Isn`t that really a rider preference? You will just have to set it one way and try it, then keep adjusting till you are satisfied.

 

Still missing the point of the question. Maybe I'm asking the question in the wrong place. I don't want to know what other people like or what personal preference is. I want to know what the difference between too tight and too loose will show in the characteristics of the handling.

 

This is what I tried to answer in my earlier response. I can't say whether anyone's bike other than mine responds this way, but the handling difference is obvious. Too loose, the front end is prone to a wobble or shake. Too tight, fork rotation becomes notchy and difficult to control in a smooth manner. I'm not sure how else to answer your question. If by "how does it effect handling" you mean things like grip, corner speed, braking, lean angle, quickness of turn-in and all the other things people usually describe as "handling," the answer is easy: Fallaway doesn't effect those things in a significant manner. Those things are controlled by suspension, fork geometry, frame geometry, swingarm geometry, ride height, tires, brake systems, etc. Once you've setup for a corner and chosen a line, the bike doesn't know whether the steering bearings are on the tight side or loose side, unless they're so tight that's it's hard to turn the fork, or so loose that the trees have play in them.

 

And that was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

 

One minor amendment... The level of confidence a rider has in their bike definitely effects corner speed in real life, and since there is an element of "feel" and "preference" in fallaway (provided it's "in the window"), I suppose it can effect how you ride based on whether the "feel" is confidence inspiring or not!

I've definitely experienced a lack of confidence in my bike's handling when I had it set too loose!

 

I thought I answered your question in post #5, and F86 reiterated again, with more detail, in post #7.

 

I do appreciate your post and dont want you to feel slighted that you didnt get credit for answering. However, the detail in the post is what I was looking for. Handling isnt characterized by a clunk if too loose, thats something that can be felt when riding straight.

Basically I wanted to know if the "turn in" is any quicker if the fallaway is set to loose, not if theres wobble on the highway at speed or a clunk at the bearing. Is the "turn in" slower to react when fallaway is set too tight, not "set it for whatever your preference is".

It didnt become clear to me until this thread, how little HD riders push their bikes around corners.

 

I think everyone's point is that if you set within the range specified, it's not going to make a hill of beans which end of the spectrum you end up at, and you won't notice a difference in handling. Turn in is determined by the geometry of the front end and the profile of the tire(s), not how loose the headstock bearings are. OTOH, if you set it very far outside the range specified, bad things will happen (clunks, wobble, abnormal bearing wear if too loose and failure to center properly and abnormal bearing wear if too tight, neither of which are improvements in handling).

 

Which is why #13 explained what I needed to hear and that was how fallaway doesnt affect handling, but could create those other circumstances.

 

I see you've gotten your answer; I'd just like to throw in my two bits worth. I had a 100HP Sportster and a 111HP 608lb FXDXT. Both would start to shake front end above 100mph, or when I cut the throttle going downhill. In both cases a minute touch over fall-away spec on the neck bearing fixed them. ALL other conditions were GOOD (tires, alignment, rider capability etc etc). I didn't want to resort to a steering dampener to "mask" the problem; I wanted to solve the problem. Turn in was unaffected by my adjustment on both bikes. However; at slow speeds, the FXDXT felt like it had power steering compared to a regular FXD, due to lightweight wheels and composite rotors.