Frame Neck Grease Question
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Elite HDF Member
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From: The Lone Star State
Frame Neck Grease Question
Just finished doing my 10,000 mile service on my Fatboy. I still need to do the Fall Away adjustment and grease the frame neck.
Question 1: Can i use regular multi-pupose grease? Or do I need to use the grease referenced in the service manual that the dealer sells for $9/tube?
Question 2: Any tips on the doing the Fall Away adjustment?
Already changed fluids, filter, checked belt tension and primary chain adjustment. Changed all O-rings, etc. Spark plugs were changed at 5,000 miles, so I'm going to wait until 15000 to change them again. Will also do my critical fastener check too.
thanks
Question 1: Can i use regular multi-pupose grease? Or do I need to use the grease referenced in the service manual that the dealer sells for $9/tube?
Question 2: Any tips on the doing the Fall Away adjustment?
Already changed fluids, filter, checked belt tension and primary chain adjustment. Changed all O-rings, etc. Spark plugs were changed at 5,000 miles, so I'm going to wait until 15000 to change them again. Will also do my critical fastener check too.
thanks
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Northern California
Multi-purpose grease is just fine. No much spinning or heat going on with the bearing. Don't be surprised if the steering head is nearly empty and it takes 40 pumps to get resistance and lube coming out the bottom.
As for the fall away. Pain in the **** if you follow the procedure, and then it will be a guess if you got it right. Many folks just back off the crimp bolt, then tighten the steering head nut (only if it feels loose) until a bit of resistance, then back off a scooch. Get it between resistance and not loose...just a feel. It's way loose if you get a clunk when bounding down the road. I would be surprised if its loose at all with only 10K miles.
As for the fall away. Pain in the **** if you follow the procedure, and then it will be a guess if you got it right. Many folks just back off the crimp bolt, then tighten the steering head nut (only if it feels loose) until a bit of resistance, then back off a scooch. Get it between resistance and not loose...just a feel. It's way loose if you get a clunk when bounding down the road. I would be surprised if its loose at all with only 10K miles.
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Elite HDF Member
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From: The Lone Star State
Thanks, there is no indication that the stearing head is loose. My wheel does turn really easy when on a lift, so I may snug it up a bit. But no clunks like I've heard reported from loose stearing head bolts.
Banned
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Los Angeles, CA
I use multipurpose grease for the neck as well. Be aware that once the neck is full you will probably get some blobs of grease on your bike while riding. Just tightened up my steering head a couple of weeks ago. I did not notice a difference in the way it felt at all.
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From: The Lone Star State
Yeah, been down that road before. I've wiped the grease drips off plenty, especially when it hits about 100 degrees here in the summer.
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From: Punta Gorda,FL
I used synthetic, high temp grease. It isn't suppose to drip onto the bike, in hot weather, as easy as regular grease. It took well over 1/2 tube before I saw grease ooze out at the top bearing. When you are hand pumping the grease into the neck, there is zero resistance until it fills up to the top bearing. As soon as it takes a bit more hand pressure, it only takes about one more squeeze, until you see grease at the top. If you don't put enough in to see it coming out above the top bearing, you just wasted your time. I did mine a year ago and never have had any grease drip out and I live in hot SW Florida. I do occasionally get a bead of grease that oozes out, but it stays right around the bearing. I use a q-tip to remove it.
Tom
Tom
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Joined: Oct 2006
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From: NJ
Grease should come out top, bottom and at the fork lock. Usually a golden brown multi purpose grease is fine, don't use wheel bearing greese, it will drip like water.
Dorkman is correct with his way of sdjusting the steering head. The reason there is a fall away test it to "idiot proof" the adjustment. It is like packing wheel bearings on a car axle. Grease it up, tighten it down until you feel resistance, then back off.
Make sure you grease the neck BEFORE you adjust the steering head. Also loosen the pinch bolts.
Dorkman is correct with his way of sdjusting the steering head. The reason there is a fall away test it to "idiot proof" the adjustment. It is like packing wheel bearings on a car axle. Grease it up, tighten it down until you feel resistance, then back off.
Make sure you grease the neck BEFORE you adjust the steering head. Also loosen the pinch bolts.
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From: The Lone Star State
thanks guys for the info. I picked up a $9.99 grease gun and three 3 oz. tubes of muli-purpose lithium grease today and filled the frame neck up. I pumped until the grease came out the fork lock and the top of the frame neck. It never came out of the bottom but plenty came out of the top. The grease is black, not golden brown as mentioned above so hopefully it doesn't drip like a faucet when it gets hot. It has a drop point of 350 degrees so I figure it's fine.
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