whole harness during this project either...

But realizing how ridiculously heavy stuff like this is makes me keep looking at other solutions... These pieces really should be aluminum!



If I go with the LED conversion, I've been looking into these shops:

https://zeescustomsinc.com/harley-davidson-gauge-mods/
http://www.bluegauges.com/motorcycle/harley.htm
http://harleygaugemods.com/
https://www.eyezongauges.com/

I'm all ears, if anyone has other recommendations. I don't dislike the OEM gauges, but I do wish there were some more trip computer type functions. But I do like the classic look of a pair of round dials, and I find them extremely readable. I think they would look fresher cleaned up well, with bright, even white LEDs lighting them up.

 

 

 

Tarik, when you get to these Ohlins Parts, don't gloss over it. I don't see any info on the Ohlins site for them and I want details

.

 

Definitely will post details when available!

You probably don't see them listed because they aren't specific to the FXDX. My understanding is that they're a universal 20mm piston kit for Showa cartridges used in a wide variety of applications (both inverted and conventional). On Howard's website (and YouTube), there are a pair of installation tutorials showing these pistons being installed in a Buell inverted fork. As I've been researching and looking for info, I've found a number of forum posts (elsewhere) referencing these same kits being used in a variety of late '90s to late '00s sportbikes.

From Motorcycle Metal (dot com):

 

Not much to report today, except I made a tool to securely hold fork tubes in my vise. I looked online, but everything was over a hundred bucks and had some feature I really didn't like (the Jim's tool only holds tubes horizontally, the HD tool doesn't look like it would be secure in the vise vertically, etc.). This wasn't completely my idea, one of my Google results was labelled "Homemade Fork Holder" and had a picture of a wood clamp. But no detailed pictures or info. It was simple to make, though. I recommend this for anyone who wants to hold a fork tube vertically in their vise. I found everything I needed between Harbor Freight and Sears Hardware. I got a large wood clamp at HF for ten bucks, and cut a pair of "V" notches inside the jaws:



At Sears Hardware, I found a length of square steel stock, which I cut to length:



After mocking it up for bolt locations, a quick trip to my drill press...



Once bolted together, the steel will be what the vise grabs. I cut it to hang off the back of the clamp to allow some distance between the edge of my bench and the fork. HF had tool box liner for three bucks a roll, so that's what I used to line the "V" in the clamp. It's slightly grippy, and slightly padded. So far, 3M spray adhesive seems to be holding it well.



Trial run: The fork tube feels really solid and secure in the vise. I need to cut down the bolts or get three shorter ones. That's what I get for not measuring or bringing the clamp into Sears with me. Many thanks to whoever the unknown person is whose picture gave me the idea!