Fork oil recommendations

[NEWHD74FAN]

You have plenty of disimilar metals and water...fundamentals of battery technology. That black is byproducts of corrosion mixed in with a slurry of metal particles and in the case of my Sporty clutch material. Do you really want to wait 50,000 miles to find out what is going on in there?

Yes it is true, every time you "crack open" your bike, you take a chance on foreign material entry. But preventative maintenance is just that...sometimes "exploratory research" is good for your health and the bikes!

 

[softailhog]

Manual for my 02 Heritage says 20,000 miles, I waited until 40k. I changed to a heavier oil (HD) and the difference is tremendous. My oil wasn't discolored but changed a buddy's bike (same year and miles) and his oil looked dirty. After doing it I wished I had made the change sooner but because of the ride and handling, not because I thought the oil needed changing.

 

[maineultraclassic]

When I installed my chrome front end at about 25000 miles, the stock fork oil was nasty. Just because HD recommends waiting to 50000 miles doesn't make it right, if they said 100000 miles would that be right?

I'll be changing mine again this winter at approx. 43000 miles.........I'm using the S/E heavy racing oil in my Ultra........stiffened up the front end and made the ride much better.

Steve

 

[Retrop]

A valid reason for changing out fork oil before the 50,000 mark would be to stiffen up the front a little. Refilling with the Harley Heavy will do nicely as it will lessen the fork dive usually associated with a high speed stop. You need two bottles for a change-out and like the manual says "Measure carefully".