pulled my 09 Fat Boy front wheel yesterday to put new rubber on.

Got the tire mounted and put it back on the bike.

Theres a slight gap between the inside of the right fork and the spacer
on the axle.

I didnt look there before I pulled it off, so I cant recall if it was there before...

my question then is, is this normal? The service manual makes no mention of it.

 

It sort of looks like you didn't torque down the axle before you tightened the fork end. I have noticed mine has a small gap, though.

However, I noticed that the grooves on the spacer are facing inward. On mine they're facing outward and the manual says to make sure they face the same way every time. I'm not sure if they always get them facing out at the factory, but something you should pay attention to. They get "worn in" a certain way then if you switch them they'll start getting uneven.

 

The manual says to tighten the axle nut on the other side first before putting the slider cap on the right side, so the only way that gap could be closed is if I forced the fork in somehow before tightening that cap.

As to the spacers, thats the way that one was originally. I never actually slid that one off the axle. The one on the other side is the reverse of that one.

 

What you are seeing in the pic is the shoulder of the axle. The spacer is tight against the shoulder....the end of the axle is a larger diameter to fit in the cap. This is perfectly normal. Just make sure the axle nut and cap nuts are torqued to spec and you'll be fine.

 

Thanks for the info, I feel better

 

Your welcome. Its the little things that can drive ya nuts!

 

Yep, mine's always been that way too. No worries.