H-D Profile Springs
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 92
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From: Louisiana
H-D Profile Springs
How hard is it to change out the springs on a fat boy I know there is some pressure on them do I need any special tools to take pressure off of nut beforeI remove the nut off of fork tubes?
6th Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 13
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RE: H-D Profile Springs
nope, just leave the forks in the trees until u crack that nut loose. there is pressure but not alot once they are removed from the tree.after u crack the nut loose, and remove from tree place it in a bucket with a rag under the bottom, and hold it right side up. then using a wrench, back the nut out, keep steady but not too much preessure on the cap, just enough too were the cap wont kly out of your hands. BE careful though. when u take that nut off the top, the fork tube is going to wanna fall down into the body, and fluid will come pouring out. just pull your old spring out and put new one in. when ugo to put it together, leave cap loose until it is bolted into tree then torque to spec
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Somewhere in NE PA
RE: H-D Profile Springs
Start by placing the bike either on a jack or lift. I used a lift but a jack will work just the same. Lift the bike up initially so that the front wheel just comes off of the ground by about ¼”. The calipers are the first thing to come off. This is done by removing the two 12pt bolts that hold them to the fork legs. Don’t let them hang by the brake lines. I swing mine back and place them on my highway pegs wrapped in a rag as to not scratch my lowers. Wheel removal is next. Remove the front axle by removing the axle nut and fork tube clamp. Be careful here as the wheel spacers will fall out as you remove the axle. You don’t want them hitting your nice chrome wheels! At this point the front wheel is free. You’ll more than likely have to raise the bike to get the wheel to roll out. Now it’s time to drain the fork oil. Remove both drain plugs from the lower legs (one on each side). I like to remove the damper bolts next as the front end is still semi rigid. These bolts require a semi long 6mm Allen wrench. They are located in the axle pocket. The left side has a hole in the fork tube to allow access to the bolt. The right side is easily accessible. Once these bolts are removed you will have some fluid coming out from the bolt holes so keep your drain pan handy. Next will be the removal of the fender. The fender is held on to each fork leg with two bolts. These bolts have a retaining tab on them that will have to be bent back in order to allow the bolts to come out. A screwdriver or the right tool, a punch, works well.
Remove the large hex head bolt in the top tree that threads into the tubes. On the lower fork tree there is a pinch bolt on each side. Loosen them at this time, they do not have to come all the way out. The fork tubes are now ready to come out. This may take some pulling or persuasion to get it to go.
Now that you have your fork tube out it is time to take it apart. The tube is under pressure so be careful. I have an awkward position that I hold the tubes in while removing the tube cap. I hold down on the tube cap while turning it out with a wrench. When it is ready to go it will want to shoot out so hold on. Now you are ready to remove the spring and damper. The newer bikes may be different but my setup has been around since the invention of Harley!
Once you remove the damper there may or may not be a spring on it. If there is it stays there and you will be adding another one for one inch of lowering or adding two for two inches of lowering.
Depending on what you have for a kit the spacers may have to be cut. This is actually setting the pre-load on the front end. The amount of pre-load is dependent on the rider weight. Most instruction are a little vague on this. For a 200 pound rider I cut the spacers 3/8” to ½” above the top of the tube with the springs installed and the tube and lower extended. This seems about right. With 20 weight fork oil this give the front end a BMW feel, firm but responsive.
Reverse the procedure for the rest of the installation.
Remove the large hex head bolt in the top tree that threads into the tubes. On the lower fork tree there is a pinch bolt on each side. Loosen them at this time, they do not have to come all the way out. The fork tubes are now ready to come out. This may take some pulling or persuasion to get it to go.
Now that you have your fork tube out it is time to take it apart. The tube is under pressure so be careful. I have an awkward position that I hold the tubes in while removing the tube cap. I hold down on the tube cap while turning it out with a wrench. When it is ready to go it will want to shoot out so hold on. Now you are ready to remove the spring and damper. The newer bikes may be different but my setup has been around since the invention of Harley!
Once you remove the damper there may or may not be a spring on it. If there is it stays there and you will be adding another one for one inch of lowering or adding two for two inches of lowering.
Depending on what you have for a kit the spacers may have to be cut. This is actually setting the pre-load on the front end. The amount of pre-load is dependent on the rider weight. Most instruction are a little vague on this. For a 200 pound rider I cut the spacers 3/8” to ½” above the top of the tube with the springs installed and the tube and lower extended. This seems about right. With 20 weight fork oil this give the front end a BMW feel, firm but responsive.
Reverse the procedure for the rest of the installation.
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