After several hundred km on my new bike there was lots of sticky gunk across the front of the tank and also lower down.

I wiped it off, did another 150 km and more gunk. It appears to be grease leaking out of the bottom end of the fork neck which is getting blown at high speed against the tank.

Anyone else have this happen??? May just be an over zealous mechanic pumping too much grease into the nearby nipple. I wouldn't have thought that grease could leak quite so easily. It's in for service shortly anyway.

 

Hi Kite

have seen it on other bikes as well. Too much grease in steering neck. get em to look at it at service time.

M

My softail did it when new as well, and as Scotty has said they are doing you a favour.

The explanation I got was that the greese is a lithium based grease that is waterproof but has a low melting point, so as things hot up it melts and sprays all over your tank etc.

Keep the neck full though and spend a few seconds at each fuel stop to wipe away any grease from the bottom of the neck that comes through with the servos paper towel. Oh and when you pump more grease in use a grease with a higher melting point. You well eventually didplace all of the low melting point crap with the good gear.

I guess it must be motor heat as it hasn't been over 15 degrees here yet!!! Maybe the motor heats the frame mount.

I haven't seen a spec of excess grease on my WideGlide bearings in 35,000 km and they're still just fine.

Maybe original spec grease is designed for slightly cooler USA temperatures but I'm sure it hits over 15 there!!  

Thanks for your comments guys.

 

 

 

 

ummmmmmmmm.......... not if it was Sunday!!!  )

I did a run from Freo to Mandurah and back on Saturday from 1pm to 3pm though!

cheers

kiteman

PS you couldn't possibly have HEARD me though...... bloody standard pipes.... hehehee  )

I am also surprised that noone has mentioned that if the steering head has not been fully packed by the dealer,then you will still get the same pumping effect caused if the steering head bearings have not been adjusted properly on assembly and too much play is allowed.And as for the Lithium grease getting too hot theory,if your steering head actually gets so hot that it actually begins to melt a Lithium based grease,don't ride it!!!!!!

Looks like our American brothers have the same issue:

http://www.hdforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=264895

 

 

 

Hey Neil,

I get the same problem with my Rocker C.I just wipe the excess off after each ride.

Also having problem with the Seat not locking down on one side. The rubber grommetts dont appear to be lining up with the pins on the seat. Both grommetts are now starting to break up. Told the dealership, they said there is a different pin for the seats. Will follow this up with them. 

Once I get the Rocker seat and pillion setup it shouldnt be an issue. Wonder if anyone else has the same issue.

 

Mick    

It's rather funny that theres a discussion about grease coming out of somewhere on a modern Harley, when ya consider that there is only 1 grease nipple on most Softys ( if theres more I havn't found it yet) and that is for the neck bearring, the rest are sealed. I pump it full as often as possible, love to see some grease come out cos I then can spend some time to wipe it clean. The Joy of owning a Harley

Bt

They don't put any grease in a Dyna cos they dont last long enough to do any good..........

Bt

So now that I've gotta grease things like stearing head, gear shift etc, what brand / kind of grease should I buy for different applications ??

Have heard the OE grease refered to as Harley OIL. Used to drip out of mine in the summer just by parking in the sun. Because I now have a new frame and a whole new front end assembeld in Townsville it probably wont happen any more (or any less?)
Oh BTW I got my bike back 2 weeks ago, looks alright. Will post a pic when I stop riding it so much.

Same here, some of the grease becomes oil.  Sun not required! 

G, day Crasher

I think it may have been me you beeped on the Sunday. We were near the old Freo bridge.

My mates Throttle cable on his Heratige snapped, so we had to do a bodge job to get him going again.

Its amazing what you can do with a pair of pliers. Got home ok.

Im sure well pass again

Griffo 

"And as for the Lithium grease getting too hot theory,if your steering head actually gets so hot that it actually begins to melt a Lithium based grease,don't ride it!!!!!"

"Used to drip out of mine in the summer just by parking in the sun"

"Same here, some of the grease becomes oil.  Sun not required!"

So I'm sorry if my earlier oversimplified explination caused some to  question if one sould ride their bike if the lithium greese melted, but I guess to us simple folk a semi solid (greese) turning into a liquid (oily substance) could be missunderstood as melting.