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[Boatman]

As the title states, why is the drained old fork oil from the LH primary side of the bike as clean as when it was put in and the RH side fork oil as dirty as motor oil?

The oil drained from both forks had 27,000 miles on it (2009 FLHX)..

The LH side would be compressed when on the jiffy stand and the RH would be extended.

No big deal, just wondering as I could not find an answer on here but have read on another site that several members had experienced the same but no answer was given.

 

[North Georgia Hawg]

The LH side would be compressed when on the jiffy stand and the RH would be extended.

Uhhh... WHAT? 

If that were so, the front wheel would have to get crooked in the forks! The two forks extend and retract together, because they are locked together by the front axle... at least you better HOPE they do!

Ken

[grc]

Harley probably found a way to save some money by eliminating everything but the spring and seal from the left side.  Since the oil wouldn't do anything in that case, there would be no reason for it to discolor over time. Think about it. They went with preload only on one side on the rear shocks (which I find to be a good way to introduce stiction in the rear suspension), so why wouldn't they try a one sided damping system up front?

Jerry  

[Boatman]

Uhhh... WHAT? 

If that were so, the front wheel would have to get crooked in the forks! The two forks extend and retract together, because they are locked together by the front axle... at least you better HOPE they do!

Ken

I can't believe I wrote that either!    

[motor1]

Here goes, same thing on my 2011, A Harley tech of 30 years ( who I trust ), told me he sees that a lot, told me it is because the right fork sits exposed to the sun more than the left. Thoughts???

[Boatman]

Here goes, same thing on my 2011, A Harley tech of 30 years ( who I trust ), told me he sees that a lot, told me it is because the right fork sits exposed to the sun more than the left. Thoughts???

A fellow said the same thing on HDForums when I did a search but it is hard to believe.  The bike still rides the same as it always did. 

Just was asking why several people had stated the same as your experience.  Thanks for responding.

[grc]

Here goes, same thing on my 2011, A Harley tech of 30 years ( who I trust ), told me he sees that a lot, told me it is because the right fork sits exposed to the sun more than the left. Thoughts???

You asked for thoughts, so here's mine.  If there is some secret Harley procedure that says you should always park or ride with the sun only on your right, then and only then would this "tech's" response possibly make any sense.  Either the guy is an idiot, or more likely he was just pulling your leg.  I wonder what would happen if you only rode at night and always parked the bike in the garage whenever the sun was out?

Dig a little deeper into the front suspensions on Harley Touring models and you might find that the MoCo has used different damping systems that don't always match from side to side.  I'd be more inclined to believe it was such a mismatch of components from left to right that accounts for the difference, but I haven't actually done any research on the subject.

Jerry

[North Georgia Hawg]

You asked for thoughts, so here's mine.  If there is some secret Harley procedure that says you should always park or ride with the sun only on your right, then and only then would this "tech's" response possibly make any sense.  Either the guy is an idiot, or more likely he was just pulling your leg.  I wonder what would happen if you only rode at night and always parked the bike in the garage whenever the sun was out?

Dig a little deeper into the front suspensions on Harley Touring models and you might find that the MoCo has used different damping systems that don't always match from side to side.  I'd be more inclined to believe it was such a mismatch of components from left to right that accounts for the difference, but I haven't actually done any research on the subject.

Jerry

It's true that on the older bikes... Something like 2003-2006 I THINK... there was a "cartridge" of some type in one fork but not in the other fork, at least on some models. But I think this was done away with in 2007 or thereabouts.

My parts catalog for my 2012 SESG shows identical parts in the left and right forks. I think it's probably the same for the '09 Touring bikes, but I don't have a parts catalog for '09.

I have difficulty believing the story about the sun darkening the oil in the right fork, since the oil itself is never exposed to the sun. I can't see any significant solar heating of the right fork going on that could do that. It seems more like a joke to me, too.

Ken

[110tHunDer]

Here goes, same thing on my 2011, A Harley tech of 30 years ( who I trust ), told me he sees that a lot, told me it is because the right fork sits exposed to the sun more than the left. Thoughts???

A fellow said the same thing on HDForums when I did a search but it is hard to believe.  The bike still rides the same as it always did.  

Just was asking why several people had stated the same as your experience.  Thanks for responding.

Holy crap.

If I ride north in the morning, the sun would be on my right, but then when I came home in the afternoon, it would be on my left, right?  Of course, if I go west from home instead of north, then both forks should be in full sunshine when I leave and shaded when I come home.

Thus, I need to plan my rides accordingly in order to have equal time in both directions.  Essentially, I have to turn around at noon each ride.  And if I don't leave until afternoon, I need to ride east or west and not turn around for home until the sun goes down, so as to maintain the perfect balance of sunlight on each fork.

 

[North Georgia Hawg]

Holy crap.

If I ride north in the morning, the sun would be on my right, but then when I came ohome in the afternoon, it would be on my left, right?  Of course, if I go west from home instead of north, then both forks should be in full sunshine when I leave and shaded when I come home.

Thus, I need to plan my rides accordingly in order to have equal time in both directions.  Essentially, I have to turn around at noon each ride.  And if I don't leave until afternoon, I need to ride east or west and not turn around for home until the sun goes down, so as to maintain the perfect balance of sunlight on each fork.

 

LOL! But reading that gave me a HEADACHE!

As if we don't already have ENOUGH chit to worry about... now it's  on the friggin' forks...

Ken

[CVO2FIXUP]

 That tech is reading this post and laughing his behind off as we contemplate sun exposure through 1/4 inch of aluminum. 

[North Georgia Hawg]

That tech is reading this post and laughing his behind off as we contemplate sun exposure through 1/4 inch of aluminum. 

Precisely...

Ken