How To Change A Derby Cover On Harley Davidson

1. Looking for some advice on swapping out the stock derby cover for an aftermarket (Dark Custom) one. I have the new cover and a new gasket - just in case the other one gets damaged during removal - is there anything else I need to accomplish this task. I know the screws need a torque wrench for removal - but what size bit? I know I need to keep the bike upright, not on kickstand, but is there some step I'm missing or is it as simple as removing the screws, cover, and gasket and replacing them with the new hardware. Thankful for any help on the subject.

2. Absolutely DO NOT use a torque wrench to remove anything.You can ruin the torgue wrench by doing that.A torque wrench should only be used for instalation.Other than that, yes its that simple.Bike upright, remove the bolts,derby cover and gasket.Install the new gasket,derby cover and torque the bolts on.
   Only other thing I do is tighten the bolts in a criss cross patern

4. Thanks for the help. I'm not the most mechanically-minded person so I think when I said "torque" I meant to say torx. I was also wondering if there is much trouble mounting the gasket due to it's flexible appearance? Is there a groove that the gasket sits on since it's smaller in size than the derby cover. thanks again....

5. Yes, the gasket sits in a groove on the derby cover. Doesn't your new cover have a groove? I would also clean the surface with alcohol to remove all traces of oil. Use a torque wrench in a star pattern.

   I was speaking of a big twin derby cover. I never removed the derby on the sportster before selling it. Service manual is a great tool to have on hand. Pick one up when you can.

6. yeah, there is a groove for the new gasket...i put just a little tiny bit of grease on mine too, just to help hold it in place, and keep it from getting hard, but there is also a spring inside of it u will want to make sure doesnt fall out, i ended up having to take mine apart after getting it together bc the spring fell out and i didnt know it. not sure if its really important or not....but i live by the rule of spare parts are never a good thing.

7. For those of us with old rides, we got used to the "square" profile slippery o-ring and use hi temp grease to "hold 'er in there cause..."--we don't need no stinkin' grooves... LOL :lero Yeah, if the T27 Torx screws have been in for a while (or some silly person put red loctite on each one) :small3d015: they can be a bear (2 disimilar metals and moisture will cause big time corrosion if they were put in "dry" unless they used antiseize or at the very least blue loctite or sealer.

   Personally, I keep a set of the nice chrome ones on hand if I ever have a problem, I am changing them all out...better then putting worn out fasteners back in!!!

8. I like your style NEWHD74FAN.
   Any breakdown is an opportunity for an upgrade. This way it's never a loss!

9. Wow, and my gal calls me the optimist...no worries here! Was in field service repairing computer equipment, and it ALWAYS pays to plan 2 or three different strategies! Plan for the worst, and be pleasantly surprised when a positive outcome results!

10. After you get those #27 Torx screws out, you may want to consider replacing them with allen (hex) head screws. I had a local dealer put in some new clutch parts and the guy must have used an impact driver to tighten them up. I managed to get 3 of them out, the forth, of course, really stuck and needed to be drilled out .... enough is enough I put in stainless steel allen heads.

How To Change A Derby Cover On Harley Davidson

Source: https://www.hdtimeline.com/threads/changing-derby-covers.18570/

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