Okay, I have been chasing my clunk in the forks for a week. The Shop Manual (paper weight IMO) refers to fall away for setting neck bearing preload.

They describe adding masking tape and marking the center, then tapping the fender and measuring where the fall away begins. Spec is 2-4".

So, I have read this sober and after a dozen barely pops, searched high & low for some reference to this...and no luck. I consider myself pretty mechanically inclined with my career past. And live by the motto, "If I can't fix it, then it's broke".

But for the life of me I can't figure out where I am supposed to tap on the fender and where to measure to/from. What is the 2-4"? How hard to you tap? Why can't there be a Torque to Turn spec with a beam toruqe wrench like a Rear End Pinion pre-load?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...I would love to get this licked before the snow falls so all I have to do next spring is ride and save for paint.

 

HD's "Fall Away" makes ZERO sense to me. With the brake lines and fuel cables installed there will be interference in that test IMO.

I check the front end the traditional way-
Jack the bike up
Grab the fork
Wiggle it to feel for looseness or play.

If there is a loose steering stem there will be a tad play. That fall away meathod seems to un reliable to me.

 

look here: https://www.hdforums.com/m_834476/mp..._/tm.htm#83471

 

Thanks for that link Keith. I did a search, but under Dyna.

I have had more forks apart than I can remember in my MotoX days, but I am very particular about this HD stuff and making it last and ride good.

I am writing up a process of elimination for my clunk out in the garage. I don't want to do to much at once and not know what fixed it.

Boxjoint, I thought that was the most ludicrious procedure I have ever read. I swear I have gone over it 20 times. Doesn't make good sense to me. As I posted under my thread on the pi$$ poor 06 Manual...to subjective.

Thanks again to both of you!

 

The two to four inches mentioned is the allowable difference in distance from where the right side begins to fall away compared to where the left side begins to fall away. I have also heard a lot of testimonials from people who have solved their front end clunks by ignoring the torque values for the fork stem nut and really cranking it down good and hard.

 

I had a real bad clunk" on my 06 FXDI....... Really sounded like the front shocks.

This turned out to be the gas tank mounting bolt. It was not loose, just needed torqued down tighter.
I have seen several Dyna owners experience this symptom.
The other clunking noise has been the jiffy stand.

I hope this helps.

DougJ

 

Sorry, meant to say FRONT gas tank mounting bolt.

 

I had the same clunk. Does it only do it when you are hard on the front brake? Mine did and I tried everything but nothing worked. I put the Performance Machine brakes on and it no longer clunks. See it clunks with the rear brake only.

Mike

 

No, it clunks anytime I hit certain bumps, usually drop outs. MICHIGAN ROADS SUCK!!! But if I hold the brake and push the Ft End down I can bury the forks to the stops! Oil is smoked IMO. And I feel the "thud" about 1/3 from the bottom, going up or down.

Fuel Tank is tight...I had that off already to do the bar swap.

 

I'm overservice the crap out of my bike, every 2500-3000 miles i change all the oils. I have no problems with the front end clunking or acting funny so i'm just going to leave it alone unless there is a problem. I plan on taking apart the front end somewhere between 15k-20k and repacking the steering head bearings and changing the fork oil, odvoiusly at that time the front end will get adjusted. I've never adjusted the belt either, and i've had the back wheel off twice, i just tap the axle out with a punch, and fish it back in.