Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the clunk I was experiencing was due to a snug (but not tight) gas tank bolt. It's simply not enough to grasp the tank to see if it's loose - you have to put a wrench on the bolts and tighten them completely. My bolts weren't finger tight, in fact they were pretty snug, but I was able to get about a 1/4 turn on the front one and that was all it took. So, in order of ease, here's what everyone should do if they think they have a clunk in the front end:

1. check the jiffy stand bumper on the frame (10 sec)
2. put a wrench on the gas tank bolts (1-2 min). They need to bet TIGHT.
3. Torque down the steering stem bolt - check to see if the service bulletin has been done for the thicker washer (about 30 minutes)
4. Adjust the fall away (about 30 minutes)

I could have saved a lot of time just by doing 1 & 2.......

I hope this saves others some time that I lost by being a knucklehead......

 

Hey, we all take turns at being the "knucklehead"...At least you figured it out and it was a simple fix...

 

Bet the dealer would have said "no problem found"

good job

 

same thing happened to me
it sounded like the bike was falling apart

 

I wouldn't feel too bad. I had the same thing happen to me. It was the very last thing I checked and that was by accident.

 

Same thing happened to me (2007 Street Bob). Loud clank every time I went over a bump. Bike was still under warranty so I took it to the dealer. Tech took the bike for a test ride and agreed something was wrong. Took forks apart and checked fluid levels etc. After quite a awhile he found the problem, loose tank bolt. Still happens about every 9 months, but I know how to fix it myself now.