Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Steering head grease

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 01:20 PM
  #1  
meveratt's Avatar
meveratt
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 394
Likes: 1
From: Kamloops, British Columbia
Default Steering head grease

The manual says to use HD Special Purpose Grease # 99857-97 for the steering head bearings. I already have Castrol Syntec grease in my gun. What do you guys think? Is that going to be ok, or should I get a tube of the HD?

FWIW, I think the bearings weren't fully greased at the 1k service; I now have 6k miles.
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 01:29 PM
  #2  
jsimo7's Avatar
jsimo7
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 827
Likes: 5
From: Ohio
Default

Hi I used grease for my 99 ultra that wasn't what Harley recomended and when the bike sat in the sun in the summer it melted and ran all over the forks and made a huge mess. It took a couple months before it quit. I used the recomended grease on my 08 ultra and its fine no mess at all. I think its 6 or 7 bucks to avoid a mess .... well worth it to me.
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 01:30 PM
  #3  
rbabos's Avatar
rbabos
Banned
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,706
Likes: 7
From: Woodstock, Ont , Can
Default

Since when do steering head bearings qualify for special HD special grease. The only thing that's worked for me and don't puke all over the place is a synthetic called Motorex 2000 Not expensive either. Here's one of many sources for it.
http://www.solomotoparts.com/catalog...0-p-21975.html
Ron
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 01:32 PM
  #4  
ryan_sach's Avatar
ryan_sach
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Montevideo, MN
Default

personally, I wouldn't worry about the kind of grease you use, just so you do it every so often. There was another thread about neck bearing grease just the other day... people were suggesting switching to a 45 deg. zerk...to make it easier to get the gun tip on. I think its a 1/4 x 28 thread.
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 02:05 PM
  #5  
jsimo7's Avatar
jsimo7
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 827
Likes: 5
From: Ohio
Default

Originally Posted by rbabos
Since when do steering head bearings qualify for special HD special grease. The only thing that's worked for me and don't puke all over the place is a synthetic called Motorex 2000 Not expensive either. Here's one of many sources for it.
http://www.solomotoparts.com/catalog...0-p-21975.html
Ron
Not saying you need to get HD grease but if you use whats recomended by HD then it won't melt and make a mess all over the forks. Not sure why someone needs a tube of $10.00 syn grease for this .... but if it doesnt melt that will work
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 02:19 PM
  #6  
n8dc's Avatar
n8dc
Stellar HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 45
From: Michigan
Default

I used tractor supply generic grease.. I have a case of it ... .. Worked fine..
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 02:24 PM
  #7  
rbabos's Avatar
rbabos
Banned
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,706
Likes: 7
From: Woodstock, Ont , Can
Default

Actually it ends up on the tank and engine. If you feel that the HD grease won't do this, by all means use it. I'm not sure it was available when I went through the factory drip out mess when my bike was new. After heat testing for fluid separation on many brands I can only recommend a product that has cured my problem. I'm sure there are others out there.
Ron
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 02:33 PM
  #8  
jsimo7's Avatar
jsimo7
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 827
Likes: 5
From: Ohio
Default

Originally Posted by rbabos
Actually it ends up on the tank and engine. If you feel that the HD grease won't do this, by all means use it. I'm not sure it was available when I went through the factory drip out mess when my bike was new. After heat testing for fluid separation on many brands I can only recommend a product that has cured my problem. I'm sure there are others out there.
Ron
Exactly.... All I know is once I didn't use what was recomended and had a mess for months...... but when I used what was recomended it worked fine with no mess.... It's not what I feel.. It's what has happened to me. Ride safe
 

Last edited by jsimo7; Mar 11, 2009 at 02:35 PM.
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

Jason Momoa Is Turning Classic Harleys Into PHEVs

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-6

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-7

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 04:14 PM
  #9  
harley-jones's Avatar
harley-jones
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,442
Likes: 8
From: south
Default

I put in a 45degree Zerk and filled it with Valvoline synthetic grease and nothing has leaked out and last summer it was over 100 degrees in Arkansas.
 
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2009 | 04:21 PM
  #10  
shagnasty's Avatar
shagnasty
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 770
Likes: 4
From: Western, KY
Default

So how often should you grease the neck bearings?
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:55 AM.

story-0
Jason Momoa Is Turning Classic Harleys Into PHEVs

Slideshow: Jason Momoa's latest restoration project blends 1920s Harley-Davidsons with modern electric technology, creating some of the most unusual hybrid motorcycles ever built.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-10 17:18:58


VIEW MORE
story-1
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 18:28:05


VIEW MORE
story-2
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

Slideshow: From military-inspired singles to scooters and three-wheel utility vehicles, these Harleys took the company far outside its comfort zone.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-02 18:34:10


VIEW MORE
story-3
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-4
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-5
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-7
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-8
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE