Hi.

Saturday night and spend half the day getting my forks out and another couple of hours trying to figure out the best way to get them bak in.

I have an 11 flstn and am replacing the stock forks w( damaged ) with stock forks. Got everything on the front end removed and wow what a bear to get the old ones out. Good thing I'm not re using any of it as I needed a BFH to get them out.

Went to slide in the new ones, put a little grease on the inside and prayed them open a little, but cannot get them slide back up. Mallet hitting from bottom only compresses the fork.

Am I missing a trick.. Need your guidance.

Thx tin

 

Man my slid right back in are you sure you have the right model year , I would measure your old ones with a caliber, and compare. Wrong parts come in right boxes all the time!!!!

 

You needed a BFH to get them out? Did you loosen the pinch bolts? If the pinch bolts are loose, and they won't go back in, you may have to completely remove the bolt and drive a screwdriver or chisel in the slot on the lower triple tree to open it up a little.

 

And if that doesn't work, I would put them in the freezer, then put 'em in.

 

what tom84 said should slide right in

 

Yes. Took the pinch bolts out and also drove a chisel in between. They are absolutely the correct year. Could the lower part of the tree be warped?...

 

You said the originals were "damaged"....in a collision? Yes the triple trees could be bent also.

 

Did you get new trees too?

 

nope, just the forks.

put the lower trees in the freezer tonight - if that doesnt do it, i guess trees are next, lowers anyway. bummer!

everyone says they should just slide on....

tin

 

Freezing the trees is going to make the holes smaller. That ain't gonna work!

You want to frees the fork tubes and heat the trees if you want to try this trick.

But as was said above, something isn't right. As soon as I loosened the pinch bolt, each fork slid out under its own weight.

If driving a flat-blade screw driver or chisel in the slot that the pinch bolt crosses doesn't do it, there's really something wrong.