Ok, need a little help with adjusting this bearing. Bike is a 2008 road glide with 1500 miles. My dealer is worthless! He has had the bike twice to address the loose steering head and after takeing the bike apart today, its obvious he never adjusted it. I removed everthing per service manual instructions and made an adjuster tool. I just cant seem to get the darn thing under the upper tree and on the adjuster nut (which I can only see because I removed the upper tree nut and lock plate). Can this procedure really be done with the faring on???? Any tips on the direction I should be coming at the adjuster from??????

 

When you tourqe the 1 1/2 nut that will give you ajustment you shouldn't need to touch the bearing.Thats why they say in the manual 60 - 80 ftlbs give that a try first.

 

OK, I can do that (because I just dont see me getting to the steering head bearing adjuster nut with out removing the upper tree) Hopefully that will be enough. I'll let you know. TOO HOT to do anymore work for a couple of hours here though (105F).

 

105 deg WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!m where are you at? 73 in Maryland

 

The 1 1/2 nut on my bike was finger tight plenty of movement in the bearing.I tried adjusting the bearing but could not get the 1/4 inch rod in there also.When I torqued the nut i got 2 swings from the steering and folded the tabs back. The bike handles great

 

During a recent handlebar install I mentioned to my buddy, he owns a shop here in so cal, an issue I had with the front end clunking when hitting sharp bumps or moving over railroad tracks.

After removing the stock handlebars we found the top triple clamp nut to be very loose, we uncovered what seemed to be a mistake made during assembly at the factory...here's what we found.

The fork tubes were so high in the triple clamps not allowing the top triple clamp to seat all the way down on the stem, once the front end was raised off the ground and the triple clamps were loosened to allow the fork tubes to move down the steering head bearing nut went at least 2 1/2 turns allowing the top triple to seat. My buddies 08 Street Glide had the same problem and this fixed it. You could actually see daylight through the side of the stem with the top triple clamp nut removed.

If you tighten the top nut without lowering the forks allowing the triple to seat the nut backs right off, we found this out having adjusted my friends SG nut only, it backed right off creating a severe and extremely frequent clunk.

 

During a recent handlebar install I mentioned to my buddy, he owns a shop here in so cal, an issue I had with the front end clunking when hitting sharp bumps or moving over railroad tracks.

After removing the stock handlebars we found the top triple clamp nut to be very loose, we uncovered what seemed to be a mistake made during assembly at the factory...here's what we found.

The fork tubes were so high in the triple clamps not allowing the top triple clamp to seat all the way down on the stem, once the front end was raised off the ground and the triple clamps were loosened to allow the fork tubes to move down the steering head bearing nut went at least 2 1/2 turns allowing the top triple to seat. My buddies 08 Street Glide had the same problem and this fixed it. You could actually see daylight through the side of the stem with the top triple clamp nut removed.

If you tighten the top nut without lowering the forks allowing the triple to seat the nut backs right off, we found this out having adjusted my friends SG nut only, it backed right off creating a severe and extremely frequent clunk.

 

My fork tubes where rusted on the top clamp and needed to be driven out with a brass drift.I cleaned the rust from them adding some grease so next time I should be a easy job.Truman is corect with seating the forks as well

 

This is exactly my problem also. You can add a feeling of the handlebars moving so badly that for a split second you aren't sure if the bike is going to go where its being pointed. When I removed the upper nut earlier today the upper tree did "rise" up, even though I had the lower pinch bolts loosened. Another hour or so and I can get back out there and try to get the forks to drop and tourqe the upper nut.

 

Just updated my profile. I just moved from Anchorage, Ak. to Yuma, Az. (otherwise known as the "Armpit of the Desert Southwest").