I ride a 96 Ultra Classic and have had it since 6k miles. It currently has 32K miles on it and i want to change the fork oil. I have the HD service manual and it walks you thru removing part of the fairing, opening the top of the fork, draining from the bottom and filling from the top. Has anyone tried draining the forks, then filling them thru the drain hole using apiece of tubing and a hand pump? Seems like that would save a lot of time and trouble.
Any thoughts?
Tim in Houston

 

Sounds like a smart way to do it if you can meausure it and find a way to make a good seal at the drain screw. You still will need a lose cap at the top to let the air out as you add oil....or the air psi will not let you put it all in

 

I guess i could take the schroeder valve out of the front fork air fill to let the air out.

 

On my 1995 ultra I changed the fork oil by depressuring the forks anddraining it out of the fork drains on each side. Then put drain plugs back in.Then measure out the correct amount of oil onto a clear bottle for each side. Then I made an adpter nipple out of a bolt that will thread into the oil drain make sure the threads are the proper tpi drill out the bolt in a vice or drill press3/32" drill aprox. screw this into fork leg drain and attach a length of plastic tubing usually 1/4 id. Stick tubing into bottle of measured fork oil. remove the inner working if the schreader valve attach a vacuum pump to schreader valveon my bike the valve is in the end of the left handlebar suck oil into fork leg when all oil is out of bottle keep the vacuum going until you put the drain plug in. Do same to other side and then you are done.The hardest part was I used a hand vacuum pump. Harbor Freight sells a air operated pump so next time I will use that.

 

I do it with a vacuum cleaner in about 10 minutes.

Drain the forks. Put the drain plug back in one leg. Measure out your fork oil for one leg. Put a small hose in the drain hole on the other leg with the end in your oil. Go back to the shrader valve and take the stem out. Put a lenght of hose on it. Put the end in the suction hose of my shop vac and seal with a wet rag. Turn on vac and suck in oil. Replace drain plug before shutting off vac. Repeat on other leg.

The small hose in the fork leg will work. However, I did also made an adapter out of a bolt with the had cut off. I drilled it out in a drill press, too....Great minds think alike.

 

Good Idea,my bikes both need the headlight housing taken off just to get at the valve.