Lowering the forks on a Road King is a much tougher job than lowering the forks on a Softail, Dyna or Sportster. Harley sells a parts kit to help you accomplish the job. Three special tools are required to install the kit to Harley specifications. You must also replace 8 sets of parts that are not included with the kit. But if you have been yearning for an excuse to take your forks completely apart, you enjoy collecting tools, you own a beach towel you have always hated and you have a spacious, well equipped place in which to work, then this is the right job for you.
Detach the windshield from the Road King using the quick detach clips. Elevate the motorcycle on a motorcycle jack until the front tire leaves the floor.
Loosen and detach the front caliper using a hex socket and a socket wrench. Hook a bungee cord to the caliper. Hook the other end of the bungee cord to the handlebars.
Loosen the axle nut with a hex socket and socket wrench. Pull the complete axle assembly out of the wheel. Remove and set aside the front wheel.
Loosen the fender mounting screws using a socket wrench and socket and an Allen wrench. Remove the four screws and the front fender.
Loosen, mark for reference with tape, then remove the upper and lower fork bracket pinch bolts using an Allen wrench, a socket and a socket wrench. Carefully lower the fork assembly out of the fork brackets. Wrap the forks in a beach towel.
Remove the nuts, lock washers, flat washers and axle holder from the studs at the end of the fork slider with an Allen wrench and an open end wrench.
Clamp the Harley-Davidson fork tube holder or equivalent horizontally in a bench vise. Clamp one fork tube vertically, with the fork cap bolt up, between the rubber pads of the fork tool. Tighten the knobs on the fork tube tool by hand.
Remove the fork cap bolt from fork tube plug with a large adjustable wrench. Remove and discard the quad ring seal.
Remove the fork tube plug as if you know there is a compressed spring in the fork tube under the plug. Remove the fork spring from the fork tube.
Unloosen the fork from the fork tube holder. Insert the opposite fork tube in the holder and remove the fork cap bolt, fork tube plug and spring from the opposite fork.
Remove the fork assembly from the fork tube holder. Turn the fork upside down and drain the fork oil into a drain pan.
Put the old fork spring back into the right fork tube. Work on one fork at a time.
Put a folded shop rag on the floor. Turn the fork assembly upside down and push the end of the fork spring against the rag to compress the spring. Compress the spring and remove the remaining screw on the bottom of the fork slider with an Allen socket and an air impact wrench.
Discard the copper, crush gasket and the screw.
Remove the fork spring and the damper tube from the fork. Remove the rebound spring from the damper tube. Save the rebound spring and discard the fork spring and damper tube.
Reinstall the forks into the fork tube holder. Remove the remaining screw on the bottom of the slider, the crush gasket, fork spring and damper from the left fork tube using the same procedures that you applied to the right fork tube.
Remove the retaining clips between the fork sliders and the fork tubes with a mechanic's pick or a dental pick.
Remove the fork tubes from the fork sliders. Slide the fork oil seals, slider spacers and slider bushings off the end of the fork tubes. Discard fork oil seals and slider bushings.
Pry open the split lines on the fork tube bushings with a flathead screwdriver and remove them from the grooves at the end of the fork tubes. Discard the fork tube bushings.
Remove the two lower stops from the two fork sliders. Clean all disassembled parts with solvent and rags.
Coat the replacement fork tube bushings with new, clean fork oil. Expand the fork tube bushings at split line with a flathead screwdriver and slip each over the ends and into the grooves on the two fork tubes.
Install replacement wear rings in the grooves at the tops of the two new damper tubes included with the lowering kit. Install the old damper springs on the new damper tubes.
Slide the new damper tubes into the old fork tubes. Reinstall the lower stops into the new damper tubes.
Push the fork sliders into the fork tube holders. Slide the fork tubes into the fork sliders.
Coat the replacement slider bushings with fork oil and slide the new bushings down the fork tubes. Push the slider spacers included with the kit down the fork tubes until each contacts the slider bushing on that fork tube.
Cover the lips of the fork tubes with masking tape. Coat the replacement fork oil seals with fork oil. Slide the new fork seals spring side down into the fork tubes until they contact the slider spacer. Remove the tape from the fork tubes.
Slide the fork seal/bushing tool down one fork tube at a time and use it like a slide hammer to drive the fork oil seal into that fork tube until, using a flashlight, you can clearly see the retaining clip groove in the fork slider. Repeat this on the opposite fork tube.
Slide the old retaining clips down the fork tubes until they contact the fork oil seal.
Slide one of the new fork springs included with the kit down the right fork tube. Place a folded shop rag on the floor.
Remove the fork assembly from the fork tube holder. Turn the assembly upside down and forcefully press the end of the fork spring against the folded rag.
Install a replacement end screw and replacement copper crush washer. Tighten the end screw to 18 foot pounds of torque with an Allen socket and a torque wrench. Remove the fork spring from the tube and place it in the opposite fork tube.
Repeat the procedures you just completed to install the end screw in the opposite fork tube. Remove the fork spring from the fork tube.
Shove one fork tube into one of the fork sliders. Clamp the fork slider, fork tube side up, into the fork tube holder.
Measure 11.2 ounces or 300 milliliters of Type E fork oil or equivalent into a pint measuring cup. Pour the fork oil into one of the fork tubes. Pump the fork tube four times to remove air from the fork. Repeat for the opposite fork tube.
Loosen the thumbscrew on the metal ring on the fork oil level gauge. The gauge looks like a bicycle pump with a transparent tube. The metal ring is attached to the transparent tube.
Slide the metal ring up or down the transparent tube and tighten when exactly 4.92 inches, or 125 millimeters, of transparent tube extends beyond the metal ring.
Completely depress the handle of the fork oil level gauge. Rest the metal ring on top of the fork tube.
Pull the fork gauge handle up to suck excess oil out of the fork tube. When no oil comes out of the fork tube the fork oil level is just right.
Pour 11.2 ounces of fork oil into the opposite fork tube and correct the fork oil level with the fork oil level gauge as above.
Install new, replacement O-rings onto the 2 original fork tube plugs. Screw the fork tube plugs into the tops of the fork tubes and hand tighten both plugs.
Install new quad ring seals onto the two old fork cap bolts. Thread the fork cap bolts into the fork tube plugs and tighten 55 foot pounds of torque with a 1 1/8 inch socket and torque wrench.
Carefully slide the fork assembly up and into the fork brackets. Replace and tighten the upper and lower fork bracket pinch bolts using an Allen wrench, a hex socket and a socket wrench. Tighten the pinch bolt nuts to 30 foot pounds of torque with a hex socket and torque wrench.
Replace the front fender and tighten the four mounting screws using a socket wrench and hex socket and an Allen wrench.
Replace the front wheel and axle assembly. Tighten the front axle nut to 50 pounds of torque with a torque wrench and hex socket.
Reattach the brake caliper and tighten the mounting bolts to 35 pounds with a torque wrench and hex socket.
Lower and remove the motorcycle jack. Replace the windshield.
