07 Fat Boy or 06 Wide Glide?
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Cruiser
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07 Fat Boy or 06 Wide Glide?
Howdy Folks,
Waited forthe new96 motor and bought an '07 Fat Boy for comfortable 2-up trips. Love the ride, but not diggin' the style. Saw away lowmileage'06 WG with stage II kit for sale. Test rode it and had some serious vibration, esp when applying therear brake.Having not ridden a Dyna in a while, what do you WG fans think? Normal, or should I ride a few others for comparison? I've heard some Dyna's are silky smooth and others are 700# paint shakers. I admit I'm a little spoiled by the softail'sbalanced twin, but I can certainly handle a reasonable amount of good vibrations. I'd hate to trade a perfectly running Fat Boy for a lemon WG, no matter how much better it looks. I know this WG won't be available forever, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Waited forthe new96 motor and bought an '07 Fat Boy for comfortable 2-up trips. Love the ride, but not diggin' the style. Saw away lowmileage'06 WG with stage II kit for sale. Test rode it and had some serious vibration, esp when applying therear brake.Having not ridden a Dyna in a while, what do you WG fans think? Normal, or should I ride a few others for comparison? I've heard some Dyna's are silky smooth and others are 700# paint shakers. I admit I'm a little spoiled by the softail'sbalanced twin, but I can certainly handle a reasonable amount of good vibrations. I'd hate to trade a perfectly running Fat Boy for a lemon WG, no matter how much better it looks. I know this WG won't be available forever, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
Well for what it's worth, I own an 06 DWG and it has about 2500 miles on it but I have never (knock on wood, for the love of God) experienced any vibration like what you are describing.
I did have to get used to the harley first gear "clunk" and some very light grinding sounds from the brake pads during braking - but other than that, no vibration when riding solo or 2-up. I have ridden 2-up with 100 pound kids and 200+ pound adults, too...
The whole bike shakes at a stop light, but that's to be expected (and to be honest, I love it).
HTH,
J.
I did have to get used to the harley first gear "clunk" and some very light grinding sounds from the brake pads during braking - but other than that, no vibration when riding solo or 2-up. I have ridden 2-up with 100 pound kids and 200+ pound adults, too...
The whole bike shakes at a stop light, but that's to be expected (and to be honest, I love it).
HTH,
J.
Road Master
Joined: May 2006
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
I too own a 06 WG and never feel a shake while braking. Only shakes I feel are at idle, once moving it settles smooth. I have almost 12k on my bike. Can't give advise on the trading a brand new bike for a 06 WG though, only you can decide that. I do love my WG though.
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
I have an 06 Wide Glide that does not exhibit the problems that you encountered on the bike that you were riding. Many factors could cause the vibration you encountered. If the vibration was only noticeable when using the rear break then a loose rotor, poorly seated break pads, loose caliper, or warped rotor could be the cause. If the vibration occurs while riding and is more pronounced while breaking then you might check the, swing arm, and or engine mounts. If you can test ride some other Wide Glides then do so. It is not unusual for owners of even brand new out of the crate bikes to find loose bolts and fasteners, high or low fluid levels, and other problems because of poor dealer set up or dealer service.
Zyklon
Zyklon
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
Thanks, Fella's,
I appreciate the input. Just as I suspected, what I experienced was probably excessive. (Maybe why the original owner got rid of it?) I do miss the at-idle shakes on the 96B, but this WG feels like a rigid mount! Also, I'm not sure who did the Stage II work. Could be funky mods at play.
Cheers!
I appreciate the input. Just as I suspected, what I experienced was probably excessive. (Maybe why the original owner got rid of it?) I do miss the at-idle shakes on the 96B, but this WG feels like a rigid mount! Also, I'm not sure who did the Stage II work. Could be funky mods at play.
Cheers!
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Central Jersey
RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
Personally, I would have no problem trading an 07 for an 06 if it was based on style and I could save some bucks. I have an 06 WG and I love it. If it were an 05 or earlier, that might be a different story..just because I like having the six speed tranny...and I also like the more beefed up looking front ends on the 06 -later wide glides/dynas.
That said, I don't think I would trade up for a bike that didn't seem like it was running right. My bike doesn't have the problem you are describing..and I think it's safe to say, based on the responses here, that it's not normal. Rent another one before you buy. Obviously, it could be something that could be fixed...but do you really want to deal with that when you get a new ride?
Good luck.
Todd
That said, I don't think I would trade up for a bike that didn't seem like it was running right. My bike doesn't have the problem you are describing..and I think it's safe to say, based on the responses here, that it's not normal. Rent another one before you buy. Obviously, it could be something that could be fixed...but do you really want to deal with that when you get a new ride?
Good luck.
Todd
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
Thanks, Todd.
Wise advice. Your WG is somewhat like the bike in question. Savory vivid black and chrome. Cannot be beat for drool factor!
Steve
Wise advice. Your WG is somewhat like the bike in question. Savory vivid black and chrome. Cannot be beat for drool factor!
Steve
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RE: 07 Fat Boy for 06 Wide Glide?
I know that vibration! Mine done exactly the same thing when hard breaking especially with a passenger. It started at about 1500 miles. I had my local dealer look at it and the front motor mount was bad. There have been probs on the 06 Dyna's with the front lower mount ripping apart at the seam.