| Author | Message | ||
     Swordsman |
Oh, how I've dreaded this day. I don't have the equip, nor the experience, nor the patience to tackle it, so I'm gonna have to take it in. How much does the H-D dealer generally charge for a fork rebuild? The real bummer is that I think it feels fine, I'm just too paranoid NOT to go ahead and have it done. I've already waited till the 20k mile mark.  ~SM | ||
| Andymnelson |
Honestly, if it feels fine there's no danger in waiting. You're just freshening up the oil which will give better compression and rebound characteristics. IMO, 10k is far earlier than the average street rider needs to change the oil. That said, pull the forks and take them in- that part is easy! Expect close to $500 if you take the bike in whole, $300 if you just bring the forks in. Those prices should include all oil, seals, dust seals, and bearings. | ||
| Brightbuell |
What would you rate that as a job on a scale from 1-10? For an average guy who knows how to wrench. yo can jump in on this one froggy. | ||
| Ochoa0042 |
it doesnt have to be a harley dealer for the forks, a rice dealer will be more knowledgeable of buell forks, best thing would be to take them to a ricer dealer. Do any harleys have inverted forks? i dont think so..  | ||
| Andymnelson |
hard to say, brightbuell... I conside myself pretty capable (ive built chevy v-8s, lifted my jeep, installed one of those v-8s in said lifted jeep, done a fair amount of body and paint work etc. I do everything myself. Period.). I would rate it at a 2 for difficulty, just a bit harder than an oil change. It really is that easy, the only difficult part is properly releasing the springs. | ||
| Slaughter |
Contact Traxxion Dynamics, while they're apart, consider re-springing and re-valving to suit your weight and riding intentions. They've been the go-to-guys for Buell suspension work forever now. | ||
| Ghostrider |
Wow... timely. I need to replace fork seals on my '03 9R (25K miles). Was wondering both if it was something I could do myself and/or if I should look at getting something a little more tuned up? I take it to the track a few times a year and hit the mountains a lot. I think it's strapping it down in the truck to/from the track that's putting the seals to the test. | ||
| Jraice |
It was more like $130 for me to get it done at a local suspension shop. Brought forks in. Forks are nearly identical to any Japanese or Euro sports bike. +1 on not taking to Harley. Suspension shop will be cheaper and do the job right. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
+1 Slaughter. Buells, like all other bikes, come with springs and valving designed to provide a comfortable ride for the average rider on the street. If you are above average weight, or ride aggressively, or both, (like many members of this board), respringing and revalving can really make a noticeable improvement to your bike, and is probably the most cost effective improvement one can make. | ||
| Glitch |
One of the great things about Traxxion, it they're in the neighborhood! 261 Rope Mill Pkwy, Suite 3 Woodstock, GA 30188 (770) 592-3823 | ||
| Slaughter |
To heck with "in the neighborhood" - I send my forks and shock to Traxxion from California once a year. | ||
| Slaughter |
And I don't get any kickback from Traxxion. I go there because Max and Dan have been working Buell suspensions since the early Tuber (AMA Twins) days. I pay same prices that anybody else would pay. | ||
| Beache |
I changed just the fluid without removing the forks from the bike. I had the wheel off for a tire change, and was able to change the fluid fairly easily, with a home made tool. I'll try to post a pic | ||
| Glitch |
Steve, I was just pointing out to Sword guy that it was really close to him. Really close. No one said or implied you get kick backs. Simply they're a great shop, and they're near us, a big plus to us, seeing as how GA is second only to CA in job loss. | ||
| Slaughter |
Glitch - I was just being careful in recommending a non-sponsor so heartily. After your comment, I went and looked up his profile and see that he's also in GA. I'm always careful when recommending non-sponsors such as Traxxion Dynamics ... but they really ARE a knowledgeable resource in suspension recommendations for EITHER end of these bikes and with their suspension dyno, they can deliver a set of forks or a shock that is almost bolt-on SET for your weight and intended ride/race. Kinda cool to bolt up a new suspension and hardly have to do any adjustments to start. | ||
| Bman12r |
Swordsman, My 05 12r Firebolt's forks have noticeably gotten softer at the 10K and five year mark. I thought just a fork fluid change would restore original stiffness, but after talking to the local Racetech suspension guys I found out that the XB models are sprung for 180 lb. guys, not my 235 lbs. They tell me that I need heavier springs and of course new fluid. About $550 for front rebuild and rear adjusting for my weight and riding style (fast). | ||
| Tepiddeath |
Technically, you should tear down, inspect, and rebuild your forks at 10,000 miles, not just drain and replace the fluid. I have done a lot of work with ohlins recently, including making a how to instructional video of how to tear down and rebuild with stock internals and with their new cartridge internals. You would be amazed at the amount of wear on the bushings at 10k | ||
| Glitch |
No sweat, Steve, I didn't mean to come off so harsh. I look at it this way. The sponsors only service forks, Traxxion tunes them. If all you want is service, well, go to your favorite sponsoring dealer. If you want to tune your suspension and find out just how good your bike can be... | ||
| Glitch |
Not to mention, the money spent on suspension vs the same money spent on the engine. The suspension upgrade will actually make you faster than the same money spent on any engine work. | ||
| Swordsman |
Heh, well, if we're going by "The Book of Buell", then I don't even deserve an XB, 'cuz I'm a straight-sittin' slow mofo. My poor Ss never gets any action... pretty much a commuter. Probably why I haven't noticed anything amiss with my forks at 20k miles. I don't ride hard, and never have, and I weigh in around 190. One of the things I was concerned about with taking off the forks was making sure they didn't get out of "alignment". I've barely even looked at how they fit together, but I assumed that there would be some readjusting of the clamps necessary... unless of course you leave them connected and only take it loose at the steering head...? Glitch, thanks for dropping Traxxion's name... that is a heckuva lot closer than making the trek to go see Fatty up in TN (still like to visit, but it'd be easier if I wasn't needing to leave my bike!). ~SM | ||
| Glitch |
Pull the forks out of the triples. There's not realignment. | ||
| Ducxl |
There's not realignment. Really? Because i've been told to tighten the axle clamps BEFORE tightening the fork(or tree) clamps to avoid stress against the axle. For the record,i've used GMD Computrack for yearly forkS service.This year i did do none tho.Poor economy | ||
| Dancing_dogs |
Yes, some Harleys have inverted forks....my '06 Street Rod does  Thanks for posting up the Traxxion recommendation...I may look into that since I'm only 140 lbs....not even close to the 180 lb ave target. } | ||
| Glitch |
Really? Because i've been told to tighten the axle clamps BEFORE tightening the fork(or tree) clamps to avoid stress against the axle. Well there's that, I go by the service manual, so whatever it says... I just meant it's no big deal. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Just got mine done. Hint: they're the same as some Ducati models. Nearby Ducati tech has done tons. Put new tires on as well. Total came to less than the local HD shop for the forks alone. HD shop is good, high rates. Tech is small shop, low rates. Easy decision. |
