I swear! It feels like a Dyna!

[Monk]

Last week got Osco's assistance and we changed out the old nasty thin fork oil in my XL1200C. Went to Screamin' Eagle Heavy oil; and added a coupla' one-inch spacers (for more pre-load) too. Far superior setup for my size.
I was actually already pretty happy before the change, but afterwards, man! What a difference!
So this is how shocks are supposed to work! The improvement was nearly unbelievable...

Now today, I added my fork brace, and whammo... another breakthrough!


The front end feels heavier and more solid than ever before. Nice! All that little fiddly motion is gone, and honest to God, it feels almost like my bud's Dyna WideGlide!

The improvement in handling provided by these two simple chores is more'n worth the money and time!

Feels like a new (diff) bike, again (that's twice within a week).

[Crocodile56]

O-ta butt wheat!

[B-Man]

Monk, sounds like ya got a great result from your work! That's great!!!! Enjoy the ride!!

[gruss]

yup !
It's amazing isnt it ??
glad you got those great results !!!

[Monk]

Yeah, had a baaad case of mushy Sportster front end, and didn't even realize...
The front end stands taller, even when I'm on it and the increased stability kinda feels like I changed the whole fork setup to a wider tree.

I like it!
:cool

[gruss]

Yeah, had a baaad case of mushy Sportster front end, and didn't even realize...
The front end stands taller, even when I'm on it and the increased stability kinda feels like I changed the whole fork setup to a wider tree.

I like it!
:cool

When I did mine it was night and day... A real "BIG" change for the better !!! Now you just wanna ride it !

[gruss]

Just noticed Monk, you and I have the same fork brace!
They work well !
really stable now isnt it.....

[sonnyd]

Congrats on the job. It's definitely nicer when you do something, and you can actually tell the difference!!! I've got the Preload, dampening, and rebound set up pretty firm on
mine. It's a little stiff over railroad tracks, but it makes it a really sweet ride, no wobble, wondering, or shaking.
Regards Sonny

[Osco*]

Hey Monk,,tell em the cost on your fork brace and where ya got it. mine was 185 ish,,,you found a wayyyy better deal.

[Monk]

Got mine from Debrix Cycles for $75.00 including shipping.

But it did take some shopping around to find that deal.

[Monk]

Here's the link:

http://www.debrix.com/39mm-Fork-Brace-Harley-Big-Twin-XL-Sportster-p/24-0841-vt.htm

[CRAIGERHD]

Gotta love when a plan comes together, especially when it makes yer scoot more gooder !! good job !

[JimP]

So is that a benifit to the bigger bikes like a RK? Mine seems to handle pretty good but I don't know what I don't know.

[Monk]

The thing about stock Sporty front ends is that they tend to dive too much (due to the factory 5w oil?) and mine felt soft and mushy all the time... I didn't know any better, my first Harley.
The 39mm setup is good and strong, but a little skitterish as is.
Changing to a heavier oil and adding some preload helped a ton! Try the oil change first.
I rode it for about a week like that, then bolted on the brace yesterday evening. Haven't put a lot of miles on the brace yet, but the front end feels like a solid girder now, less twitchy on grooves and lines in the pavement, a bit harder to steer, but far more stable at speed. I'm thinkin' this'll go a long way to remedy my "Sporties ain't cruisers" talk. I'm gonna have to get out on the interstate but I feel certain it'll be less work to ride a longish stint. At least a little more cruiser-like... that's all good.

Your RK is already a consummate cruiser, so I'd be careful of any mod that reduced it's low end handling.
But Hell... for $75 y'can afford to experiment, mmm-kay?
Might be worth it.

[Osco*]

Credit where Credit Is due,,,Croc told me how to do this fork mod,,Again,,,OLD SCHOOL RAWKS !!!! Thanks Croc man:cool