First of all, forgive me if I should have added this to an existing thread on this topic. I find that I often miss something useful when searching for something and it's buried 20 pages onto an old thread...


The first thing I can say is this: This was a very simple project! If you're contemplating this because it seems difficult, don't be too concerned... If you do any regular work on your bike, you really shouldn't have trouble with this! Provided you have something to support the weight of the engine... I did this with two items: A Sears yellow bike lift, and the scissor jack from the trunk of my car. I use the Sears lift with the Harley frame blocks all the time, and it's perfectly serviceable without any modifications. Before beginning anything, you absolutely want to combine this with an oil change. I can't see how I could have done this with the oil filter in place, so I drained the oil and removed the filter before lifting the bike. BTW, if you don't have one of these "Form-A-Funnels" get one! My filter comes out without a drop of oil falling on the bike. It's the green thingy in the attached picture.


When I lifted the bike, I found that the lift interfered with the placement of the scissor jack, so I had to get creative. I slid the whole lift backwards and used the forward pad on the lift under the rear portion of the frame, leaving the rear pad sitting in front of the back tire supporting nothing. I only lifted the bike high enough to sit fully upright solidly, leaving a small amount of weight on each tire. I then strapped it all down to the lift. After that it was simple to slide the scissor jack under the front of the engine with a block of wood on it, and I was able to rotate the jack by hand very easily to move the engine up and done very precisely. It literally took about five minutes to remove the old mount and bracket. While everything was apart I took some time to scrub all of the gunk out of the whole area... I have a goal of always trying to make everything I take apart look a little bit better when it goes back together.


The Vibra-Technics Predator mount installed very easily, the instructions were simple and accurate. I did one bone-headed thing though... I installed everything hand tight first to see how it all sat, and then removed bolts one at a time, Loctited them, tightened them, and torqued them. I saved the long vertical center bolt for last, as this doesn't get torqued until the jack is removed, allowing it to find it's natural position first. Well, it's natural position was off-center enough that it couldn't be pulled up through the top if the mount any longer. Not wanting to take everything apart, I torqued it without Loctite. I'll check it periodically.


Cleaning and scrubbing was the longest part of this project!


Test ride results: It is an improvement, but not as dramatic as some have reported. I suspect that people who find a giant improvement were in need of a new front mount anyway. As you can see from my pictures, mine wasn't really in very bad shape. My engine vibrates badly right at 2000 RPM, and it's just as noticeable as it was. But my main concern was handling, and it does seem to be better. I rode some pretty twisty roads today, and it does seem more stable as you apply throttle through the last 3/4s of a turn. Weather permitting, I'll ride 30 miles each way to work tomorrow, which will give me the chance to experience some 80 MPH corners on the highway, where the bike could definitely feel a little screwy sometimes.


Most important thing: Don't forget to finish the oil change after it's all together!!!


I'll report back in a few days!

 

Another thing I learned on my check-out ride: The reserve position on my petcock works! Heh heh...

 

Great report and install pics. This will definitely help someone down the line. Thanks!

 

So you can definitively answer the greatest question of the universe for us...WTF position is reserve? Lever pointed down or lever up?

 

Sorry, but no-can-do... I have an aftermarket high flow petcock that moves side to side!

Sorry!!!

But on my Golan unit it's the middle position...

 

Rats...the question still goes unanswered!

Do appreciate you taking the time to show us the mount install.

 

No problem... Also, your FXDX looks super clean! Best overall stance of any Harley straight from the factory, in my humble opinion...

 

When I got mine on handling was great improvement. Way more nimble, no rubber feeling through the turns
And fixed my death wobble too.

 

Update: This morning I rode 28 miles to work, about 20 of which were highway with a bunch of sweeping corners. At an indicated 85 mph, the bike is significantly more stable feeling in a straight line, in cross wind, and in fast sweeping corners. At that speed I can very comfortably keep a very light hold on the grips and the bike stays completely pointed where desired, whether straight or turning. In addition to being a handling improvement, it also seems to have reduced some of the mental and physical fatigue associated with sustained riding at speed.

This is definitely an upgrade, even though my stock front mount really wasn't in bad shape at all!

 

good to hear!