2015 Softail User Manual
Before operating your motorcycle, read and fol ow the operating and maintenance instructions in this manual, and fol ow these basic rules for your personal safety. Do not smoke or al ow open flames or sparks when refueling or servicing the fuel system.
Do not store motorcycle with gasoline in tank within the home or garage where open flames, pilot lights, sparks or electric motors are present. Inhaling motorcycle exhaust, which contains poisonous carbon monoxide gas, could result in death or serious injury. Operate motorcycle at moderate speed and out of traffic until you become thoroughly familiar with its operation and handling characteristics under al conditions. Travel at speeds appropriate for road and conditions and never travel faster than posted speed limit.
I have a 2014 Limited as well, that I bought new. Like you I have owned a lot of bikes but am no master mechanic.
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You don't mention if you know the maintenance history of the bike. Assuming you don't know the history here are my suggestions: 1. Buy the HD service manual. Its very handy for a reference, if nothing else, and its the highest quality manual I have seen for a DIY situation. Tons of info in it. Some service items are both time & distance based. Very likely your hydraulic fluids are due to be flushed (brakes and clutch) and the coolant needs drained and replaced.
The coolant you can do yourself, just plan on an afternoon to bleed the air out of the system. It takes time and I can't imagine a HD dealer spending that time. The hydraulic flushes need to be done by a dealer to do the full ABS system properly. Unless you know its been done I would do a 3 hole fluid change - engine, primary, tranny.
There aee a million recommendatons out there - you won't go wrong starting out with the stock HD fluids the dealer has. I would clean the air filter element. The stock 2014 FLHTK element is a washable paper element. No need to buy something, just folow the guidance in the service manual. I've dome mine 4 or 5 times without issue. When its ready for tires have the front wheel bearings checked. That should be enough to get you going with a well service machine.
Check the tire tread and air pressure front and back. Look the belt over to make sure it isn't doing something weird ( they are very reliable).
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Put about 10,000 miles on it and you can then decide how to handle the major services required in the 25 to 30,000 mile point. This is what I have done without issue. Don't bother with the Clymers manual. They don't provide the detail that the H-D manual provides.Spend the hundred dollars and get the HD manual, whats the big deal?
Really doesnt require any thought. You own a bike, you want to maintain it as much as you can without the dealer. You stated you dont mind paying the dealer $85 an hour but it is 40 minutes away, so buy the manual for things you can do yourself, so you do them correctly. You will then have a manual to properly work on whatever you want too. I can almost state as fact, I doubt the previous owner changed/flushed the brake fluid and is REQUIRED maintenance EVERY two years, so that is #1 for your list as it is almost 4 years old.
Its easy to tell, if you look in the windows of your front and back master cylinders chances are the fluid will be very dark (laden with moisture) instead of clear fresh fluid. Keeping your fluid changed prevents your calipers/master cylinders, ABS and other components from going bad and also can save your life in hot weather, as moisture laden brake fluid can boil creating vaporlock and temporary loss of brakes. Before I knew all this, as its for all brands of bikes, my wife and I could have lost our lives coming down a mountain in the Smoky Mountains some years back. I lost my rear brakes on my YAMAHA at the time, I didnt know what was going on and no possible way to pull off the road until we got to the bottom, hoping the front brakes would not give out we made it to the bottom, vapor lock due to old brake fluid, once the fluid cooled down brakes came back. Its something I will never forget, more so, being responsible for my wife on the back of the bike. So I just purchased a 2014 limited with 15,200 miles. It seems to run great, no obvious problems, but I am not a bike mechanic.
Ive ridden bikes for years and they make all different kinds of noises and they all run differently. I want to get it checked out and I dont mind dropping the coin to a Harley dealership to get the checkup done. Problem is the nearest dealer is 40 mins from my house and the weather hasnt exactly been cooperating, I think if I got the service manual I would be able to check most things myself. Ive always changed my own oil so thats not a problem.
But I know there is much more to it than just changing your oil. I guess my question is, what kind of issues should I be looking for with a 'Rushmore' with 15K?
Are there any telltale signs that I need to look out for? Also if I got the service manual, to check everything I should, how long do you think it would take the average Joe? Do I need to tear alot of it down to maintain it? IMO, if you have the basic mechanical skills, knowledge and tools to do the job, along with the factory service manual, doing it yourself is ALWAYS better than ever allowing some dealer 'tech' to touch your bike.
Good luck with your new ride. I think the Rushmores are the best bikes to come out of the MoCo to date, hands-down. I know that my '15 Limited is a keeper!