Upgrade fork oil on stock front end 2011 FLHX
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 165
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From: Huntsville, AL
Upgrade fork oil on stock front end 2011 FLHX
i have my forks out to replace cowbells. Is there any advantage to changing viscosity of the fork fluid? What is the viscosity of type E fluid?
I have almost 25k on the original fluid and plan to replace while I have them off. If so what brand and viscosity?
I don't want to invest in emulators or cartridges since I may trade up this summer. Thx!
I have almost 25k on the original fluid and plan to replace while I have them off. If so what brand and viscosity?
I don't want to invest in emulators or cartridges since I may trade up this summer. Thx!
I highly recommend that use a 50/50 mix of Screaming eagle and type E. This will firm up the front end and pretty much gets rid of the brake dive. If you go all screamin eagle, when you hit a bump, you will feel it, hard...
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Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Great State of Canada
I shouldn't be trying to answer here. I'm just in the throes of doing my own suspension mods, and have no real experience. Nonetheless,,, 
,,, you may want to look into the feasibility of attempting a suspension tune, on a HD touring bike, by means of an oil change-out alone. I'm under the distinct impression, based on my bit of exposure to the topic, that oil weight essentially matches the mechanical components inside the forks (in HD damper rod suspensions at any rate) and just swapping oils may give other than predictable results. Intuitively, one would expect a lighter oil to provide relatively less damping than a heavy oil but I suspect there is more to the story than that. If I were you and trading up next summer, I'd stick with a stock weight oil and tough out the less than optimal ride for now. IMHO you'll revisit the issue with your next HD too because they (HD) all seem to use damper rod suspensions which work, but have their limits for most riders it seems. Meanwhile, you can do a little research. Ricor and Race Tech have some You Tube videos which explain the damping process better than I could and I'm sure cartridge manufacturers have some enlightening explanations to offer too.
Good luck.
,,, you may want to look into the feasibility of attempting a suspension tune, on a HD touring bike, by means of an oil change-out alone. I'm under the distinct impression, based on my bit of exposure to the topic, that oil weight essentially matches the mechanical components inside the forks (in HD damper rod suspensions at any rate) and just swapping oils may give other than predictable results. Intuitively, one would expect a lighter oil to provide relatively less damping than a heavy oil but I suspect there is more to the story than that. If I were you and trading up next summer, I'd stick with a stock weight oil and tough out the less than optimal ride for now. IMHO you'll revisit the issue with your next HD too because they (HD) all seem to use damper rod suspensions which work, but have their limits for most riders it seems. Meanwhile, you can do a little research. Ricor and Race Tech have some You Tube videos which explain the damping process better than I could and I'm sure cartridge manufacturers have some enlightening explanations to offer too.Good luck.
Last edited by HKMark23; Feb 4, 2016 at 10:24 AM. Reason: Added from "Meanwhile".
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,002
Likes: 86
From: Charlotte Metro
I changed mine few yrs ago to Amsoil Shock Therapy Suspension Fluid #10 Medium. It was big improvement from stock oil with less brake dive but not to stiff either on open road.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Huntsville, AL
I am plenty capable of performing the work, was just curious about the effects of switching fork oils. I am going to try the 50/50 mix of Type E and SE Heavy. Thanks everyone!
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Eric, I suggest you limit your options to those that shootist and ford make. Come back when you have your new bike and we can talk through all the much more exciting options that are available!
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
I'm under the distinct impression, based on my bit of exposure to the topic, that oil weight essentially matches the mechanical components inside the forks (in HD damper rod suspensions at any rate) and just swapping oils may give other than predictable results. Intuitively, one would expect a lighter oil to provide relatively less damping than a heavy oil but I suspect there is more to the story than that.
