I went with screamon eagle heavy duty oil and 10.5 to 11 oz per shock... It works for me...

 

I can't stand how much the nose dives with the stock setup - good luck fixing yours and please let us know what you did.

-Tim

 

Redline in mine, but I am not sure which weight/product. My indy recommended it over any lubricant from HD. It made a noticable difference over the fluid that was in my original forks. He changed it out when he installed the powder coated lowers for me.

Rowdy

 

I was going to check into this when I did my 5k service...

Will switching the fork oil be enough to make a change or will it require more than that?

 

It was a noticeable difference, and I am happy with it. I really can't say if will give you the difference you are looking for, but it's a start.

Rowdy

 

I agree with Rowdy. I'm a big guy and it made a big difference to me. I'm in Chicago and the city roads can be pothole conventions 9 months of the year, and coupling that with being 6'2" - 225lbs, I bottomed out te front end more than a couple times.

I'm on a 2006 and I imagine that the lower Road Glide Customs (and the Street Glides) won't feel as big a benefit because they have less suspension travel to work with in the first place. That extra inch and half of travel is a LOT when you're bottoming it out.

I used H-D Heavy Fork oil and it worked great. You can make your own fork seal driver by taking an appropriate diameter PVC pipe and cutting a + or x from one end into the pipe some distance lengthwise. This way you can bend the ends in to fit inside the walls of the fork tube, and then strike that with a hammer to drive your seals in safely. Beats spending the money for the special tools...

 

I'm on a 2006 and I imagine that the lower Road Glide Customs (and the Street Glides) won't feel as big a benefit because they have less suspension travel to work with in the first place. That extra inch and half of travel is a LOT when you're bottoming it out.

I used H-D Heavy Fork oil and it worked great. You can make your own fork seal driver by taking an appropriate diameter PVC pipe and cutting a + or x from one end into the pipe some distance lengthwise. This way you can bend the ends in to fit inside the walls of the fork tube, and then strike that with a hammer to drive your seals in safely. Beats spending the money for the special tools...

the customs and street glides being lower has not effect on the forks. they are the same. what weight oil you use is really personal preference. i like the se heavy. gives a firm ride without being overly harsh. others prefer a 50/50 mix of the type e and se heavy. still firmer than stock, but not quite as firm as straight se heavy.

as far as actually changing the oil, i don't go through all the hassle of taking the forks off/apart. you can easily do it on the bike. the short version is to take the drain bolt out, about 10.5 oz should come out. take the cap off the top of the fork (its 36 mm), and pour your new oil in. you may have to compress the forks a couple of times to get it past an air pocket, but it really isn't difficult to do.

my suggestion is to go with the se heavy. if you find it too firm, change it out again with the 50/50 mix.....

 

fork seal driver

Can anyone tell me how many mm the forks are on an rgu? Bike is in storage but I am getting everything together to do a swap on lower forks. I already have a 41 mm seal driver from doing a softail.
Thanks Brian

 

Can anyone tell me how many mm the forks are on an rgu? Bike is in storage but I am getting everything together to do a swap on lower forks. I already have a 41 mm seal driver from doing a softail.
Thanks Brian

I believe they are 41mm, somebody else should chime in on this too unless im wrong. Another vote for SE Heavy oil.

 

Ok stupid question. How much of a PITA is it to change the fork oil. Ive noticed that ive been bottoming out alil too. Just thought maybe it was the road but reading this im sure its more than the road plus ive got 20k on it and should do it any way

 

to expound on my answer above, to get to the fork caps, you have to take the instrument nacelle off. that will expose the fork caps. mine were torqued at the factory by the 800lb gorilla so i also had to take my handlebars loose so i could get enough leverage to loosen them. other than that, it isn't bad. you can do it in about an hour if you take your time.

 

Ok good thank you.

 

Theres a trade off when going to a heavier oil. The amount that the heavier oil slows down compression is also the amount that it slows down rebound so while it may prevent you from bottoming out accasionally it will make for a harsher ride. Just saying...

 

forks are 41 mm and another vote for se heavy oil hope this helps