I have a 2011 Ultra that is all stock except for a recently added Screamin' Eagle Ventilator air cleaner with 84,000+ miles. I've had an issue with vibrations on this bike for the last year or so, but I assumed they were related to a defective compensator. Last year I happen to take a short ride on a friends 2006 Ultra and couldn't believe how much smoother it seemed.

This past March I replaced the compensator and I also recently replaced the primary chain, front motor mounts. front fork oil, front and rear tires and greased the steering head bearings.

The vibrations seem to be getting worse and I can barely ride 150 miles without my hands, feet and butt getting numb.

Vibrations seem to be engine/RPM related. When I take the bike upto 70 mph, pull in the clutch, reduce RPMs and coast, the vibrations seem to go away.

Am I looking at a possible runout issue? Is that the next thing I really need to check to determine what is causing the vibration?

Changing the front motor mounts didn't seem to really do anything. One of the old mounts did have some wear on it, possibly caused by excessive vibration.

 

Take it to a good dealer. Sometimes you just have to pony up. Some of these young guys at the dealerships are pretty sharp.

 

Possible that your steering head nut is loose. Bitch to get to, you have to remove outer faring and the radio, but that's the only way to torque it down to spec. Check for error codes to see if there is an ignition related problem. Check the tension on the final drive belt. My bet is that since you are feeling it all in your hands, it's likely either a worn steering head bearing or a loose steering head nut. Lubing bad bearings don't help.

 

could be as simple as something hitting the frame(bitch to find) or runout,fairly easy to check. look hard at heat shields saddlebag guards they could be up to 1\8 inch away and still hit when under the right load.

 

Hi Lookout
I know there is a few years different in our bikes but, you could check to see if you have spherical bearings on the pivot shaft the swing arm rides on. I also noticed a increase in vibration above 70 mph. I was also having some ride quality issues. Long story short replaced both the bearings and rubber isolator's. Wow what a difference in both the handling, I also noticed the vibrations changed significantly. With the rear wheel removed there was the slightest lateral movement. New parts, no movement and the swing arm did not just flop down if I lifted it up w/o shock or anything else attached. Mine had 80k on them.
Good luck
Russ