No buyers remorse here. And as far as used FLDs, none at the dealer here. There is only one dyna, a Super Glide Custom. There are a whole bunch of used tourers available though.

 

i had one for 3mos and traded for a road glide. I thought it would be a one bike does 2 things but it fell short..

 

uhhhh, you thought a switchback would compare to an all out touring bike like the road glide???.. REALLY?????..

 

I dont necessarily know if I had buyers remorse per se... but I had a 2014 switchback... bought it new with no test ride(I was new to riding and had yet to take the safety course, get my license etc). Overall the bike seemed to be what I wanted and then some(i.e. flexible platform etc). That said, I put about 1500 miles on it and during that time I was lucky enough to get may hands on a 2005 FXDCI... As I started gaining experience(I ride A LOT) and after riding the FXDCI, I started to determine what I liked in a bike etc and started to think the FLD was not for me...

Then... the 2014 Low Rider came out and I was 'drawn' to that bike... I was able to work out an 'acceptable' deal with the dealer and I traded in the FLD for the FXDL... For me... and what I like in a bike its a much better 'fit' for me and what I like... A bit of an expensive lesson, sure, but at least I now have a bike(actually 2) that I plan on hanging on to...

I think the FLD is a great bike, just not for me.

Some day if finances were to ever work out I could see myself buying a used street glide to add if I decide I would like to do some LONG trips

 

I am very close to Switchback remorse right now. Have owned an 03 Low Rider, 05 Deluxe and 07 Road Glide. Just bought the SB since I sold the RG a year ago. I had been waiting for something that fit me (5'3") without spending lots of extra $ to make it fit.

Test rode a used 2012 and thought it was fine. Bought a 2014. It now has around 280 miles on it, all of it back and forth to the dealer. While riding it home it was raining so I was keeping the speed and rpm low. Took it back to the dealer to swap out a speedometer. Had a chance to ride a little faster and noticed a really bad vibration between 2800-3200 rpm during every shift and at speed. Mentioned it when I got to the dealer. They test rode it and agreed I had something bad going on. Tested their own demo too and said theirs was even worse. Told me to take it home and they would call me when they had talked to Milwaukee.

Did get a call back the same day - "we have a service bulletin addressing the problem. We will fix ours first to confirm the repair and then call you to bring yours in". Sounded reasonable.

A week later I called for an update and found out that service manager who was handling it had passed away unexpectedly and my bike and issue got lost in the tragedy. But no problem we're back on it. Bring in your bike and we will perform the service bulletin.

Two days later I pick it up, ride 1/2 mile and know it is not fixed. But I jumped on the 4 lane and ran it up through all the gears and into 6th. Finally got clear of traffic and ran it up to highway speed - 65, then 70, then 75. It still had the same vibration at the same rpm in all gears, and vibrated extensively anytime the rpm was between 2800-3200.

Rode it right back and said it is not fixed, and left it again. Irony - they loaned me their demo SB so I had a way home. With the same vibration.

One week goes by and I call again - oh your bike is ready. What did you do to it? Performed the service bulletin and performed the engine mount service. I tried to talk to the tech to see if there was something new or different he found. But no, the general manager called me instead and berated me for sending him some of the links we had found on the web about some fixes others had discovered. Told me I should not expect a Dyna to ride like a Road King (never had that expectation). I tried to interject some comments about my previous Dyna but he stopped me rudely, told me to basically shut up and listen to him because he did not care about what I had owned in the past. The motor company, for good will, told him he could offer me a nightstick muffler if I was not satisfied with the results of the 2nd attempt. This tells me the motor company knows the exhaust is part of the problem.

I am not a Screaming Eagle fan and don't like more noise than the stock but I said I would think about it after I try the bike first. Well, results the same - vibration is still there and it is uncomfortable as hell to ride.

So we tried the clevis pin fix and I found that it moved the vibration to between 2200-2700 rpm. It actually made it worse because now in 5th gear at 55 mph it was shaking and again in 6th gear at 65 it was shaking - 2700-2800 rpm in each case. We also tried shimming the two bolts of the front motor mount - another fix found on numerous forums. No change.

So I said to remove the clevis pin and the shims and put it back to stock. At least I can ride it at normal speed limits and not have the mirrors shaking so bad I can't use them.

But now I have a real dilemma - is there something else wrong with the bike? Something in the engine perhaps? Or some computer engine mapping that is not correct? I don't know but have no choice but to take it back. I am considering a different dealer although I suppose that means I will have to start all over with the stupid worthless service bulletin that does not fix the problem.

I was so excited about this bike because it is the perfect fit for me, I like the sort of retro styling, I am okay with the small bags, I love the look of the front wheel. And a 103 on a lighter bike!!! Should go like crazy, right?

Now I am really depressed because I have a dealer gm who is tyrannical and talks to me like a child. I can't stand arguing but I just dropped a load of money on this machine and I can't even enjoy riding it. Have yet to go anywhere other than the dealer and test rides to see if we fixed it.

So all you men and women who own this model and have solved the vibration problem please send me info on what you did, new exhaust (what brand and type) or other creative things that made it ride like Harley should ride. I get the rubber mounted engine - have owned two. But this is abnormal and uncomfortable and not acceptable.

HELP!!!

 

Take the muffler completely off and ride it. If the vibration stops it's the common exhaust vibration, if not, the the engine mounts need to be checked and/or it's a problem with the motor.

 

That is something we have not tried yet. Thanks.

 

if after doing clevis pin mod the vibration moved then you didn't get it right and it was too loose..

my first experiment with the exhaust was to just back the crossbolt off
and the vibration moved down in to the 55mph range same as you described AFTER your clevis pin fix.. in a correct fit it has to be snug but NOT too tight or too loose which is why in the write up I did on the owners board I went with the thicker nylon spacer and used my bench grinder to get the thickness just right when it was installed...I have said it before AND will say it again here, I don't think the MOCO cares because 95% of Harley owners swap out their exhaust system within a short period of time after purchase and a complete new system takes care of the vibration problems 100% of the time on the switchback..

ALSO

on the owners site we currently have a member doing a test..

my belief is that our issue is the 2-1 head pipe and the catalytic converter within, I say this because ALL of the after market systems are cat free, lending credence to my theory is the fact that I recently swapped out to a Bassani road rage 2-1 system which uses ALL of the factory mounting locations and my bike is 99.9% vibration free or DYNA NORMAL NOW as that seems to be the saying that is thrown about so much not only on here but at most dealerships and ADD to that most of the guys that never had a vibration had their systems swapped out before they even picked up their bikes from the dealership.. the clevis pin mod allows some give to the system and helps to stop the transfer of vibration through the rear mount which is why it makes/made us happy..

the member of the owners site I speak of recently gutted the cat from his head pipe and reinstalled with the factory muffler using all stock fasteners and before he makes any other changes has said he will put my theory to the test for me, he hasn't had a chance to take the bike out yet BUT in a static test has stated the vibes are similar to after he had performed the clevis pin modification.. I guess we will see shortly.

you don't state what this new problem is you are experiencing so we cant help you with the new " stated" dilemma

 

I did not say I had a "new" dilemma. Here is what I wrote - "But now I have a real dilemma - is there something else wrong with the bike? Something in the engine perhaps? Or some computer engine mapping that is not correct? I don't know but have no choice but to take it back. I am considering a different dealer although I suppose that means I will have to start all over with the stupid worthless service bulletin that does not fix the problem."

My dilemma is I do not know for sure what is wrong with the bike and I have a dealer gm (remember I said the service manager passed away the day after I first described the problem and has not yet been replaced) who treats female customers differently than he treats male customers.

We plan to try taking the muffler off as suggested above and try to confirm the exhaust is the issue. At that point I will decide whether to go back to the same dealer where I bought the bike (who has had 2 tries to fix it) or try another dealer. In Ohio 3 tries to fix a problem with no success allows me to file under the Lemon Law. It is NOT my desire to do that, but it may be the only recourse left. I am not in a position to buy a new exhaust system. If HD wants to buy it for me, fine. But I should not be forced to buy a new exhaust to fix their design flaw. And I do not think trading or selling is the best answer at this time - I will lose thousands of dollars.

I appreciate all the information you and everyone else has offered. My mechanic also tapped all the way through the exhaust mount and we tried a longer bolt with washers and a nylock on the end allowing the bolt to be loose yet secured. Moved the vibration to the 2200-2700 range but did not get rid of it. Actually made the ride worse.

Today we try removing the muffler and riding it again.

 

sorry I misread, thought you said another dilemma

since you have lemon law did you try bouncing that off of the
area manager for HD?? one of the members on the owners site
was able to wrangle an even up trade for a softail last year
using the lemon law as leverage in his home state