Anyone know how much grease it takes in the Zerk fitting on the steering head to get to the upper and lower bearings without making a mess or just doing a couple pumps that do nothing in a large empty space in there? I just got this feeling that you can pump a whole cartridge of grease in that head cause its empty from the factory and a couple pumps won't even make it to the bearings. Anyone check this out on the 2010 touring frames?

 

Yup - probably about 2/3 of a cartridge. Before you do it consider high temp grease to reduce grease driping out - especially if you're doing this service for the first time on a new bike.

 

It takes almost a whole tube, dont do it, it will just turn to oil when it gets hot out and run down your fork leg. At 20K pull the front end apart grease the bearings right and go another 20k.

 

Assuming the 2010's are about the same as the 2008's where the steering neck is concerned, yes it takes a lot. The bearings are greased from the factory but to grease them after they are installed you have to fill the cavity before the grease will be forced through the bearings. As Davessworks stated use a high quality high temp grease to cut down on the dreaded fender drip on hot days.

 

Starting to see the wisdom of Hog Doc on this one! HD - is this what you do at the dealer when someone comes in and asks for scheduled maintenance?

My first bike didn't have the zerk fitting and the only way to grease the bearings was what HD said.

Any suggestions for someone (me) who pumped a near full cartridge in? (groan).

BTW - I really don't have this problem on my 01 Fatboy. Fill up the neck and doesn't drip out.

 

My dealer does it to all the bikes they service.

I did mine and have never had a drip. I did wipe out the excess after I filled it the first time and a couple of times after that but it has never dripped past the bottom of the triple tree.

 

Most of the guys are lazy and just pump them full, they aint paying for the grease, but at a 20K I try to talk them into fork service (new bushings, usually seeing base metal by 20k) too and its just a few extra minutes to lift the top tree loosen the aduster nut and lube the bearings with a grease needle on my pump gun.

I stopped using the special purpose grease also. I use the wheel bearing grease which doesnt turn back to oil on a hot day. The neck doesnt spin at high speeds like a wheel, in all reality a set of neck bearings that where greased properly without the use of a pressure washer should last decades!

 

You are saying the Dealer pumps it full till it starts to squeeze out the ends? The reason I am asking, it doesn't make sense. why don't they fill the cavity between the bearings at the factory...if it's supposed to be full!

 

Had a feeling that it was a useless Zerk fitting. A couple pumps over several years and it still wont get on the bearings. You know the dealer fills it for you on the 1k service,not! You fill the damn thing up and you have a huge mess if you ever take it apart and you fill it till you see it top and bottom and it will ozz for weeks after. What a waste!

 

Some dealers fill it at the 1,000 mi. service, some don't. The MOCO doesn't fill it but yet they put the Zerk fitting in the neck allowing you to fill the cavity to grease the bearings. Go figure