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[cyril]

What difference will be noticed if I changed the SE oil in the forks to standard
Oil ?

[CVO Brian]

Cushier ride. SE oil is very thick and prevents a little bit of the front end brake dive if your a heavy front brake user. I thinks its around 20 or 30 weight and the standard is 5-10. Im sure you can find it here somewhere

[cyril]

That' what  I hoped I'll gt it changed. First  service

[grc]

What difference will be noticed if I changed the SE oil in the forks to standard
Oil ?

I'm a little bit confused.  Are you sure you actually have SE fork oil in the forks now?  It doesn't come standard in the bike, so unless you had it changed in the past the oil in there is the same stuff you will find in any other Harley touring model (standard fork oil).

Jerry

[dayne66]

There's only so much a change in oil will do with the antiquated front suspension the MOCO puts on their top end bikes. 

[Puzzled]

Posted previously here on the forum.

Fork Oil - 16oz. Type E 5wt. Type E is for "Showa" forks.Part # 99884-80

Fork Oil - 16oz. Type B 10w. Fork Oil - See owners manual for recommended style. Part # 99880-73

Screamin’ Eagle® Performance Fork Oil - A heavier oil (15wt) provides extra damping in performance application. Part # 99881-87 . Works well to take the dive out of the front end on breaking.

Screamin’ Eagle® Racing Fork Oil - Designed and blended for the severe conditions on the race track (20wt). Not intended for street use.
Part # 99909-93R

[JoeVibe]

There's only so much a change in oil will do with the antiquated front suspension the MOCO puts on their top end bikes. 

This is interesting to me. Suspension is on my list of things to do but in the meantime would it be worth the effort to change the fork oil to SE, assuming my bike doesn't have it?

[skratch]

This is interesting to me. Suspension is on my list of things to do but in the meantime would it be worth the effort to change the fork oil to SE, assuming my bike doesn't have it?

thats a question that only you will be able to answer.  everyone's experience will be different.  for me, i thought it was a worthwhile change.  i'm using the se heavy, and i like it.  i don't think that it rides too stiff (and i ride la roads ).  but there are others who think it is too harsh.  some folks will use a 50/50 mix of the heavy and the type e and that suits them fine.

the good news is that fork oil is pretty easy to change, so try it.  if you don't like it, you can change it again until you find the perfect snake oil for you.  but when changing, don't go by the manual and do the whole fork disassembly thing, you can drain it, then add back the amount that drained out (should be very close to spec and equal on both sides).  takes about a hour to do, and thats with the disassembly of the fairing nacelle (course, thats on a roadglide, don't know if a batwing would be quicker or not)

[cyril]

Thanks for all your input guys im proibably confusing the issue as i have not changed my avatar to my 2012 SEUC
i traded the RG  pictured i prefer the batwing ive had 4 times before , for me the forks are too stiff the rear i have change to progressive 440 s getting the front to behave nearer to standard softness will suit me better.

Lots of UK roads over the past couple of years  have become cr8ppier than they were and dont make for smooth riding.
Unlike my........ dare i say Beeeee M wubble U ,GS 1200 on here ?which soaks up all i can throw at it .
Sorry its true .

[grc]

Thanks for all your input guys im proibably confusing the issue as i have not changed my avatar to my 2012 SEUC
i traded the RG  pictured i prefer the batwing ive had 4 times before , for me the forks are too stiff the rear i have change to progressive 440 s getting the front to behave nearer to standard softness will suit me better.

Lots of UK roads over the past couple of years  have become cr8ppier than they were and dont make for smooth riding.
Unlike my........ dare i say Beeeee M wubble U ,GS 1200 on here ?which soaks up all i can throw at it .
Sorry its true .

It's possible you're confusing bottoming out with being too stiff.  Harley front ends are not normally very stiff at all, but rather about as limp as a wet noodle.  For instance, grab the front brake fairly aggressively when just rolling slowly down the driveway and see how the forks immediately dive almost to the stops. 

The bike doesn't have SE fork oil unless you had it changed since you bought the bike.  If you want to experiment with fork oil it's pretty easy to change and you don't need to bother looking for Harley oil, there are plenty of other brands that come with the actual viscosity listed on the bottle.  Stock is about 5 to 7 weight, so I'd suggest trying a 15 weight and see if it helps.  Anything over a 20 weight is likely to be too harsh.

Changing the oil won't make a big difference, so you will most likely want to start researching real upgrades.  The best bang for the buck (pound) seems to be the Progressive Suspension Monotubes, but there are more expensive options out there that are highly recommended as well.

As for crappy roads, I think that is fairly universal regardless of country.  Since the Great Recession started most areas in the USA have also put off fixing highways.  We go through this every time there is an economic slowdown.  When small cars start disappearing into the potholes, never to be seen again, our highway folks finally respond by throwing some of that useless cold patch junk in the holes.  That usually lasts a day or two.

Jerry

[cyril]

r to be seen again, our highway folks finally respond by throwing some of that useless cold patch junk in the holes.  That usually lasts a day or two.

Dead right there thanks for the advice Jerry