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[tazmun]

I know in the owners manual it says change the fork oil every 50k. The stealer's
in my area "suggest" at 20k. My question is what are the majority of you doing?
I was quoted 3 hours labor at one stealer, and a total of $580 for it with the 20k service
at another.

[grc]

I know in the owners manual it says change the fork oil every 50k. The stealer's
in my area "suggest" at 20k. My question is what are the majority of you doing?
I was quoted 3 hours labor at one stealer, and a total of $580 for it with the 20k service
at another.

I did the simple drain and refill at 20k, because I wanted to go with a slightly heavier fluid in my old style damper rod forks.  If a dealer just does the simple version I would suggest that anything over 2 hours for a professional tech is excessive.  If they do a complete teardown, like what is recommended at 50k, then yes it will be expensive.  At that point the forks are completely removed from the bike, disassembled, all internal components cleaned and inspected, seals replaced, forks reassembled, fluid added, and the forks reinstalled to the bike.  IMHO, doing all of that at 20k is overkill. 


Jerry

[Wheelsnkeels]

What model bike? If a batwing model, how did you refill without dissembling?

[grc]

What model bike? If a batwing model, how did you refill without dissembling?

SEEG batwing, removed outer fairing and inner fairing cap (switches) to gain access to the fork tube caps, drained the forks with the drain plugs, filled with a measured amount of oil using a small funnel and piece of clear tubing.  That isn't what I call disassembling.  Disassembling is when you remove the fairing, remove the fender, remove the wheel, remove the forks from the steering head brackets, place the fork tubes in a vise with special protective holder, remove the springs and damping devices, separate the sliders from the fork tubes, remove the seals, etc.  Then you clean all the pieces, replace the seals, reinstall all the pieces, fill the tubes and install them to the bike, etc.  That will take some time, especially for those without the full shop setup with a lift. 


Jerry

[Wheelsnkeels]

Thanks exactly what I was asking a shop told me they could not drain them and refill them without removing the lower legs. Some mumbo jumbo about priming the valve?

What you describe makes more sense to me! I'm going to try it myself.

[2k]

I did it on a '07 King with no problem, takes awhile for the oil to drain but make sure they are completly empty so you refill will be correct amount. Batwing would be a little more involved, but most anybody could handle it.

[Supershooter]

Removing the bat wing does take a few specailty tools so be prepared to buy the $125 ignition tool.
Supershooter

[grc]

Removing the bat wing does take a few specailty tools so be prepared to buy the $125 ignition tool.
Supershooter

Not sure what you mean by that.  Removing the outer fairing takes nothing more than a standard Torx bit (and maybe a Phillips for the windshield screws if you changed them), and the inner fairing cap requires the removal of the ignition knob, a retaining nut, and a Torx head screw on each end.  What have you got different on your '10 that requires special tools?


Jerry

[Cvostu]

I have thought about changing the fork oil a few times and I never have yet since I bought this bike.  I have no problems at all in the 6 years that I have it. I am thinking to just leave well enough alone and keep riding.. Am I doing the wrong thing here?
Jerry,  this is a good question for you sir...   thanks

[opee6969]

I asked my stealer about changing the fork oil on my 05' SEEG. He said on that year of CVO, Harley used some type of cartridge rather than the typical oil that can just be drained out of the lowers. They're saying it's about a 4-5 hour job. Anyone know anything about this??

Opee

[LarryB]

I've changed mine twice on my 09 in 30k miles, takes 1/2 hour tops, if you have a mighty vac. all done from the drain plugs. and yes, use the heavier oil. SE performance 15w

[grc]

I asked my stealer about changing the fork oil on my 05' SEEG. He said on that year of CVO, Harley used some type of cartridge rather than the typical oil that can just be drained out of the lowers. They're saying it's about a 4-5 hour job. Anyone know anything about this??

Opee

Yeah, your dealer is FOS.  The SEEG has the old style damper rod forks, invented sometime back around the early 19 somethings.  The oil drains out just fine (I actually measured the oil I got out of each leg, and it was pretty much equal from leg to leg and very close to what the book said should be in there so obviously it drains just fine).  What your ace dealer is trying to do is sell you the full zoot teardown and rebuild that I described in my earlier post, and it isn't needed until 50k or you have a problem like a leaking seal. In the old style damper rod forks the 15 wt oil is a big improvement over the stock stuff.


Jerry


btw, the forks on the standard bikes in that time period had a damper rod in one leg and a cartridge in the other leg.  With those, Harley recommended partial disassembly of the leg with the cartridge and draining by inverting the fork tube rather than just pulling the drain plug.  There was a difference in fork oil quantity between the two legs as well.  So if a person or a tech didn't pay attention to exactly what kind of forks he was dealing with, he could screw things up by not getting all the old oil out and then winding up with way too much oil in one leg, causing hydraulic lock if carried to the extreme.  It helps to know exactly what forks you're dealing with, and obviously the dealership person you spoke with didn't understand the difference between the SEEG forks and the regular e'glide forks in '05.

[grc]

I have thought about changing the fork oil a few times and I never have yet since I bought this bike.  I have no problems at all in the 6 years that I have it. I am thinking to just leave well enough alone and keep riding.. Am I doing the wrong thing here?
Jerry,  this is a good question for you sir...   thanks

If you are satisfied with the action of the forks, and there isn't any leakage or other signs of a problem, then IMHO you aren't necessarily doing the wrong thing.  I'd be willing to bet that there are more motorcycles running around with the stock fork oil in them than the ones that have been changed religiously, especially on something like a fairing bike where access isn't quite as easy.  As for the necessity to change fork fluids, let me ask how often anyone drains and refills the fluid in the struts on their car?  Very similar technology, and usually exposed to much worse conditions. 

How many miles do you have, and how long do you plan to keep the bike?  If you have 40 or 50k and plan to keep the bike for the rest of your life, then I'd suggest doing the full teardown/inspection/seals/fluid change maintenance.  But just changing fluid at 20k because someone at a dealership recommends it, or because Harley used to recommend it years ago, isn't something you need to worry about.


Jerry

[Cvostu]

Thanks Jerry for the reply.   I have 59,000 miles and no problems or leaks whatsoever and the bike rides really well.   Never a thump or anything,, Thats why I have never done that service. Think I should have it done anyway?

[VANAMAL]

ive done mine twice on the seeg. id do it asap. 10.6 oz each side. only need to remove inner fairing cover @ ignition switch to acces fork caps. measure what come out. need a small funnel and a hose to refill. youll be shocked how dirty it is. while your at it dont forget to change brake line fluids and hyd clutch fluid. call hd dude at mtl dragon if you get hung up or pm me
 also dont forget to keep that front neck bearing lubed up on a reg basis

[grc]

Thanks Jerry for the reply.   I have 59,000 miles and no problems or leaks whatsoever and the bike rides really well.   Never a thump or anything,, Thats why I have never done that service. Think I should have it done anyway?

Yes, I would.  While I think doing so at 20k is overkill, at 50k plus it would definitely be a good idea. 


Jerry

[Supershooter]

Jerry,
After tearing the my ultra apart, I removed the ignition switch and the next step said that I needed the Ignition Switch Connector Remover and Aliment housing tool. So I stopped put the fairing back together and took it to the dealer to put in my Monotubes. I hope that I didn't indavertly bail out a job that I could have finished.
Supershooter

[rheiner]

Jerry,
After tearing the my ultra apart, I removed the ignition switch and the next step said that I needed the Ignition Switch Connector Remover and Aliment housing tool. So I stopped put the fairing back together and took it to the dealer to put in my Monotubes. I hope that I didn't indavertly bail out a job that I could have finished.
Supershooter

You don't need to take the ignition off to take the forks off, just the chrome ignition switch.

[grc]

Jerry,
After tearing the my ultra apart, I removed the ignition switch and the next step said that I needed the Ignition Switch Connector Remover and Aliment housing tool. So I stopped put the fairing back together and took it to the dealer to put in my Monotubes. I hope that I didn't indavertly bail out a job that I could have finished.
Supershooter

I don't know of any reason you should need to remove the actual ignition switch.  What you do need to remove is the ignition switch KNOB if you plan to remove the inner fairing cap and switches, as the cap is sandwiched between the switch and the knob.  If you were actually taking the complete switch and fork lock assembly off of the bike, you might want the tool to help make the job go easier but I don't think it's a necessity.


Jerry

[rheiner]

I don't know of any reason you should need to remove the actual ignition switch.  What you do need to remove is the ignition switch KNOB if you plan to remove the inner fairing cap and switches, as the cap is sandwiched between the switch and the knob.  If you were actually taking the complete switch and fork lock assembly off of the bike, you might want the tool to help make the job go easier but I don't think it's a necessity.


Jerry

As I recall, in order to pull the ignition switch in order to take off the fairing cap, you need to have the ignition in accessory mode. Once you pull the switch it will stay in that mode until you put it back on. As long as you pull the 40 amp breaker you won't have a problem with the accessory switch left on, otherwise you will drain your battery & have certain wires hot, which isn't a good idea. The tool to turn the power off (it replaces the ignition switch) after pulling the switch off is the way to go, that way, you know what position the switch is in & there might be a reason you'd want to power on the bike if you are doing other work at the same time you're doing fork work. Alternatively, after the cap is pulled you can put the switch back on.

[Supershooter]

As I think about it, I seem to remeber that when the ignition knob is removed the front forks are in the locked position. Maybe that isn't an issue when you remove the forks? Too late now, wish I would have visited with you guys before I took it to the dealer. Lesson Learned
Supershooter

[Traxxion Dynamics]

We often see some significant bushing wear at 20k. (depending on how aggressive the rider is) After the teflon wears off the bushings, the forks themselves start to wear, leading to considerable slop. So we recommend a full service at 20-25k. Especially if you have gone to the trouble and expense of installing our AK20s. You can often go  much further without "problems", it really comes down to how tight you want your bike to feel, and how sensitive you are to that sort of thing. The wear on fork tubes that have gone 40k is often so bad that we would recommend replacement.

[cahdbiker]

Larry B, just to clarify my thinking on this you drained out the old oil. Then refilled thru the drain hole with your mighty vac.HOW MANY OUNCES DID YOU PUT BACK IN? I usually measure things like that when I do them for the first time. I am not ready to change fork oil yet although I have done it a couple of times on my 95 Heritage. BTW my bike is an 09SEUC and if and when I change fork oil I will use your method if it will save me from messing with the fairing.( I have the 09 service manuel) I actually saw an article about doing it this way in a book I have had since 1995 called 101 Harley Davidson Performance Projects. It is for evo's, but the first section is on doing a 10K service and that is where it shows how to pump the fork oil back in thru the drain holes. CAHDBIKER

I've changed mine twice on my 09 in 30k miles, takes 1/2 hour tops, if you have a mighty vac. all done from the drain plugs. and yes, use the heavier oil. SE performance 15w

[grc]

I would definitely suggest, if you plan to do the drain and refill, regardless of method you need to measure what comes out of each leg.  If it is very close to what your manual says the fork should hold, you know you got most of the oil out.  If it isn't, then you have a dilemma.  Was the fork underfilled at the factory, have you had a leak, or didn't you get all the old oil out?  I wouldn't just assume the fork was underfilled originally and dump in the full amount called for in the manual, since that could result in an overfill. 


Jerry

[Boatman]

On my 05 SEEG2 before the Traxxion upgrade, I did a simple drain/measure/refill as Jerry stated and got the same amount out of each side.  The fluid was pretty nasty looking at 12,000 miles.

When I drained the same Traxxion forks after 31,000 miles, the fluid still looked like new.   (I did not do the drain/fill on them-sent them to traxxion to be installed in my 10 forks).

FWIW..