Fork oil level ? - Street Bob
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Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 108
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From: Mountain View, CA
Fork oil level ? - Street Bob
So Ive been banging my head against the wall over installing the Burly Slammer kit on my bike and having only 3/4 inch of front end travel. So after bitching about it for a few weeks and getting some local feedback, I decided to check the fork oil level. Pulled the kit out and let the forks fully compress. The manual says it should be 5 1/2 inches from the top of the tube, and sure enough 1 side is 3 1/2 and the other is 3 3/4. So 2 questions. 1. Does the measurement need to be done with the forks off the bike and fully upright? It seems to me that the level would hardly change as the forks are not at that much of an angle. 2. If they are overfull by almost 2 inches(from the factory, ive never added a drop) could this be causing my front end travel to be so limited? Some type of hydraulic lock maybe? Thanks in advance.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,938
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From: NC
I prefer to check the level of oil with fork leg upright and off the bike and yes having too much oil in your forks will cause a serious harshness, and possibly blow a seal on a hard hit. The factory oil is garbage and you should just dump it out anyways and get the Screamin Eagle 15wt and change it.
If you want a cheap way to lower your forks just go get an extra pair of top out springs and install 2 of them on the damper rod. This will effectively lower your bike and combined with the upgraded oil will ride very close to stock ride quality with about a 3/4 lowered height while on the kickstand. Be advised no matter what you do when lowering ride quality may suffer a bit.It just a matter of how bad it gets.
If you want a cheap way to lower your forks just go get an extra pair of top out springs and install 2 of them on the damper rod. This will effectively lower your bike and combined with the upgraded oil will ride very close to stock ride quality with about a 3/4 lowered height while on the kickstand. Be advised no matter what you do when lowering ride quality may suffer a bit.It just a matter of how bad it gets.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: NC
Here is a writeup I did for budget suspension tuning. Should answer many questions you may have.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...wered-low.html
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...wered-low.html
Here is a writeup I did for budget suspension tuning. Should answer many questions you may have.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...wered-low.html
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...wered-low.html
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 196
Likes: 1
From: Amersfoort, The Netherlands
I don't understand the differences in fork oil amounts. My 2010 manual clearly says 3.74 inch/28.6 oz for the Street Bob (also for the FXDC, FXDL, FXD and FXDWG). And your manual says 5 1/2 in?
I would think all forks 2006-up for Street Bobs are the same...
I would think all forks 2006-up for Street Bobs are the same...
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,251
Likes: 30
From: Ashburn, VA
I agree with DutchBob on the proper oil level for a Street Bob. You also have to measure the oil with the forks off the bike, upright, fully compressed, and with all the springs and spacers removed.
Just take them off and dump them. Get a good measuring cup and fill it to 28.6 oz. Done! Don't forget to pump them 8-10 times to get the air all out before putting the springs back in.
I just put my bike back to together a few weeks ago after having the front end torn down for powder coating. I disassembled my forks completely and put them back together myself.
Just take them off and dump them. Get a good measuring cup and fill it to 28.6 oz. Done! Don't forget to pump them 8-10 times to get the air all out before putting the springs back in.
I just put my bike back to together a few weeks ago after having the front end torn down for powder coating. I disassembled my forks completely and put them back together myself.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: NC
Mud has many writeups with pics. Here is a link for you.He includes WG oil level info also. Preload setup from my article would still apply to your forks. He installed Ricor emulators in his forks, but the basic teardown and reassembly is very similar. My article was written to show many of my fellow riders that a guy can setup his own frontend for very cheap, while still gaining signifigant performance advantages. I am still very happy with my setup and have logged some miles on it since then.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/4679415-post1169.html
Note* If I ever decide to lower my forks I will just double up the top out springs under the damper rod, and readjust PVC spacer accordingly to properly setup preload to match 1/3 of remaining travel. (approx 3/4 inch less than stock travel)
Last edited by parts eeter; Jan 12, 2011 at 03:47 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,630
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From: Central FL
Well I changed out my fork oil today when I had my front tire off for replacement. I changed out the spacers and went with the same length you did, 5/8" over. I'm 220# with gear but I frequently carry between 30-60# of gear with me so I'm guessing it should be close. I also went ahead and cut another set 1/2" over in case I don't end up with enough sag. I didn't use 20 wt oil though, I cheaped out and used ATF. I'll be taking it for a test drive tomorrow to see the results. Thanks for posting the helpful info. I have had plans to do this for a while but the write up helped me get all the stuff I needed before disassembly. BTW the crappy bolts on the cap are 8x1.25mm and 35mm long. I was able to find a set of them at Lowe's for $.80 each. Mine where not stripped but there is definitely not enough metal on them and the quality of the factory fasteners is pretty crappy.