Fork oil change..need tips
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 47
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From: van nuys, california
Fork oil change..need tips
Hello all good brotherhood, I am gonna' take on changing the fork oil on my 04' RK Custom. I have the service manual which seems to be a walk in the park. However i figured i check with the PROS (you). Any tips to facilitate the process is highly appreciated. thynx.
Carl
Carl
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 253
Likes: 1
From: S E Michigan
At 50,000 on the odo, I just changed my fork oil. Pretty easy. Some tips here are worth mentioning. The lower fork drain screws use a #3 Phillips bit. Make absolutely sure that it fits in the head really snugly, else you could slip and strip - not good. I bought a couple of spares just in case. I also found that the top cap bolts were loose and no where near the 60-70 ft/lb torque as specified. I was surprised at how thin and watery the stock oil was when it came out. That explains a lot about why the front end was soft and mushy. I used a medium sized OXO measuring cup with detailed graduations and drained out 10 ounces from each side. The manual says to refill with that amount and slightly more. The manual calls for 10.7 ozs. I went with Harley Screamin Eagle Heavy (15 wt.) fork oil. What a difference. Now, the front matches the rear shocks (of which I dumped the air shocks and went with the hand adjustable premium shocks). The ride seems a bit more stiffer and sportier. The rebound after passing road bumps is very quick with little to no oscillation. It even holds a bit tighter in long deep curves to minimize wobble. I like it a lot over stock. I thought of going with Amsoil 10 wt. oil, but changed my mind to try the heavier oil and am very glad that I did.
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