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Anyone ever see this kind of damage on the fork stem? It looks like maybe someone backed into the bike when the forks were locked...
Anyway,I think I can smooth it out and should be ok. Any thoughts on that? It's like the metal got scooped out and is just piled there... What kind of force does that take?
That's not actually the fork, that is the strong stem on the triple trees. There's a groove for the fork lock to catch and that scooped metal is trailing from that groove. I'll try to take a better picture of it...
Gotcha. Guess that is testament to how strong the lock pin is. I would be looking for other damage on the bike. As far as the fork stem, I would personally replace it, especially since it's already out.
So, here's the next question... Does this appear to be locked or unlocked?
Actually I just went and looked at a few other softails, and this one appears to be locked. I went ahead and posted this just for the sake of sharing information...
Last edited by oregonkickstart; Jun 25, 2021 at 10:40 AM.
Reason: Misspelling
You should be able to feel if it's in the locked position or not by just running a finger inside it.
Actually I can see it. I also located the keys which I want sure we had... Out of all the neck service I've done I've never bothered to look at the fork lock when it's locked... Here it is unlocked... This is in the locked position... Detail of the lock.
Just a quick update for anyone following this thread... I ordered a new lower tree assembly from Harley. I'm actually surprised it was available. It cost me $450.00! The funny thing is it came with a lower bearing already pressed on, a dry bearing to be exact and no race accompanying it. So I ended up pulling it off and putting a new one on, packed with grease, etc.
here is a shot of the bike going back together...
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Fork stem damage
