Originally Posted by kitt90

I have read each and every thread related here . and I have read other threads concerning fork oil wts . I found that Harleys fork oil (E) is 5wt. Harleys fork oil (B) is 10wt and Harleys (SE) is 15 wt . I installed shorter springs in the front of my 07 road king . only because the bike was to tall for me . I have a short inseam . the bike had 32k on the clock the fork oil that came out was dark and it did not smell very nice at all .I believe the oil gets heated up and gathers small particles. of metal and this is why it looks and smells dirty . ever smell the tranny fluid in your cage? its not to pretty either . I replaced the fork oil with Harleys type (e) oil per my manual 11k miles later I am changing the fork oil again. I am going with bell ray (7) or was that 7.5? it has not showed up yet < any way I sometimes get a bottoming out affect with the 5 wt now . as far as accessing the fork cap bolts . with out a fairing its easy and I used a big crescent wrench .ty for writing this very informative post

Originally Posted by kitt90

ok my forks have been draining for 2 days the front end was off the ground not very much oil came out . so I lowered the front to the ground and worked the forks up and down re raised the front end again and not much more came out . im sure the total amount fro each fork was way less than the 11.1 oz s the book calls for . so here is my question .. what do I do if the forks will not accept the full 11.1 ozs the book calls for ? btw its a 07 roadking thanks in advance

Originally Posted by kitt90

ok my forks have been draining for 2 days the front end was off the ground not very much oil came out . so I lowered the front to the ground and worked the forks up and down re raised the front end again and not much more came out . im sure the total amount fro each fork was way less than the 11.1 oz s the book calls for . so here is my question .. what do I do if the forks will not accept the full 11.1 ozs the book calls for ? btw its a 07 roadking thanks in advance

Originally Posted by reg26

Hopefully you measured what came out on each fork then just put the same amount back in

Originally Posted by DHubbs

If you drained all the oil out & if the forks that are on the bike are the ones that came on it the amount of oil the manual calls for will go back in the forks. It is normal for it to take a long time for the oil level to go down enough to get the last several ounces of oil in each tube when filling them. Be patient when pouring oil back in. As far as where did the oil go that should have been in there who knows? Did the fork seals leak? Do you know the history of the bike?

Originally Posted by kitt90

ok my forks have been draining for 2 days the front end was off the ground not very much oil came out . so I lowered the front to the ground and worked the forks up and down re raised the front end again and not much more came out . im sure the total amount fro each fork was way less than the 11.1 oz s the book calls for . so here is my question .. what do I do if the forks will not accept the full 11.1 ozs the book calls for ? btw its a 07 roadking thanks in advance

Originally Posted by Bertk

If you change it a 1k or 32k miles it stills smells like dead fish. That's the crap they put in it at the factory. If it's bottoming out you may want to go to the SE Heavy Fork Oil. Or you could mix E & B 50/50. The E by it self is to lite.

Originally Posted by dswansbiker

I've heard before that some of the dealers have a cool piece of apparatus that sucks the old fork oil out and replaces it with new through the drain hole. This sounds like a good way to go if there is such a thing. Anybody know for sure?

Originally Posted by iclick

Well, I didn't wait 'til tomorrow and did the fork-oil change earlier this evening. It took me about an hour to do the job using the top-fill method. It was mostly a piece of cake, and here's the blow by blow doing one side at a time:

1. Remove ignition switch and the two screws holding the inner-fairing cap. Lifting the cap out of the way gives access to the fork top plug. I tried a 36mm socket but there wasn't room, same for a crescent, but the 36mm wrench in the tool kit was the solution. The plug is not on tight and removal is easy.

Edit (07/08/11): After doing this job a second time, the 36mm wrench is actually a bit too large and 1 3/8" is a better fit.

2. I used a ½" clear plastic tube cut to about 10" in length and inserted a small funnel on one end and stuck the other end into the fork top. It was a tight fit but worked. I wire-tied the funnel to the handlebars to keep it from slipping. Put a plastic bag on the tank to protect it from fluid that might spill out of the funnel.

3. Once the top plug is removed the vacuum is released, so draining should be no problem. It indeed wasn't once the bottom drain plug was removed, and that was the biggest problem of the whole job. Those damn Phillips screws were in very tight and I almost couldn't get them off. Don't even try to remove them with a Phillips screwdriver, but instead get a #3 Phillips bit and use a 3/8" or 1/2" ratchet, putting heavy pressure on the screw while you turn it. It was close, but I got both of them without stripping the head after rapping moderately with an impact screwdriver (not an impact wrench).

3. Once this screw is out the fluid begins to drain. My right side came out slowly at first until I used a toothpick to loosen some gunk that partially plugged the hole. There is no need to pump the forks to release all the oil, as in time (about 5 min.) the oil completely drains, all 10.8 oz. of it. It is a black, smelly fluid that doesn't resemble any hydraulic or other oil I've ever encountered. It looks like it has moly or graphite in it. Once the old fluid is out, reinstall the screw, but there's no need to tighten it as much as was done at the factory. The manual says 78-96 inch-pounds.

4. I filled with SE Heavy (not the Extra Heavy variety), which is reportedly 15w (stock is 10w). Note that RK's require 11.1 oz., while EG's are 10.8 oz. Fill slowly about 2-3 oz. at a time, then pump the forks each time to force the oil past the damping valve. After about 3-4 pumps you start hearing a hollow sucking noise, which suggested to me that it had cleared the valve. RK's may not need to do this step-by-step pumping approach since they don't have the damper valve installed. That process took maybe 10 min. for each side.

5. Finally, replace the top plug, do the other side as above, then replace the inner-fairing cap and ignition switch.

This is definitely the way to change the fork oil on these bikes, IMO, and I may do this job every 10k, certainly not more than every 20k. As I said, it took about an hour, but next time I think I could do it in 45 min. now that I know the routine. Thanks to all who encouraged me to try this method.

A ride revealed a slightly firmer feel to the front-end with the SE fluid, but it is not harsh. Corners felt very secure, but my 10-mile ride didn't give it a good test for bottoming, etc. It felt taut and secure, however, and these early results are positive.