Poll - 2014-Up Steering Head Bearing - 25k Service

[DK Custom Products]

For some reason HD removed the zerk fitting from the 2014 - Up Tri-Glides.


Now, to grease the neck bearings, the inner & out fairings need to be removed, the top tree removed (along with the handlebars) and the steering stem removed.


JUST TO GREASE THE NECK BEARINGS!


This turns a previous 5 minute job into a 5 hour job.


It is part of the 25K service. I know a lot of guys are skipping it to save $500. This, of course, voids their warranty if anything related to the neck bearings goes bad.


I'm going to take 5 hours out of my life and do it. What about you?


Kevin

[rhino 2]

I have over 31 thousand miles on my 11T/G So i guess i already skipped it
Maybe i should take a look at it..

Just looked at the microfiche on my 11... Doesn't show any zerk's??

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I'm planning on letting HD do it .... but gonna have them change out the bars at the same time ... 2 birds ... one $500 bill.

[Steve on 3]

I will probably follow Fuzzys lead and change bars at the same time.

[arnie]

I'm just going to wait & see what people on here do. If anybody is having problems then I'll take it apart this winter & grease it.

[lzski326]

I have a 2009 with 46,000 miles and have never checked the bearings. To be honest I have never heard of a grease zerk on the neck. now I will have to dig up the manual and check it. Thanks for the heads up.

[msocko3]

On the 09 - 13 Triglides there is a zerk fitting on the neck located on the left side, it can be a PIA to see and sometimes to get at.

On the 14 and later Triglides I don't know if installing a zerk will work, I've been told the grease pumped into the neck would also go into the frame since it isn't blocked off like on previous MY's. Maybe someone who takes theirs apart will be able to see if this is true or not.

IMO Harley screwed the pooch with this new service, its not fair to the owners being shouldered with such a pricey service.

[DK Custom Products]

On the 09 - 13 Triglides there is a zerk fitting on the neck located on the left side, it can be a PIA to see and sometimes to get at.

On the 14 and later Triglides I don't know if installing a zerk will work, I've been told the grease pumped into the neck would also go into the frame since it isn't blocked off like on previous MY's. Maybe someone who takes theirs apart will be able to see if this is true or not.

IMO Harley screwed the pooch with this new service, its not fair to the owners being shouldered with such a pricey service.

Poor design or greedy design...either way, it really sucks.

When I pull mine apart, I will be taking pictures to see of the neck is blocked off.

I spoke with a local service manager yesterday. They have done ONE (1) of these services...but they have dozens of 14's and 15's that they've serviced that are over the 25K mile mark. Folks just are not having the service done.

Kevin

[MB1953]

Poor design or greedy design...either way, it really sucks.

When I pull mine apart, I will be taking pictures to see of the neck is blocked off.

I spoke with a local service manager yesterday. They have done ONE (1) of these services...but they have dozens of 14's and 15's that they've serviced that are over the 25K mile mark. Folks just are not having the service done.

Kevin

Does anyone know if there is a drop-in replacement bearing set for these? Of course, with the labor involved to get to them, it probably wouldn't make a difference overall. Still, it would be nice knowing if available...

I am on the verge of my 25K service on my '14, and looking at which way to go.

[Sunman]

My 2005 CVO Electraglide had a grease fitting on the neck but it was a straight zerk. I replaced it with an angled zerk and had no problems greasing the bearings. I traded the bike off at 67,000 miles and never tore it down to service the bearings. In my opinion, unless you can feel binding in the bearings or they are too loose then I would not tear the front end down if you have a grease fitting. If you do not have a grease fitting then it is a flip of the coin. I had a GL1800 trike at one time and I tore it down to install a rake kit when it had about 20,000 miles on it. The OEM bearings still had plenty of grease on them and showed no signs of wear. I did replace them but only because a new set of bearings and races came with the rake kit.


I still have a 1979 HD Electraglide and several years ago I drilled the neck and tapped it with a bottom tap then installed a grease zerk so that I could grease the bearings. It still has the OEM bearings. At some point I will most likely do the same on my Freewheeler. Of course it will be a lot easier to tear it down than a Triglide.

Sunman

[rhino 2]

On the 09 - 13 Triglides there is a zerk fitting on the neck located on the left side, it can be a PIA to see and sometimes to get at.

Yep, I can see/feel it now, [11 T/G] Thanks when you said left side thats when i found it 'And your right it's hard to see if at all.. But i can stick my finger and feel it.. Looks like a straight shot on it with a grease gun. And nothing has to be removed......

[lzski326]

So next question is how much grease to pump in there, will you see it come out the top or bottom?

[msocko3]

So next question is how much grease to pump in there, will you see it come out the top or bottom?

You normally see it come out the bottom, I use Lucas Red N Tacky, the sh!t HD wants you to use gets thin and runs all over the place in the summer.

[0pini0nated]

When I pull mine apart, I will be taking pictures to see of the neck is blocked off.

When I went to install a 5° rake kit in my (previous) XL-1200 Lehman Raider a few years ago, I was also ready to drill & tap the front neck for a zerk fitting.

I was disappointed to discover that the front down tubes were joined and welded to holes in the neck. I could have filled the Sportster neck and front down tubes with pounds and pounds of grease before it backed up and started flowing through the bearings / retainer / races.

Although most (all?) 2015 Freewheelers haven't hit the 25,K mile threshold yet, I'll be interested to see pictures of a 2014 Tri-Glide neck with the stem removed.

If it looks like the two front down tubes are hollow where they join the neck, and disappear into the dark abyss, then I'LL be ready when I repack MY neck bearings on MY Freewheeler. Besides drilling and tapping for a zerk fitting, I'll have an assortment of dense foam plugs, to retain the grease in the neck.

[Gorilla]

Something I have not had a chance to look at, but I did a steering head bearing adjust on a 2015 Street Glide and the procedure is completely different then my previous older touring adjustments. You adjust the torque with a 6 inch 1/4 inch extension from the bottom after loosening a pinch bolt on top. I wonder if this would effect putting a zerk fitting in to grease with. Different parts inside the stem.