Fork clunk on 08 model
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 494
Likes: 1
From: Paola, Kansas
Fork clunk on 08 model
I heard about the revised torque on thefork stemnut, but wasthisbefore 2008? My torque wrench is at a buddy's house, so I didn't check mine, but the 2008 manual specifies 70-80 lbft. I only have about 800 miles on mine, but it clunks pretty good hitting bumps. Just wandering it anyone else had this problem?
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 264
Likes: 2
From: Parker, CO
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
Your not going to believe this at first but I will swear to it. The ClunK is nothing but the damn head light bottoming out on the rubber mounts inside the head light housing. I had exactly the same thing on a 2007 FXSTC and it took me two months to figure it out. I'll bet your head light beam bounces around a lot at night also. Am I right?
All you have to do to duplicate the problem is roll forward ten feet and grab the front brake and you will hear it and sometimes you can feel the thing hit. I though the front fork was loose and it jacked the bike up and tried shaking the front end, nothing was loose. If you just tap the front of the light you will see the whole thing move. BAD design! The older models have the light mounted solid. Can't shake thus no clunk.
I stopped 95% of it by removing the head light from the chrome fixture and tightening down the two or threenuts inside the fixturethat have the rubber washers under them. IF you tighten them too much you may have a little trouble getting the headlight to fit back in the fixture properly. It took some persuading on my part to get mine back together.
Good luck and let me know what you find.
Hope this helps and by the way several people are bitching about this problem.
All you have to do to duplicate the problem is roll forward ten feet and grab the front brake and you will hear it and sometimes you can feel the thing hit. I though the front fork was loose and it jacked the bike up and tried shaking the front end, nothing was loose. If you just tap the front of the light you will see the whole thing move. BAD design! The older models have the light mounted solid. Can't shake thus no clunk.
I stopped 95% of it by removing the head light from the chrome fixture and tightening down the two or threenuts inside the fixturethat have the rubber washers under them. IF you tighten them too much you may have a little trouble getting the headlight to fit back in the fixture properly. It took some persuading on my part to get mine back together.
Good luck and let me know what you find.
Hope this helps and by the way several people are bitching about this problem.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 494
Likes: 1
From: Paola, Kansas
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
Thanks for the reply man. That's pretty much exactly what I'm dealing with, I can definitely feel it in the bars. I actually adjusted the headlight this evening because it was too low.....and yeah it does bounce like you would expect being the way it's mounted.
I had a couple clunks in the bike....one was thechrome drive belt cover hitting the frame, and I think the brake pedal bouncing against the stop may be another.
I'm one of those guys that generally doesn't care about noises as long as they're not gonna hurt anything, but that clunk in the front is a little annoying for an $18,000 bike......that's just me.....
I had a couple clunks in the bike....one was thechrome drive belt cover hitting the frame, and I think the brake pedal bouncing against the stop may be another.
I'm one of those guys that generally doesn't care about noises as long as they're not gonna hurt anything, but that clunk in the front is a little annoying for an $18,000 bike......that's just me.....
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
From: The Bay of Green, Wisconsin
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
Just had my new(ish) train out today and was saying to my roomate I thing the fork nut was loose, Weird cliunk over bums, Doing to have to check the headlight......
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 423
Likes: 5
From: Sunshine state.
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
There's a somewhat common problem with the headset bearings "clunking" like this, as my new '08 did it from day one. Took the bike in for it's 1000 mile service and said that they needed to fix that. I've read about this previously on here and one fellow said HD has a washer/shim for the headset- part number #45740-07. Just picked my bike up and they said that this part was ordered for my bike under warrenty and I take it back in Tuesday to have it installed.
Check into it.
Check into it.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
Same type of clunk - 08 Heritage.
Dealer at first said they couldn't duplicate problem on test drive.
Finally found bearings in steering head were loose.
Works fine now, but sure was irritating for a while.
Dealer at first said they couldn't duplicate problem on test drive.
Finally found bearings in steering head were loose.
Works fine now, but sure was irritating for a while.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 676
Likes: 0
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
I had the same thing happen on my 07. I noticed it on the ride home from the dealer,I took it back and they retorqued the neck bearings. That was over 3000miles ago,no more clunk.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 423
Likes: 5
From: Sunshine state.
RE: Fork clunk on 08 model
Just picked up the bike after having the "shim kit" installed in the headset. It is perfect now. The fork actually performs better now that it doesn't involve all that slop upfront. I'm a happy camper!