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Well I traded my 2007 Deluxe in for a 2021 Slim and am wondering if others are having any of the issues I'm experiencing. I brought these issues up for my 1k mile service and was pretty much blown off.....
I'm getting a lot of shaking on the bike around 55/60 mph, smooths out above and is smooth under 50. It's rideable but definitely something isn't right with the bike. They said they couldn't duplicate it so I'm going to video the tank/bars at 55 and head back up there. I'm also getting some hesitation off of idle and like the shaking at hwy speeds they said they couldn't duplicate it, maybe this is just how the throttle by wires are as compared to the older cable actuated throttles?
This one is more of a cosmetic thing, but I noticed the rear tire/wheel is off center to the left a decent amount. Was told that's just how the slims are and sure enough one of the used ones on the showroom was the same way. I'm assuming I can't just play with wheel spacing as that would throw off the alignment of the driveline?
Not trying to dog on the new bikes as overall I like the bike. Looks awesome, handles much better than the older frames and the M8 flat out rips compared to the TC in the Deluxe.... just looking for some advice on if I have issues here worth arguing with HD over and any thoughts on how to go back to the service department with my concerns....
I have a 2021 Slim and have a bit over 800+ miles on it in since mid July. Have had none of the issue you have had, and in fact is very smooth and stable. No head shake, or frame shaking at any speed, and even the wheel looks to be properly aligned and straight/balanced. I did have some hesitation when brand spanking new (think it had 3 miles on it) but that seems to have worked out probably most likely due to me getting used to the clutch on this one.
I have a 21 slim. The rear tire is slightly more to the left side. No where's near as bad as my 14 lowrider was. I don't have any shake, but I did on my Lowrider at those same speeds. I ended up getting a flat tire at 1K and when replaced it, they found the rear wheel bearing was crushed. They replaced it under warranty. When I got the bike back, the shake was gone. I do have a horrific rattle/vibration sound coming from the dash starting at 1,740 rpm's. It's not the gas caps.
I'm fairly confident the shaking at 55 is a tire out of balance issue. Sucks the dealer wouldn't just pull the tire and check.
I was about to install some bars but I'm going to end up letting them do the install since I'm already having issues and I don't want to do anything to void the warranty. I'm going to bring up the shaking again when they're doing the bars to see if I can convince them to have a closer look. If they still won't deal with it I'm going to try some dyna beads..... sounds like voodoo magic but there are a lot of good reviews out there.
Okay I lied. They wanted 600 bucks to install some bars so I did it myself. When I called I asked how much then when I heard their number I asked if installing the bars myself would void the warranty. Was told only the warranty for the controls would be void so I figured 600 bucks buys a lot of handlebar controls so heck with it I'll do it myself. Glad I did, overall was a fun project. After a couple of youtube videos the install really wasn't that bad. Love that you can slip the wiring through the bars without pulling the wires out of the connectors.
In case anyone is wondering they're Wild1 504's. I had to buy new risers as well, also Wild1's. I was hoping to use the stock slim riser but it's about 1/1,000,000th of an inch too wide to fit into the center of the Wild1 bars.
For the shaking at speed I would think that is a wheel and or tire balance issue for sure. I would take the front wheel off and have another shop try to balance it.
That and check the tripple stem nut is torqued correctly. When I got my 2020 Fat Bob (used with 1700 miles) I went through the bike and check the torque on most all the bolts. Found several were barely hand tight.
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2021 Slim Issues...
