This. If you're feeling instability at speed, susceptibility to crosswinds and road ruts, etc, it's probably an alignment/motor mount issue which won't be cured by a steering damper. Search this forum for "True Track," "Predator," "Vibratechnics," and "Positrac." Tons of info and descriptions of your most likely issue. Personally, I use a Predator up front and a Positrac in the rear, but all of these products are very well reviewed by most people who use them. You're experiencing an inherent flaw in the Dyna chassis, unfortunately. Fortunately, it isn't difficult to rectify.

 

the bike has 3k miles on it...are you sure?

it's literally the touchiness of the front end. like the slightest wiggle of the bars and the bike seems unstable at freeway speeds. windy days with a 17" windshield it's sketch. one hand or no hands above 70 and you hit a rut or a pothole? forget about it.

I've never thought twice about it on my big bagger...this bike? daily.

 

Listen to F86 and 2500hdon37s; I lost my original front isolator at 600 miles on the ODO. There are many posts in the Dyna forum of those who've gone through similar issues, losing engine isolators very early. Poor vehicle/engine alignment and used engine oil contamination from oil filter removals will kill the isolator.

The Dyna lives and dies by the engine mounts and the vehicle/engine alignment; it's the most important thing you can do, to upgrade the mounts and verify proper alignment.

You won't get anything out of a stabilizer until you've got her in proper order...

 

can you guys link the exact ones? are there preferences between the brands and options? I'm very unfamiliar but 100% on board if my symptoms are diagnosed/cured by this. I'm all in.

 

I’ve got a Predator up front and true-trac in the rear...still gets weird at about 90-100+. Could be alignment or top motor mount, but either way, annoying as **** to diagnose.

 

I know it sounds goofy that you would have to do this after 3000 miles on a new bike... I totally get this. But it isn't because something simply has worn out, it's because of the design of the OEM mounts and the nature of the Dyna chassis. Here's something I wrote elsewhere trying to explain it... PLEASE don't think I'm talking down or assuming you don't understand, I wrote this specifically for someone who really didn't know anything about it. I just don't feel like typing this much detail again right now:

"The Dyna is an interesting animal. Think of the chassis as two pieces. There is the frame, fork, and front wheel... And there is the engine, transmission, swingarm, and rear wheel. The two pieces are joined purely with the rubber motor mounts and top link. Since the swingarm bolts directly to the transmission case, the rear wheel can move in it's vertical axis if the whole motor/trans assembly moves (it's all one unit). Since the engine/tranny are only really located with the top link (since the front and rear rubber mounts have no lateral stabilizers), any time that engine vibes (or other stresses) cause the engine to move laterally, it basically swings like a pendulum from the top link (maybe not dramatically, but enough). When this happens, the swingarm/rear wheel pivot the same way. This can cause the rear wheel to roll slightly onto one edge, resulting in the back of the bike wanting to steer a little bit. At best it's annoying, at worst it's deadly. The less aggressively you ride, the less you may notice it, but it can still bite... Aftermarket motor stabilizers can cure the problem. It was complete negligence on Harley's part to leave this design flaw unaddressed. Eric Buell and Alan Sputhe both recognized the issue..."

That being said, I assume you've already looked at really basic things like tire pressure...

 

http://www.vibra-technics.com/harley...t_engine_mount

The vibratechnics mount is the most slim line one, and the only one that actually replaces the OEM mount and has the proper limiters to stop side to side motion. the Tru-trac is a brace system that you add to the OEM mount so its larger and makes fitting some aftermarket part difficult.

 

I'm positive.

I changed mine rather early on as well. I also have a 17in windshield that I'll run a times. Before cross winds and speeds above 70mph the bike was very twitchy and honesty almost hard to ride in a straight line. Now I have no problem letting go of the bars on the highway.

It's not so much that the mount is already worn out, but rather that it's just a poor design. The rubber mount just allows way too much side to side movement in the frame which every time it moves to one side or the other since the rear tire/ swing arm is mounted to the engine, the front and rear end get out of alignment.

 

this is why I love posting threads like this.
appreciate it guys. damper order canceled before shipment. getting the Predator now.

what about the one mentioned for the rear? can you guys break that down a bit more for me?