Fork oil change what a pain
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Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: So. Cal
Fork oil change what a pain
Changed the fork oil in the Glide today. Fluid change was no big deal putting the cap back on clutch side fork was a 2hr endeavor. Had to tilt handle bars out of the way and and move the headlight cover to get the correct angle. Lots of cussing and griping. It would have been easier if I had a thin wall socket but the only 35mm socket I had was a thick wall impact.
That being said it was worth it, the test ride was smooth, brake dive was gone, and much less bounce in the turns.
That being said it was worth it, the test ride was smooth, brake dive was gone, and much less bounce in the turns.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,118
Likes: 5
From: Coweta, Oklahoma
I went through something similar a few days ago. I increased the amount of pre-load on my progressive springs to soften the ride and it was tough trying to start a cap thread while holding it down with seemingly about fifty pounds of force.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 10
From: Suffolk, England
There's a little trick that helps with getting the caps back on under load...
Leave the spring out to start with. Place the cap on top of the hole. Rotate the cap until you find the point where the thread just bites. Make a mark across the cap and the tube with something like a chinagraph pencil or anything that will wipe off after. Now put in the spring and place the cap on top so that the mark lines up and then back off a fraction of a turn. Push down and rotate the cap and you will find the bite point easily where the marks line up.
Leave the spring out to start with. Place the cap on top of the hole. Rotate the cap until you find the point where the thread just bites. Make a mark across the cap and the tube with something like a chinagraph pencil or anything that will wipe off after. Now put in the spring and place the cap on top so that the mark lines up and then back off a fraction of a turn. Push down and rotate the cap and you will find the bite point easily where the marks line up.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,399
Likes: 92
From: ny
I bought a 2011 Wide Glide about a month ago And have been thinking about Putting progressive springs in the forks Because when I hit a bump I feel like I take up most the shock from Bump. Should I try just change into different fork oil weight
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 10
From: Suffolk, England
There's nothing wrong with the Harley fork oils, apart from the lack of information on just what viscosity they actually are. By eye, I'd say the "Heavy" is somewhere around 10 to 12W.
Of course, the best bet is to replace the springs and the oil.