Dealership says I should replace the front fork oil at 20K. Is this Right?

[DakotaTG]

I'm having the 20K service done on my 2016 TG and the service advisor says one of the things that needs to be done is to replace the front fork oil. This seems rather early to me. The manual says to inspect, lubricate and adjust the steering head bearings at 25K but nothing about replacing the front fork oil. Manual does say to rebuild the front fork at 50K and replace the oil then. I think the dealership is trying to add extra work (and expense) into the 20K. Should I tell them to skip doing the fork oil replacement?

Thanks for any input.

2016 Deep Jade Green and Black TG

[ultrafxr]

For what it's worth the service manual on my 2018 TG clearly says to 'Disassemble, inspect, rebuild forks and replace fork oil every 50,000 miles (80,000 km). Not sure on your 2016 but I have to think it would be the same.

Go to the parts counter and get them to show you the maintenance schedule in the service manual for your 2016 model to be positive.

[Capt.Bob]

DakotaTG, I wouldn't deal with this "stealership" if the following situation is not cleared up and I don't use that term for many fine Harley dealers that I have dealt with. The maintenance schedule calls for a rebuild of the front forks at the 50k service. It also calls for inspection, lubrication and adjustment of steering head bearings every 25k.

The schedule does not call for doing anything other than looking over the trike for any discrepancies before rides but certainly does not call for messing with the fork oil until the 50k service and fork rebuild. I would report the Service Writer to the management and move on to another dealer if you don't think that it is just some dumb ass's individual opinion and not something that the dealership would condone.

If the dealership backs up this baloney, move on and don't look back at those rip-off artists. BTW, I had owned a 2016 TGU and have the 2017 TGU and there are only a couple of maintenance items that are different between the two year models and relate to the 103 vs M8 engines and the front fork maintenance is not one of them.

[PosseRider]

My dealer also says 50,000. Find another dealer. An honest one.

[Firewrench22]

I changed my fork oil at ~25-30K miles, don't have my maint book here with me at work. I write every little thing I do in the book. I could not believe how crappy dirty the fork oil was. Also metal from the sliding parts. I don't think I would try to leave it in there for 50K...I don't know what dealers are charging for changing it, no dealer has ever put a wrench to my '11 Tri, never took it in for any warranty work. But gosh, preventive maintenance is money well spent in my book. Kind of like brake fluid, not too many folks actually change it on a regular basis.

[RickDeVon]

I just turned 30k on Miss Mysterious and don't plan do anything to the front end until 50k....

[DakotaTG]

Thanks for all the replies to my question. I did go thru Table 30 in the owner's manual a couple different times, plus the TT responses and decided that I would not have them change the fork oil. This morning when I dropped the trike off I asked them why they are saying I should change the fork oil. The service advisor said that they have found that the high summer temps we get along with the very dry humidity levels (average Aug. temp is around 95 with humidity at 10-15%) that the fork oil starts to degrade. They suggest that you replace the fork oil at either the 20K, 25K or 30K service interval and not wait until the rebuild at 50K. They only suggest the replacement but you can opt out with no problem which is what I did.

2016 Deep Jade Green and Black TG, a lot of DK Custom Products, comfort lift, tour pak relocation kit, 1 1/2 in tank lift with optional rear tank lift and deflectors, footboard extensions and oil filter relocation kit.

[Ed H]

I changed my fork oil at ~25-30K miles, don't have my maint book here with me at work. I write every little thing I do in the book. I could not believe how crappy dirty the fork oil was. Also metal from the sliding parts. I don't think I would try to leave it in there for 50K...I don't know what dealers are charging for changing it, no dealer has ever put a wrench to my '11 Tri, never took it in for any warranty work. But gosh, preventive maintenance is money well spent in my book. Kind of like brake fluid, not too many folks actually change it on a regular basis.

Agree 100%. What harm can it do? So you spend a couple of $$. Your safety and the safety of your passenger is worth a heck of a lot more that a maintenance fee. Will I do it, yes I will when the time comes.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

You can never go wrong changing fluids that can break down or get contaminated.

Having said that, If you ride a lot in the rain, dust, other harsh environments, it would be a good idea to change it more frequently than a guy that rides on only asphalt on sunny days,

When I was in the Navy ... we had a saying ... "Common sense is authorized". Use your brain and do what you need to do to protect your investment. The manual is "recommended service intervals" ... Haven't looked at one (owners manual) for awhile, but, pretty sure the lawyers have still got the disclaimer about maybe needing to be done more frequently in harsh environments.

[Harleyhank]

Everyone is quick to blame dealerships for excessive recommendations with regard to maintenance. Having been in the automobile business for 35 years I can tell you that the manufactures maintenance recommendations are bare minimum. Especially in the automobile world, the manufactures like to tout "cheep to keep" and how their vehicles require little maintenance. Always remember even with minimum maintenance it will get the manufacture through the warranty period. Then you are on your own, and repairs are at your expense. Of course there are some crooked dealers and repair shops, most try to make recommendations on preventing failures they are seeing on a daily basis. Information is king, don't always assume the person recommending the lowest cost or least amount of preventative maintenance is in your best interest or safety.