True-Track received and installed!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,082
Likes: 11
From: Long Island, NY
Thanks for the writeup. Would have been interesting if you recorded some base measurements and then repeated the test agin with the TT and compare the results.
As for the TT, the majority of posts seem to be very positive, but there are some that indicate increased vibration.
As for me, I'm always looking to improve the ride, but have not really felt the need for the TT or any other stabilizer) and I do ride the bike pretty hard at least for where I live, NY. When I ride out west in CO, AZ, NV, NM, CA... many of the roads we ride are wide open (big sweepers, long starightaways, twisties) and we are able to ride much more aggressively. I would guess the stresses being put on the bike would be greater and the need for the TT might be more obvious. Just a theory.
As for the TT, the majority of posts seem to be very positive, but there are some that indicate increased vibration.
As for me, I'm always looking to improve the ride, but have not really felt the need for the TT or any other stabilizer) and I do ride the bike pretty hard at least for where I live, NY. When I ride out west in CO, AZ, NV, NM, CA... many of the roads we ride are wide open (big sweepers, long starightaways, twisties) and we are able to ride much more aggressively. I would guess the stresses being put on the bike would be greater and the need for the TT might be more obvious. Just a theory.
I could actually feel the wobble under several conditions: at extreme high speeds, which for me is a rare occurence because I prefer to ride the 2 lane black top in my area; while rolling over irregular cracks down the center of the lane (like tar snakes, but no tar); rain grooves and of course while hitting the curves hard and fast under increasing throttle in areas where the curve is an irregular radius (suddenly tightens then opens up again). But what bothered me the most was that I could actually feel it during nomal straight-line riding - only slightly, but it was there. I thought it was just me (early signs of Parkinson's?) Now I may be more sensitive to it than others (I design and test medical implants, so I pride myself in having a pretty steady hand), but I wanted to figure out what was causing it.
Since the wobble seemed to be rythmic, I didn't believe it was the frame flexing. Seemed more like it could be a heavy mass moving around in the frame - the engine. I performed a simple experiment: While standing still in neutral, I brought the engine up to what I believe to be between 2000 and 3000 RPM (no tach). With the engine revving steady, I quickly rocked the bike back and forth, then tried to steady it. Well, it took a few seconds for it to settle down, and it never did settle down completely while the engine was revving. I then placed a long-travel dial indicator with a V mag base on the frame with the indicator tip against the side of the motor mount. I then repeated the test I performed earlier. Voila! While rocking the bike, I found that the engine side to side movement leads/lags the motion of the frame quite a bit, and actually is moving back and forth all the time. That's an awful lot of mass to have moving side to side in the frame! I think it's the gyro effect that's causing it, although there could be some flexing of the frame involved too. Not sure. Either way, the True-Track system fixed it.
I purchased it directly from True-Track for the full asking price of $349.00.
Thanks for the comments regarding the polishing job!
Since the wobble seemed to be rythmic, I didn't believe it was the frame flexing. Seemed more like it could be a heavy mass moving around in the frame - the engine. I performed a simple experiment: While standing still in neutral, I brought the engine up to what I believe to be between 2000 and 3000 RPM (no tach). With the engine revving steady, I quickly rocked the bike back and forth, then tried to steady it. Well, it took a few seconds for it to settle down, and it never did settle down completely while the engine was revving. I then placed a long-travel dial indicator with a V mag base on the frame with the indicator tip against the side of the motor mount. I then repeated the test I performed earlier. Voila! While rocking the bike, I found that the engine side to side movement leads/lags the motion of the frame quite a bit, and actually is moving back and forth all the time. That's an awful lot of mass to have moving side to side in the frame! I think it's the gyro effect that's causing it, although there could be some flexing of the frame involved too. Not sure. Either way, the True-Track system fixed it.
I purchased it directly from True-Track for the full asking price of $349.00.
Thanks for the comments regarding the polishing job!
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 4
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
A handful of people have said that they feel more vibration (I don't) and I wonder
if they have the Heim joints (the ends with the rotating *****) adjusted wrong so
that there is excessive tension or pressure in the arms?
I know that the True-Track sounds like a miracle device (Even Cures Bad Breath
In Dogs!!)
but it really does work.
Can you live without it? Sure; most Dynas do not have any sort of stabilizer installed.
Do you WANT to live without? Probably not once you've ridden it enough to see
the improvement.
Considering how much people will spend on small appearance items, I think the
True-Track is pretty much a bargain considering all it does for you.
if they have the Heim joints (the ends with the rotating *****) adjusted wrong so
that there is excessive tension or pressure in the arms?
I know that the True-Track sounds like a miracle device (Even Cures Bad Breath
In Dogs!!)
but it really does work. Can you live without it? Sure; most Dynas do not have any sort of stabilizer installed.
Do you WANT to live without? Probably not once you've ridden it enough to see
the improvement.
Considering how much people will spend on small appearance items, I think the
True-Track is pretty much a bargain considering all it does for you.
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 334
Likes: 3
From: Romeo, MI
http://www.true-track.com/TT_Dyna_Instr.pdf
The front is easy. For the rear, count on having a second set of hands to help you. Also, I needed more than simply a deep well socket to remove and reverse the 2 bolts in the rear. I had to use a 3/8" drive 9/16" socket with u-joint and extension from BOTH sides at the same time, hence the 2nd set of hands.
Here are some shortcuts that I used that aren't in the instructions:
First and foremost, remove only one of the motor-mount/powertrain bracket bolts at a time. Use a jack to support the engine near the motor-mount that you're working on.
NOTE: You MUST use the button-head bolts provided for the front bracket and the standard hex-head bolts for the rear, since the button-heads won't clear the radius near the upper hole of the rear T-bracket.
For the front, remove the lower motor-mount frame bolt first. Take one of the button-head bolts provided and put it through the lower hole of the front T-bracket (using original washers), then install with the T hanging down, but do not tighten. Next remove the upper bolt, swing the T-bracket up, intall the button-head bolt provided and tighten.
IMPORTANT: After completing the installation of the front, you must adjust the tension between the 2 Heim joints (tie rod ends) to a neutral setting with the bike standing upright as straight as possible. There should be absolutely no tension between them. You must do this before installing the rear stabilizer.
For the rear, remove the lower motor-mount frame bolt first, then take one of the hex-head bolts provided and install. Do not tighten! Leave about 3/4" of the bolt sticking out. Next, remove the upper motor-mount frame bolt. Now slip the slotted opening of the rear T-bracket over the lower bolt behind the head and washer, then install the upper hex-head bolt and tighten.
You'll need to vary the load on the jack in order to free up the rear powertrain bracket bolts for removal and reversing. Again, remove only 1 bolt at a time.
IMPORTANT: After completing the installation of the rear stabilizer, you must adjust the tension between the 2 Heim joints (tie rod ends) to a neutral setting with the bike standing upright as straight as possible. There should be no tension between them.
Last edited by Romeo; Jul 15, 2010 at 11:20 AM. Reason: Missing words
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 259
Likes: 1
From: I'm on the Central West Coast
He has answered all of my Emails to him.
He did mention that he was falling behind in his correspondence because of a personal tragedy that increased his workload.
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Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 334
Likes: 3
From: Romeo, MI
Hard to provide exact readings due to engine vibration and my ability to see the indicator while moving the bike from side to side, but without the True-Track maximum total indicator reading (TIR) I saw was about 0.24". With the True-Track, the reading was buried in the noise of the engine vibration, which was less than 0.015 TIR.
