After reading up on the searches on greasing the neck bearings I decided to go ahead and put some in. I pumped in about maybe a third of a 14 ounce tube and then I could not pump anymore. I mean the handle on the grease gun wouldn't budge a millimeter. When the neck is full is that the way the pump will react? I expected to see some grease squeeze out of the top and bottom of the neck. My bike is an 08 EGS with only about 5100 miles on it which I bought new June 15, 2008. I've had the dealer do the 1K and 5K services on it. Thanks for the input.

 

Normally, grease squirts out the top and bottom.

 

A grease gun should not stop pumping unless it is broken. I have never had it happen to me. I guess you could also have a clogged grease fitting but I am just guessing. I would lean towards a broken grease gun. If you take the grease gun off of the fitting and it won't pump it is definitely the grease gun. A grease gun should pump whether or not it is on the fitting and whether or not there is grease in it.

If you have plenty of grease in the gun you should keep pumping until you get grease oozing out of the botton of the steering neck. On my bikes it will also come out of the top but mostly the bottom. When you grease it the first time it will take quite a bit but there is no good reason for the grease gun to quit pumping. Some guys will only put enough grease in until they see some grease coming out but I will usually put a lot more in. I not only try to make sure there is grease in the bearing but I try to flush a lot of the old grease out. It is a bigger mess to clean up but at least I know the bearing is properly greased with fresh grease.

I used to use the Harley grease but started using Mobil 1 synthetic grease a while back. The Harley grease will seperate and leave an oily mess in my cabinet and I have found that it will harden after a while. The Mobil 1 will seperate a little but nowhere near as much as the Harley grease. If you change grease from one type to another you should try to flush the old stuff out. Sometimes petroleum products don't mix well and will lose their effectiveness.

It also helps to switch out the grease fitting with an angled one. This makes it easier to get the grease gun on the fitting. I can't remember the thread size or anything but if you do a search you will find some threads that discuss it.

But, then again, I could be completely wrong. Hope this helps.

 

I believe the size I bought was 1/4" 20 threads, with a 45 degree head. I also bought a 90 degree head (same size), but couldn't get it to line up.

When I did my 10K service I found that no grease gun fitting would fit on the straight head zerk in my FLTR due to the fairing brackets. My dealer was supposed to fill the neck at the 1K service. When I got the stock one out it was obvious that no grease had ever gone through it. It was bone dry on the inside. I showed it to my service department. Lame excuses were all they had.


"If you want something done right..."

 

Hemsplt, the gun pumps grease when I pull it off the fitting so I don't think it the pump. I started out using a flexible hose to pump most the the grease in and then I changed to the rigid metal tube and that's when the pump wouldn't budge. I think I got maybe one pump with the rigid tube and then it stop. I may switch back to the flex tube and see if more will go in.

 

The size on my 08 EGS is 1/4 by 28. I put on a 45 deg grease fitting. The 90 wouldn't fit because it hit the flange that is there. That is one tight place to get one of those fittings started.

 

As already stated, the pump shouldn't stop pumping. This isn't a closed system you're pumping into. Per the service manual and my own experience, grease will start oozing out of the top and bottom of the steering head when it's full. If that didn't happen and your pump stopped worked, "something" is wrong. Either your pump went south or the bike's zerk fitting is clogged.

 

XT, thanks. May go ahead and change the fitting. Never thought of that. Are they prone to clogging?

 

Not really, but it may have some dried, hardened grease clogging it. They're cheap enough, but you could try running a piece of wire through it before tossing it.

 

If you have the nozzle of the grease gun at an angle in relation to the zerk, it will not pump in.