I'm looking for recommendations on how to improve the handling of my first touring-class Harley (2000 Ultra, 45,000 miles). Specifically, I'm looking for recommendations for shocks and springs that will suit my riding style, plus whatever other recommendations you fine folks might want to make.
The Ultra doesn't handle as well as my last Harley did (a 98 Dyna Wide Glide, that I sold 3 years ago): In turns, road defects are absorbed so deeply by the suspension that the geometry of the bike is altered causing it to track poorly. On one broad freeway on-ramp that I was powering through at about 70 (not exceedingly fast for this interchange), I experienced a slow side-to-side oscillation of the handlebars that made me think I was about to have a speed wobble, though it subsided before anything came of it.
I'll have the tour pack and passenger arm rests off most of the time, as I usually ride solo, though I'm hoping to convince my lady to ride with me now and then as well (she's gotten resistant due to some bad experiences others she knows have had). I'm 5'11" and 200 pounds, and my riding style s somewhat on the aggressive side.
Lots of shock threads on the forum, but its really difficult to make a decision from reading, I'd think. All decisions being dictated by your budget of course, because you can spend hundreds to thousands on suspension.
First order of business would be to make sure everything is in proper order - check all of your motor mounts, tire inflation, steering head bearing adjustment, etc. The first thing I'd do with a bike that old is check the front motor mount. They are notorious for shearing in half like a sliced bagel.
The original material was also prone to deterioration with age. New materials on the current OEM replacement part are supposed to be mnore durable.
The pic below is not your exact year, but they are the same. #15
the above..also the swingarm bushes it's a 16 year old chassis, tires, wheels and wheel bearings
+ some realistic expectations.
a touring harley is only going to do so much -otherwise ducati would be out of business.
it has alot of weight...hundreds of pounds more than the Dyna...and is designed more for interstate cruising.
aerodynamics play a big part, the batwing fairing will start to unload the front end (less traction) at about 85 MPH airspeed- it may also be subject to ground effects when leaned over, or when at the edge of a canyon with updrafts.
if the front end is dancing a light squeeze on the brake can settle things, the weight will shift onto the front tire regaining some of the lost traction
all that air pushing on the fairing turns into steering input and more air on one side than the other is a turn.
I can do some pretty good hotrodding on my bagger- but i can go twice as fast, turn sharper and brake shorter on my FXR (also a rubber mount)
I have a '14 FLHTK and I was dis-satisfied with the handling from the first week I had it, compared to previous FL's I've had. The bike handled better at speed and on pavement, but if I got off onto an unpaved road, or an unevenly paved road, I really felt disconnected to the front end. Slow speed maneuvering was uncomfortable.
I changed the tires to a different tire tread pattern. I also replaced the front suspension and the rear shocks. Both of these made some improvements, but I was still not happy with the handling.
Finally, after resigning to the fact that this bike just handles this way, I saw a string on this forum that talked about the effect of the riser bolts through the triple tree not being sufficiently tight.
So, I got out my socket set, and torqued down the bolts through the upper triple tree into the risers. The bolts weren't real loose, but I gave them both about a 3/8 turn to properly torque them. That made an immediate improvement in the bike's handling.
Now, after awarding myself the idiot award for not checking this sooner in my pursuit of a solution, I can tell you that the steering and suspension on this motorcycle is now more responsive than most motorcycles I've owned, Harley or otherwise.
I'm certain the new front end and shocks have an effect, but properly torquing the risers was far more of an impact than I could've imagined. Look for the simple solution first !
+1 on checking the simple stuff first, make sure everything, including vehicle alignment, is adjusted right and tight. Wheel bearings, tires, not just pressure, but how old are they? If they're over 5 years old, replace them. As mentioned, check motor mounts and swingarm bushings. If the bike still the original factory shocks, get new ones. Lots of shock choices, depends on how much you want to spend. Fresh, heavier fork oil will probably help some too. Take a real good look at the swingarm, they have been known to crack where the axle goes through.
How much that helps and your budget will determine how much further to go.
I ride a 2000 Road Glide and put Progressive Monotubes in front, Progressive 444 shocks in back, made a big difference. Found a cracked swingarm and replaced it with a later model (can be obtained from places that do trike conversions) swingarm that is stiffer and uses bearings rather than the original bushings, and allowed the use of a later model wheel with the larger, stiffer axle. That required an aftermarket adapter kit.
I did not lower the bike any, as I want to preserve the ground clearance when I push it hard in the twisties. Handles far better now than it did new.
On a bike that old and with 45,000 miles I would definitely be looking hard at the swing arm bushings and front motor mount. The stock swing arm bushings are junk and wear out much quicker than you would think. The picture below is of the stock donuts off my sons '06 RK at just 34,000 miles. Worn right through and were metal to metal. My '08 was just as bad at 50K when I pulled it apart but I'm sure they had been bad for a while.
I've installed the Glide-Pro Stabilization System on three of my Touring bikes with very good results. There was a significant improvement in handling and vibration. This along with a good set of aftermarket shocks front and rear and you will have a big heavy touring bike that handles and rides just OK. Your wallet will be $2000 or $3000 lighter as well
As the replies above indicate, this is a wide reaching topic! There are several fronts that you can approach, the first being maintenance. Check wheel bearings and steering head bearings. I recommend replacing the front and rear mounting rubbers, also the cleve block swingarm bushings. The latter can be replaced with various aftermarket solid bushing kits, I use True-Track.
The second is suspension, both front and rear being way below a decent standard, even when new. Especially if you want to persuade Mrs Z to ride along, don't be mean with replacement rear shocks. You'll see countless threads on shocks, one of the most common subjects in here, but few members mention carrying a passenger. It is easy to change shocks and get an improved ride when solo, quite another thing to get a good quality ride when 2-up.
Up front, at the very least replace the fork springs with single-rate ones, matched to your weight. Race Tech have a table on their website so you can get the correct springs. An economical add-in are Ricor Intiminators, to improve damping control.
Thirdly, after the above, there are yet more enhancements, such as fork cartridges and/or the CCE Tour Trac Tree Kit, which can significantly improve the torsional stiffness of your forks, to improve steering and handling. A True-Track rear stabilizer is especially worthwhile, at the rear.
My own bike is under the surgeon's knife as I write, but will soon have Ohlins suspension front and rear, CCE kit as mentioned and rear True-Track kit.
As stated above you probably need to have the bike gone through. After everything described above has been checked or changed out, you still have to keep in mind that it will never handle like your WG.
I went from a 09 Ultra, to a Wide Glide, and then to my present 13 Ultra. The first 09 was top heavy when traveling loaded 2-up. The WG handled extremely well in all conditions, loaded or otherwise. The 13 Ultra is much better than the 09, but still a much different bike than the WG. The suspensions on all three were stock.
As the replies above indicate, this is a wide reaching topic! There are several fronts that you can approach, the first being maintenance. Check wheel bearings and steering head bearings. I recommend replacing the front and rear mounting rubbers, also the cleve block swingarm bushings. The latter can be replaced with various aftermarket solid bushing kits, I use True-Track.
The second is suspension, both front and rear being way below a decent standard, even when new. Especially if you want to persuade Mrs Z to ride along, don't be mean with replacement rear shocks. You'll see countless threads on shocks, one of the most common subjects in here, but few members mention carrying a passenger. It is easy to change shocks and get an improved ride when solo, quite another thing to get a good quality ride when 2-up.
Up front, at the very least replace the fork springs with single-rate ones, matched to your weight. Race Tech have a table on their website so you can get the correct springs. An economical add-in are Ricor Intiminators, to improve damping control.
Thirdly, after the above, there are yet more enhancements, such as fork cartridges and/or the CCE Tour Trac Tree Kit, which can significantly improve the torsional stiffness of your forks, to improve steering and handling. A True-Track rear stabilizer is especially worthwhile, at the rear.
My own bike is under the surgeon's knife as I write, but will soon have Ohlins suspension front and rear, CCE kit as mentioned and rear True-Track kit.
Hope that helps!
Graham, you are going to love the way your bike rides after doing the suspension upgrades.
11-29-2015, 06:39 PM
Improving Touring-model Handling
