Thanks for this video, J&P Cycles! I just finished rebuilding the forks on my '06 Sportster, and I did it by following your instructions step by step. It seems to have turned out perfectly, and I give the credit to y'all. The only problem I had was not being able to fully seat the seals with my homemade PVC driver, so I ordered the one from Motion Pro and it worked perfectly. So far, no leaks!!
Great, clear video. Thanks so much for including the torque specs. so many others tell you to look it up. Not sure if you mentioned this one but I saw Torque fork top caps 22-29 ft lbs
I put a fork spring kit in my sportster many years ago and what helped me get the caps back on was a socket with a breaker bar held straight up. I did later purchase the cap socket as it's custom made for the shallow nut on the cap. Excellent how to video JP Cycles. ~ Xena @ the XL Forum.
I made a nice cocktail out of JPCycles, lowbrow, Party on Forever, & Shadetree Surgeon 39mm fork videos and now I have a bitchin 6 over front end. Shoutout 2 the homies
Best fork service/rebuild video out here, great tips of the trade! Installing progressive's on my '05 FXDL next week and will be following step by step ...thanks!!!
Great video and thank you for it! In the Clymer manual it says to put the tighter winds towards the bottom of the fork. I see a lot of guys use the impact on the allen bolt at the bottom of the forks where the oil drains out. I don’t do that. When i went to replace the seals myself last time. I notice the guy that replaced them before me used zinc bolts. Which is softer. So the heads were damaged and i was unable to get a 6mm in there. I had to pound a 1/4 allen in there. Thankfully that worked fine to remove the bolt. Just take the extra 4 minutes to use a wrench to put them in. So the next time you need to replace the seals, the bolt head will be able to fit the 6mm.
This was super helpful. I found 30 inches of 1.5" Sch. 40 PVC pipe is great for an inexpensive seal driver. Also, I found it is so much easier to set the seal if you set the lower (thicker) bushing into the fork lower body first with the seal spacer (thick washer) and then seat the seal. There is just enough tolerance to squeeze the bushing in the fork lower, so doing that before adding the seal saved me some elbow grease. Otherwise I would've been pounding that down forever trying to get it low enough to install the retaining ring.
Good vid. Marking where the fork nut starts to thread is good info thanks. I’m gonna do the same thing to my 2000 Sportster. Going to drop the progressive OEM length springs in to match my rear 412’s I put on last winter. Thanks.
Wow mate you made that a lot harder on yourself than you needed. Good informative video, don't get me wrong. I assemble the shock off the bike. Just makes everything so much easier. By doing it off the bike you can also add oil before adding springs and spacers, work the shock and prime it. Then measure the airgap. Again, good informative video, and thank you for all the videos and knowledge that you share.
Great video and awesome instructions however my .02 cents, I would highly suggest seating the top bushing and washer in the fork leg before sliding the seal ontop. This will save your wrist and hands from going to pound town and damaging the seal if the bushing is a tight fit.
so many questions lol, im new to the motorcycle world, and i have a 2011 harley sportster nightster 1200n that has a bent fork but idk where to even begin to find a new one.
Hey so I have same progressive upgrade 39mm but also installing 4" over fork tubes that come with a pvc inside that as well my question is what would be my measurement to cut new PVC for this set up???
So if the fork oil is "10.2 oz" is that with normal set of replacement springs on a 39mm or is the fluid a different measurement when you put "progressive heavy duty" springs in, being the thickness of the heavy duty springs are thicker, doesn't that displace more fluid???
Hello, your video is very informative. My 2005 sportster front forks bottoms completely. It doesn't have any leaks, looks completely fine. Can I just take off fork caps, replace springs and oil from top ?? Thanks.
How did you clean the inside of the fork tubes? What all is safe to use? Also, what weight of oil is what comes in Sportsters (particularly 2003 Sportster Customs)? The manual doesn't state the weight, for the Type E fork oil, so I don't know the equivalent of it.
I just changed oil in my XL1200c -04. Oil was very black and nasty. Reason in the first place to change was to get a stiffer ride. The fork was bottoming out constantly. I got 10W oil in. My spring was sitting like 10cm above the tube and it was hell to put the nuts back on. However with those stiff springs and new oil it still bottoms out. What gives?
what size should i be trimming the spacer for an 05 dyna lowrider,and also what weight should i get for the fork oil most useful vid ive seen so far thank you
I put a 6” over fork tubes on my sporster XL883 2007 i have to put 2 spacer the stock size 8” and a pvc about to 3” to have some compresión and now its hittimg so hard everytime i hit the brake but runs fine in the higway. what can i do to fix it
Hello, I am planning to buy the same motorcycle. Can you fit a 120/70-18 (wider) tire on this motorcycle ? My only concern is it looks little too slim.
Great video, definitely going to be useful this weekend. Does anyone know what size of PVC pipe to use to seat the seal. I think i saw it in another video but dont remember exact size. 06 sportster.
Thanks for this video, working on my wife's 96' FXDL. Two questions, how does that oil get so gross with the wiper and the seal? And what are the fork caps torqued to? Thanks.
J&P didn’t really answer that for you. The oil gets dirty for two reasons: first of all, there is a breather hole in your tubes and air gets exchanged in and out with every stroke of the front end. The air has small mounds of dirt which gets deposited in the fork oil. The other reason is that even though there is a seal on the tubes, there are microscopic particles of dirt which sticks to the small amount of oil that is left every time the seal wipes the fort tube. I change fork oil every year. Makes the seals last longer.
That can happen over time with forks that are a but under serviced. You should be able to pull it off the damper with a rag and some pliers. Just make sure not to put pliers grooves or warp the cap.
Good Video. My seals are not leaking, but I wanted to put a set of Progressive Suspension 11-1523 springs. I was just going to drain my oil, and replace the springs, can I just raise the bike, and take off the front wheel, and remove the top caps, and can I take those bottom bolts out to drain my oil? I know there are drain screws where I can pump out the oil, But I thought removing the screws at the bottom might let it drain better.
I just picked up a 94 Sportster XL 883, and I am going to most likely have to replace the drive belt because it has been sitting in a storage shed since 2002. I'm living on disability nowadays so I cannot afford to have a shop do the work, I'll be maintaining it from now on. Do you have any videos on how to replace the drive belt on a 1994 Harley Davidson Sportster XL 883? I'll be doing the forks too, but after watching your video I believe that it will be simple enough that I can do it. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide me.. Have a great weekend! Donnie (Standing Goats Rescue)
@@BlackbeardBikes Think of the values as limits, anything in between is fine. Generally speaking less precision based engines have spec ranges, more finely tuned, precision machines would have a number.
J&P Cycles Shazam! There it is, the wisdom. First time I worked on a Harley. Triumph man here. Wife bought an 89 XLH883 needing restoration - stripper the top end and regrind the rust pitted valves - then put it back together “wtf torque setting to use” 😂 cranked the heads down to highest. Running great now but could not find a reason online - hilarious ones like "winter and summer" anyways cheers fellah 🙌🏻👏🏻💪🏻
See more at Countersteer. www.jpcycles.com/countersteer?How_to_Service_39mm_Front_Forks_:_Spring_Upgrade&XB198ubzILI
Probably the best how to video I've used for DIY purposes. Absolutely right on the money, step by step.
Thanks for saving me hundreds.
The music is very distracting, but I love the video. Thanks for posting it.
Agreed, music detracted from the video.
This is a straight to the point no B/S video that shows you how to do it right, thank you J & P Cycles you have a new subscriber.
Great tip about marking the fork cap when compressing the spring.
Many thanks for this, after a lot of searching this has to be one of the best and easiest videos to follow for this. Much appreciated J&P cycles.
Superb job. Believe it or not, you're the only person I've seen actually clean the tube up while you have it off of the bike.
Thanks for this video, J&P Cycles! I just finished rebuilding the forks on my '06 Sportster, and I did it by following your instructions step by step. It seems to have turned out perfectly, and I give the credit to y'all. The only problem I had was not being able to fully seat the seals with my homemade PVC driver, so I ordered the one from Motion Pro and it worked perfectly. So far, no leaks!!
I was always scared to touch the forks but this video really laid everything out clearly. Gonna install my 4 overs this weekend. Thanks!
Great, clear video. Thanks so much for including the torque specs. so many others tell you to look it up. Not sure if you mentioned this one but I saw Torque fork top caps 22-29 ft lbs
Thank you, this is the best fork over view I have seen yet." Big boy make spring compression look easy"
I put a fork spring kit in my sportster many years ago and what helped me get the caps back on was a socket with a breaker bar held straight up. I did later purchase the cap socket as it's custom made for the shallow nut on the cap. Excellent how to video JP Cycles.
~ Xena @ the XL Forum.
I made a nice cocktail out of JPCycles, lowbrow, Party on Forever, & Shadetree Surgeon 39mm fork videos and now I have a bitchin 6 over front end. Shoutout 2 the homies
Best fork service/rebuild video out here, great tips of the trade! Installing progressive's on my '05 FXDL next week and will be following step by step ...thanks!!!
Thanks!
Of all the Harley how to videos. J&p are by far the best. Thanks
Great video and thank you for it! In the Clymer manual it says to put the tighter winds towards the bottom of the fork. I see a lot of guys use the impact on the allen bolt at the bottom of the forks where the oil drains out. I don’t do that. When i went to replace the seals myself last time. I notice the guy that replaced them before me used zinc bolts. Which is softer. So the heads were damaged and i was unable to get a 6mm in there. I had to pound a 1/4 allen in there. Thankfully that worked fine to remove the bolt. Just take the extra 4 minutes to use a wrench to put them in. So the next time you need to replace the seals, the bolt head will be able to fit the 6mm.
This was super helpful. I found 30 inches of 1.5" Sch. 40 PVC pipe is great for an inexpensive seal driver. Also, I found it is so much easier to set the seal if you set the lower (thicker) bushing into the fork lower body first with the seal spacer (thick washer) and then seat the seal. There is just enough tolerance to squeeze the bushing in the fork lower, so doing that before adding the seal saved me some elbow grease. Otherwise I would've been pounding that down forever trying to get it low enough to install the retaining ring.
This dude is the best for what i am doing. No silly shit, thank you Mr. water buffalo.
you're welcome
- Patrick (AKA Mr. Buffalo)
@@jpcycles HaHAha. Nice.
Great explanation thank you; I just got a used FatBoy and I can apply it right away. I could do without the music though.
Good vid. Marking where the fork nut starts to thread is good info thanks. I’m gonna do the same thing to my 2000 Sportster. Going to drop the progressive OEM length springs in to match my rear 412’s I put on last winter. Thanks.
that's a good upgrade you'll dig it.
I've never done this, thank you very much
you guys have the best videos, thanks man
Bro this step by step video helped me out thank you so much
Wow mate you made that a lot harder on yourself than you needed.
Good informative video, don't get me wrong.
I assemble the shock off the bike. Just makes everything so much easier.
By doing it off the bike you can also add oil before adding springs and spacers, work the shock and prime it. Then measure the airgap.
Again, good informative video, and thank you for all the videos and knowledge that you share.
Very detailed. Superb video, thank you!
The best video I've seen about it
Thus guy treats all bikes reverently
Great video no bullshit and not over explained
Great video! Thank you for sharing! I will be doing mine soon.😊
Great video and awesome instructions however my .02 cents, I would highly suggest seating the top bushing and washer in the fork leg before sliding the seal ontop. This will save your wrist and hands from going to pound town and damaging the seal if the bushing is a tight fit.
thank you for your video, very useful, a greeting from Italy
This is exactly the vid i needed. Awesome.
Loving these videos, learning a lot!
Many Many Many Thanks for the video.
Fantastic video 5 Stars
Super video👍 thank you for help
great video definitely bookmarking
Great video. Thanks!
Great video and great tutorial. Thanks
KooL KooL KooL br0 ya ain't afraid ta show ya worK ,,,Trustable ~! and Appreciated
What do you mean by 39mm front end .Where does that number come from.
Great video with lots of good tips. Thanks for putting this on.
so many questions lol, im new to the motorcycle world, and i have a 2011 harley sportster nightster 1200n that has a bent fork but idk where to even begin to find a new one.
How do I get my 31/2" spacer in? That's 4" preload.
What are the names of fork seal sealers for a 39 mm run about how much it cost
Hey so I have same progressive upgrade 39mm but also installing 4" over fork tubes that come with a pvc inside that as well my question is what would be my measurement to cut new PVC for this set up???
Did you ever figure this out? I plan on doing the same
Anyone know where I can find those cups at 5:29 for a 2015 sportster?
Is it necessary to cycle the forks before installing springs?
Excellent video - I plan on doing the same mod to my 1999 FXDX.
Scott
So if the fork oil is "10.2 oz" is that with normal set of replacement springs on a 39mm or is the fluid a different measurement when you put "progressive heavy duty" springs in, being the thickness of the heavy duty springs are thicker, doesn't that displace more fluid???
Another Great Video....
Hello, your video is very informative.
My 2005 sportster front forks bottoms completely. It doesn't have any leaks, looks completely fine.
Can I just take off fork caps, replace springs and oil from top ??
Thanks.
Yes, that is no problem.
- Patrick
When do you say to change out the fork oil ???
Great video!
I love your videos
How did you clean the inside of the fork tubes? What all is safe to use? Also, what weight of oil is what comes in Sportsters (particularly 2003 Sportster Customs)? The manual doesn't state the weight, for the Type E fork oil, so I don't know the equivalent of it.
Will these parts fit a 1986 Fxr?
I just changed oil in my XL1200c -04. Oil was very black and nasty. Reason in the first place to change was to get a stiffer ride. The fork was bottoming out constantly. I got 10W oil in. My spring was sitting like 10cm above the tube and it was hell to put the nuts back on. However with those stiff springs and new oil it still bottoms out. What gives?
Try a 15W. That’s the upgrade weight. 10W is usually OEM. Hope it helps.
07 Dyna whats the best springs sTiffiest ,and Length of the plastic and springs
what size should i be trimming the spacer for an 05 dyna lowrider,and also what weight should i get for the fork oil most useful vid ive seen so far thank you
How can I tell what mm my forks are? I have a 72 Iron Head stock forks.
I put a 6” over fork tubes on my sporster XL883 2007 i have to put 2 spacer the stock size 8” and a pvc about to 3” to have some compresión and now its hittimg so hard everytime i hit the brake but runs fine in the higway. what can i do to fix it
Thanks so much!!!!
How many Nm to tighten the shelf
What is the part number for that fork cap socket? And where can I get one?
Another great video, thank you. What year did sportsters go to 49 mm forks?
What size is the wrench used for the 39mm cap?
some questions here!
top bushing needs to be pressed or not?
shock priming is not needed?
Anyone ever seen a sporty have different fork internal. Im stuck in thw middle of my rebuild do to this. 2016 xl1200c
Does this raise the front end? I have a trike with a heavy engine...
Add heavier oil.
Hello, I am planning to buy the same motorcycle. Can you fit a 120/70-18 (wider) tire on this motorcycle ? My only concern is it looks little too slim.
Great video, definitely going to be useful this weekend. Does anyone know what size of PVC pipe to use to seat the seal. I think i saw it in another video but dont remember exact size. 06 sportster.
use 1 1/2" sched 4 pipe
1 1/4 for 35mm forks 1 1/2 for 39mm. Might have to take some material off to get it to fit deep enough into the fork leg to seat the seal
What size star bit for the pinch bolts?
Where can I get a 6mm allen bit just like yours?
can you please let me know the front fork zise of street 750
Don't think I saw how to set it so the forks aren't twisted or am I over thinking it
So what size is that nut on top of the forks?
What brand of 6mm bit is that? Hard to find one short enough to work well and still reach the screw.
Harbor freight has what ya need .
@@Sidneybeach875 Don't think so, just a flimsy one out of a set.
I'm trying to remove that 6mm Allen bolt with an impact and it is not budging, it doesn't free spin, it's just stuck! Hasn't stripped
Pb blaster for 12 hours and had to bust it by hand and then the impact got it.
Thanks for this video, working on my wife's 96' FXDL. Two questions, how does that oil get so gross with the wiper and the seal? And what are the fork caps torqued to?
Thanks.
When the oil breaks down it gets pretty nasty. Torque fork caps to 22-29 ftlbs
J&P didn’t really answer that for you. The oil gets dirty for two reasons: first of all, there is a breather hole in your tubes and air gets exchanged in and out with every stroke of the front end. The air has small mounds of dirt which gets deposited in the fork oil. The other reason is that even though there is a seal on the tubes, there are microscopic particles of dirt which sticks to the small amount of oil that is left every time the seal wipes the fort tube. I change fork oil every year. Makes the seals last longer.
@@jeffreylonigro1382 well also the seal was bad and leaking. The contaminated oil was probably more of a result of that.
What if you don't get the forks back at the same height? Will throw off alignment wont it
Great video btw
If i wanted to just replace the top tube bolts, can i just unscrew and replace or is it more involved then this?
You can just unscrew them and replace. Be carful, they are under pressure .
Hey man just wondering the size of that combo wrench you used for the fork caps?
1 3/8"
@@jpcycles I wanted to see how you adjust the torque for those because...
Great video! Hats off!! :-)
My damper rod cap is jammed in the lower fork. Not quite sure how to get it out, or if it even matters. Anyone have a similar issue?
That can happen over time with forks that are a but under serviced. You should be able to pull it off the damper with a rag and some pliers. Just make sure not to put pliers grooves or warp the cap.
Good Video. My seals are not leaking, but I wanted to put a set of Progressive Suspension 11-1523 springs.
I was just going to drain my oil, and replace the springs, can I just raise the bike, and take off the front wheel, and remove the top caps, and can I take those bottom bolts out to drain my oil?
I know there are drain screws where I can pump out the oil, But I thought removing the screws at the bottom might let it drain better.
Yes, remove screws at bottom of fork leg holding damper.
@@jpcycles okay thank you do I have to use an impact because the whole Rod will try to spin or can I break it Loose by hand?
I just picked up a 94 Sportster XL 883, and I am going to most likely have to replace the drive belt because it has been sitting in a storage shed since 2002. I'm living on disability nowadays so I cannot afford to have a shop do the work, I'll be maintaining it from now on. Do you have any videos on how to replace the drive belt on a 1994 Harley Davidson Sportster XL 883?
I'll be doing the forks too, but after watching your video I believe that it will be simple enough that I can do it.
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide me..
Have a great weekend!
Donnie
(Standing Goats Rescue)
good video,nice music
Also is a service of oil change
How about a video putting monotube cartridges in?
We'll get one going.
@@jpcycles in an 09 ultra? 😁
@@henrymaki7801 why???
would you recommend to use a 35mm 12 point socket to take the fork caps off?
1 inch 3/8 ok
Sir which side of the oil seal goes in the deeper side or the swallower side? Doing 1 fork this weekend. Btw great video!!
Thanks man. The deeper side goes down.
Hmmm - why the torque setting - 38-35 ft lbs? Surely it is one or the other?
Its very common with HD specs, 9/10 times they give you a range not a number.
J&P Cycles Hi 👋🏻 thanks for reply - so what torque to use ? 30 or 35? and why?
@@BlackbeardBikes Think of the values as limits, anything in between is fine. Generally speaking less precision based engines have spec ranges, more finely tuned, precision machines would have a number.
J&P Cycles Shazam! There it is, the wisdom. First time I worked on a Harley. Triumph man here. Wife bought an 89 XLH883 needing restoration - stripper the top end and regrind the rust pitted valves - then put it back together “wtf torque setting to use” 😂 cranked the heads down to highest. Running great now but could not find a reason online - hilarious ones like "winter and summer" anyways cheers fellah 🙌🏻👏🏻💪🏻
@@BlackbeardBikes I stopped trying to find reason or meaning in the HD manuals years ago :D
Cheers
- Patrick
Did you reuse the bushings?
yes
Thankyou sir.
Excellent
Good informative vidio
thanks
Cheers man..........
Great vid but why not just pour the oil out the top instead of messing with the 6mm bolts?
We were changing seals and springs, the fork leg needs to be disassembled . The bolt threads into the damper.
@@jpcycles Gotcha