Harley-Davidson FXDR (2019-2020) Maintenance Schedule
This is the maintenance schedule and general service information for the Harley-Davidson FXDR (a.k.a the FXDR114 or the FXDRS), one of Harley’s “Performance” Cruisers in the Softail chassis Milwaukee-Eight lineup.
Harley-Davidson released the FXDR in 2018 for the 2019 model year. It came with just the 114 motor, just as the Softail Fat Bob 114 ended up having exclusively (after the FXFB was discontinued). It’s the most expensive, most premium model in the Softail lineup, with its price justified by the performance parts and the aggressive drag bike-inspired design. The 114 motor is why the FXDR is also known as the FXDRS, confusing as that may be.
At the core is the Milwaukee-Eight 114 motor, the pushrod-operated OHV air/oil-cooled V-twin that with its 10.5:1 compression ratio makes peak torque of 119 lb-ft / 162 Nm at 3500 rpm.
The final drive is a 6-speed cruise drive and drive belt.
This site has links from which we earn a commission (which unfortunately nobody can save, not even us). If you appreciate this research work, then please use those links. Thanks.
Harley Davidson FXDR Service Intervals
Like most Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the Harley-Davidson FXDR has 5000 mile / 8000 km or annual service intervals, though Harley recommends you service it more often if you ride it aggressively often (e.g. at track days).
At every service, change the oil and filter, and look over the motorcycle for items needing lubrication, adjustment, or cleaning. Also, check wearable items (like hoses and tires) to see if they’re still in good condition. See the end for tire specs.
As the Milwaukee-Eight motor (like most air-cooled Big Twin motors) has self-adjusting valves, there is no strict valve service interval. However, Harley-Davidson does suggest you change the spark plugs every 30000 miles / 48000 km or two years.
As well as engine oil, you need to periodically replace both primary chaincase lubricant and transmission lubricant.
A number of items need to be done less frequently, like changing the brake fluid (The FXDR has a cable clutch). See the schedule for more details.
Maintenance schedule for the Harley-Davidson FXDR
Below is the service schedule for the Harley-Davidson FXDR. The below is adapted from the manual but clarified to for legibility and to make it easier to follow. For example, there are notes in the table, and the table has the most important things on top (e.g. the oil change).
For convenience, we’ve broken the maintenance schedule into two sections: 1. The major items maintenance schedule, and 2. The service checklist (to be done at every service).
Major Items Maintenance Schedule
This is the major items maintenance schedule for the FXDR. See below for the “inspection checklist” to follow at every service.
This maintenance schedule is based on regular usage of the FXDR. If you ride your bike more aggressively (which you probably would), then you should adhere to Harley-Davidson’s recommendation of servicing it more often if you ride the bike in “adverse conditions”.
Notes:
- Follow the earlier of the distance-based or time-based intervals. For example, change the oil every 5000 mi / 8000 km or year, whichever comes first.
- Keep repeating the schedule in the pattern shown past the end of the maintenance schedule
| mi x 1000 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 | 48 | Every |
| Inspection checklist (see below) – Perform all items | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year (some items only) |
| Engine oil – Replace Use H-D 360, or a 20W50 engine oil, e.g. Mobil 1 20W-50. Drain plug torque: 19-25 Nm / 14-21 lb-ft | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year See notes below |
| Oil filter – Replace (KN-171B) Hand-tighten with a rag | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Air cleaner filter – Inspect Clean as necessary in lukewarm water with mild detergent | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | More often if riding in severe conditions. |
| Spark plugs – Replace (CR9EB is the NGK equivalent. Some also like CR9EIX) | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Handlebar Controls — Tighten. Including * Hand control switch housing screw * Master cylinder handlebar clamp screw * Front brake handlebar clamp screw | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Steering head bearings — Adjust / Lubricate as necessary | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Steering head bearings – Lubricate | ✓ | ||||||
| Primary chaincase lubricant – Replace ( | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | More often if riding in severe conditions. | |||
| Transmission lubricant – Replace | ✓ | More often if riding in severe conditions. | |||||
| Brake fluid – Replace (use DOT 4 fluid e.g. Castrol DOT 4) | 2 years, or if moisture is >3% | ||||||
| Front and rear axle nut torque – Tighten | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| 12V battery – Check battery, terminal torque, and clean connections. Lubricate with electrical contact lubricant | Year | ||||||
| Front forks — Rebuild (seals, fluid) | 50,000 mi (80,000 km) | ||||||
| Fuel filter – Replace | 100000 mi (161000 km) |
Inspection checklist for the Harley-Davidson FXDR
Below is the regular inspection checklist for the FXDR114. Do this checklist at every service, per the schedule above. Items on the right also need to be done annually.
| Standard Inspection Checklist — Harley-Davidson FXDR | Annual |
|---|---|
| Drive belt and sprockets – Inspect for wear | |
| Drive belt – Check / Adjust tension See notes below on checking / adjusting belt tension | |
| Rear sprocket isolators – Inspect at every tire change | |
| Electrical equipment and switches – Inspect for correct function | |
| Tire pressure and tread (front and rear) – Check | ✓ |
| Brake and clutch controls – Lubricate | |
| Brake pads and discs (front and rear) – Check wear and that the discs run true Minimum pad thickness: 0.04 inch / 1 mm | |
| Brake fluid level (front and rear) – Inspect level (fluid drops as pads wear), and check moisture content. Replace if moisture over 3%. (Castrol DOT 4) | ✓ |
| Clutch cable – Adjust and check for leaks, contact, or abrasion. Lubricate cable with Harley-Davidson lubricant | |
| Fuel lines and fittings — Inspect for routing, condition, leaks, and abrasion | ✓ |
| Oil cooler – Clean | |
| Oil and brake lines – Inspect for wear / poor routing, or damage | ✓ |
| Jiffy stand (side stand) – Lubricate | |
| Exhaust system, fasteners, and shields – Inspect | ✓ |
| Fuel tank cap / hinge / latch – Lubricate | |
| Headlamp alignment — Check and adjust (Headlight bolt torque — 10-13 lb-ft / 13.5-17.6 Nm) | |
| Component and system function – Road test |
Harley-Davidson FXDR Belt Mainteannce
Below are more details on belt maintenance of your FXDR. To check the belt tension, follow the procedure below, and refer to this diagram.
Firstly, you need a belt tension tool and a ruler (either metric or imperial, whatever you’re used to). You can use either the standard Harley-Davidson belt tension tool or a generic one from Amazon – they do the same thing (and they’re all usable on other cruisers).
- Put the motorcycle in neutral on its stand, with the rear wheel on the ground. There should be no other load on the bike, either.
- Push up on the middle of the bottom half of the belt until the belt tension gauge shows 10 lb (4.5 kg) of pressure.
- Use the ruler to measure belt tension deflection. If your model has a belt deflection window, refer to that.
Target belt tension for the Harley-Davidson FXDR (existing belt): 1/2-9/16 in / 12.7-14.2 mm. This should be 8-9 deflections in the window.
If the belt tension is out of spec, you can either adjust it yourself if you’re familiar with the procedure, or take it to a dealer.
Below is the belt adjustment procedure for a 2018+ Softail chassis.
- Elevate the rear wheel using a stand. (You take the tension measurements with the wheel on the ground, but adjust the tension with the wheel elevated.)
- Use a breaker bar with a 36mm Harley-Davidson rear wheel wrench to loosen the rear axle. You can use a regular 36mm socket if you have one, but you may have to remove the exhaust for it to fit.
- Use a 3/8 inch wrench to turn the belt tension adjusters on either side of the bike. Make small changes — a 1/4 turn can make a huge difference. You have to lower the motorcycle again to measure the deflection with the weight on the wheel again.
- Make sure you tighten the nuts the same amount on each side. Check the belt and make sure it’s in tension
- Tighten the rear axle to 110-120 lb-ft or 149-163 Nm of torque. You’ll need a large torque wrench for this (or some other trick).
This is a good video for doing belt tension on the Milwaukee-Eight Softail, courtesy of “RevelatorAlf”‘s YouTube channel. It’s for an older bike than the 2024 FLI but the same procedure applies.
Wheels and Tires for the FXDR
The Harley-Davidson FXDR ships with Michelin Scorcher 11 tires stock in a 19/18-inch wheel size combination. Like the Fat Boy and the Breakout, the FXDR has a wide 240-profile tire. Below are the tire sizes and recommended pressures.
| Wheel | Tire size | Tire pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 120/70ZR19 60W | 36 psi / 248 kPa |
| Rear | 240/40R18 79V BW | 42 psi / 290 kPa |
Naturally, adjust your tire pressures to your riding style and other preferences.
Check the rear sprocket isolators at every tire change.
About the Harley-Davidson FXDR
One interesting — and slightly confusing — thing about the FXDR is the name. Harley-Davidson has, in recent years, had names as well as acronyms for most of its bikes. E.g. the Softail Low Rider is the FXLR, the Dyna Fat Bob is the FXDF. The Dyna Breakout was the FXSB, and the Softail Breakout is the FXBR. But the FXDR has just the acronym, leaving it for you to figure out.
That leads to the second confusing thing: it’s inconsistent. Traditionally, the third letter of the acronym — the “D” in this instance — was a reference to the chassis. “D” meant “Dyna”, like in the above example of the FXDF. In the 2018+ Softail world, the third and fourth letters are a contraction of the name, e.g. “BR” is “Breakout” and “LR is “Low Rider”.
But in this case, the FXDR is based on the Softail platform, despite the “D”, and the “DR doesn’t mean anything. “Dow Rider”? “Dreakout”? I don’t know.
It gets more confusing. The FXDR is also known as the FXDRS, or the FXDR114. This is despite the fact that it only came with the 114 engine, and there’s no “non-S” model. The S for other models (like the Low Rider or Fat Bob) usually denotes a bigger motor, and sometimes the high-spec bits like inverted fork and twin disc brakes. Anyway, let’s move on.
The FXDR is, ostensibly, Harley-Davidson’s replacement for the discontinued VRSCDX Night Rod Special. It’s a stretched-out, low cruiser, with twin disc brakes and an inverted fork.
It sits somewhere between the Breakout and the Fat Bob. It’s like a Fat Bob but a bit longer and with a 240-profile tire, or it’s like a Breakout but with twin discs and a more reasonably sized front wheel. Pick your poison.
The core of the FXDR, though, is still the Milwaukee-Eight air/oil-cooled V-twin, the higher-performance 114 seen in the S models of 2019/20. Though the Milwaukee-Eight had some teething issues in its first years, by the FXDR’s generation it was well-sorted, and is known for being as reliable a Harley-Davidson motor as can come.
Harley-Davidson added a number of other lightweight parts to the FXDR, like an aluminium swingarm, and an aluminium rear subframe. The end result is that the FXDR is lighter than most of its brethren, weighing in at 668 lb / 303 kg in running order. It’s beaten only by the base model Low Rider FXLR. Still, it’s clearly no lightweight bike.
But bear in mind that the wide tire and long, low profile also mean it’s the longest of the Softail line. The FXDR has a length of 95.5 inches (2,245 mm), a whopping 4.2 inches (105 mm) longer than the Street Bob, or 3.4 inches (85 mm) longer than the Fat Bob. So the weight savings are respectable, all things considered.
The front instrument cluster on the FXDR is a compact digital one, similar to that found on the Breakout.
In terms of maintenance, the distinguishing features of the FXDR are the wide-profile rear tire, and the twin discs up front — more brake pads and brake discs to check for wear and potentially replace.
Further, the inverted fork means that a worn seal will be more catastrophic than on a regular one, as the fluid can all leak out.
Finally, since the FXDR is a “performance” cruiser, it will probably get more action than something like a Street Bob (I’m guessing). In which case, you’ll want to change the fluids more often.
Reference — Manual Screenshots for the Harley-Davidson FXDR
The above came from a mixture of the Softail owner’s manual from 2020, forum guides, and YouTube. Below are some reference screenshots from the manual.
You can download manuals for Harley-Davidson manuals (including the FXDR) from Harley-Davidson’s service portal here, but you need to log in to access them.
