"That Guy" (Almost)

[Bait]

I owned shovels prior to getting my 08 Fatboy. I was pretty handy and could do rebuilds and about anything else I needed to do. I figured even after a hiatus changing the fluids on my Twincam was no big deal. Got everything together, read the manual, looked at the "Fix My Hog" DVD and started. So the whole oil drain in the "swing arm" messed with my head for hours. I kept looking at the Dyna / Touring picture of the drain plug. I ended up removing the "never under pain of death" do you remove the 2 plugs on the bottom of the engine case. They came out easy and after realizing they were the ones I read of before that a lot of newbies attempt to remove and cracked the case in the process I about died; then I was a little perturbed at how easy they came out. I put a little blue loctite on them and put them back in; not sure about torque so I put them at a good set with a short 3/8 ratchet. Anyway I used Mobile 1 V-Twin in the engine and Spectro in the tranny and primary. Can't believe how much better it shifts and sounds and about 10 PSI increase in oil pressure. Hope it runs a little cooler too.

 

[speedyron]

I'm going to be doing mine for the first time in another 1000 miles. I think I'll read the thread they have on it here and the manual bout a hundred times befo I do it LOL.

 

[00BUCKSHOT]

great choice in oil those products will not lett you down.lol i own a dyna and watched the softtail oil change video .... lol it made me go huh?also so don't feel bad!

 

[Thorns]

People make Harley maintenance harder than it really is. If you can change oil in your cage, then you shouldn't have any trouble performing maintenance on your Harley. I suggest - you buy the oil filter tool socket (drag has it, and most Harley dealers have it too) to ease removal of the oil filter. Hand tighten the oil filter, 1/2 turn from gasket contact with oil on the rubber seal. Always replace the drain plug o-rings, or at least look at the o-ring for damage before you use it. Tighten the drain plugs to torque spec, or to the thread friction point, but don't strip it. And, leave the pipe plugs in the crankcase alone if there isn't a need to remove them. On newer models where the derby cover has to be removed to fill the primary, use the correct torx socket (T-27), and use pressure against the screw while turning the socket to remove, as they are at times very tight. Use a torque wrench to reinstall, and use the lowest torque spec if you want to get them out again :s. Harley engines get hot, and I recommend using synthetic oils that don't break down on a 95 degree day, while sitting in traffic. If you have a touring model, grease the neck bearings at the fitting on the right side of the frame. There are more video's, manuals, and threads on Harley maintenance in DIY. So check em out, and have pride in knowing you did it yourself, and you did it correctly.

Thorns

Correction: The grease fitting on the goose neck is on the left side of the frame, looking from the rear of the bike. Sorry, I was thinking again...

Thorns