About to get started replacing the fork seals on my 89 FLHS. My question is, does the whole front end need to come apart? I know the windshield and the instrument panel need to be removed but what about the light bar and the rest of the front, like the headlight and surrounding cover? The factory manuel is pretty weak and I prefer the hints from you guys.

 

Assuming no one has taken off or disabled the air ride portion - do you have an air valve in the end of the left handlebar?

Release any air presure by removing the schrader valve in the handlebar end. Remove the oil drain screws at the bottom of each fork. Then remove the front wheel and fender only. There is a 10mm allen head bolt in the bottom of each fork, easiest removed with an impact gun. There is a lock ring in the top of each fork holding the seal in to be removed. Yank them down and they're off.

You can refill the oil by applying vacuum to the air valve on the handlebar and sucking it up into the forks one at a time with a small hose stuck into the oil bottle and the other end pressed against the fork at the drain hole, with the drain plug screwed into the opposite side lightly. Replace the schrader valve, pump them up to 15psi or whatever and your done.

Most say (including the manual) that you need a tool to knock the seals back into the forks because the seal has to go onto the downtube first. Some guys use a piece of PVC split with a hacksaw. I was lucky as mine was near new when I replaced them. They came right out and I was able to push them back into the bore with my thumbs and gentle careful tapping. Good luck

 

mmmmmm...... isn't that an 8mm?

 

Uh... may be... thanks for clearing that up.

Heck, I've slept since I did mine. You can't expect my brain to retain anything after I've slept! - gimme a brake Beemer

 

Well I made the mistake of starting to tear every thing apart like the manuel says before waiting for a response.. Is it possible to just pull them down and replace the seals that way? I thought the whole shock had to come out. I have almost everything apart but am stuck trying to get the top nut off the very top of the shock under the banjo. It would be great if that didn't need to be removed.

 

The top tree section has to come off to get the top fork nuts off... I wasn't joking about the procedure, I'd never joke about that much work.

If you didn't have an air leak, you could leave all the sttuf "up top" alone. But if you have any doubts, just tear it on down and replace the o-rings on the nuts, flat soft washers on the banjo fittings, etc. Mine was loose from the factory and rusted the nut/o-ring/fork tube and caused a bad leak. It all cleaned up though.

And you still have to do everything I mentioned earlier (with the exception of sucking the fluid in from the bottom) by going at it in your current fashion. Also a good time to check the steering neck bearing load (by the book) and adjust if necessary - you're already 2/3 way there.

 

Thanks for the advice. I do have an air leak so I will just keep going. I guess it is back to HD for the washers and o rings.