Front wheel bounce
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 173
Likes: 83
From: Pennsylvania
Front wheel bounce
Hey guys. I'm getting front wheel bounce on my 86 fxstc with a 19" front tire. What do you think this might be? My guesses are front spoked wheel out of true or both tires not balanced correctly. The wheel was trued and tires balanced recently but that doesn't mean it was done right. But here's something strange I noticed. The front wheel is not centered evenly between the two forks. Is that the way it came from the factory? From the fender mount on the fork to rim is 2 3/4" on one side. On the other side it is 2 7/8". The wheel is definitely not centered between the forks.
When I bought the bike I had to get the front wheel chromed again due to rust. I took the bike to the local Harley dealer after doing so to true the front wheel and spokes. The service manager said that "they don't use the front wheel parts anymore " referring to the axle and one or 2 other pieces. I thought that was very odd he wanted to make me purchase new parts for a bike that drove fine with the original parts but i went with it thinking maybe the newer fxstc's used a better setup. The original owner had passed but as far as i know it drove fine. So that brings me back to the questions. Was the front wheel not centered from the factory? The original owner replaced the 21" front wheel with a 19" one. And what do you think this bouncing is caused by? Thanks for any help you can provide.
When I bought the bike I had to get the front wheel chromed again due to rust. I took the bike to the local Harley dealer after doing so to true the front wheel and spokes. The service manager said that "they don't use the front wheel parts anymore " referring to the axle and one or 2 other pieces. I thought that was very odd he wanted to make me purchase new parts for a bike that drove fine with the original parts but i went with it thinking maybe the newer fxstc's used a better setup. The original owner had passed but as far as i know it drove fine. So that brings me back to the questions. Was the front wheel not centered from the factory? The original owner replaced the 21" front wheel with a 19" one. And what do you think this bouncing is caused by? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 173
Likes: 83
From: Pennsylvania
just curious. Is your wheel centered? If not, what are the measurements from fork to rim on each side? On mine you can see the new tire under the fender is 1/4 inch to one side. I find it hard to believe that is correct. Maybe it is. That's why I'm asking.
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 173
Likes: 83
From: Pennsylvania
How old is the tire?
Can you take a pic of the service order from the dealer? I'm curious what they replaced.
This is a good video showing basic spoke and wheel inspection.
https://youtu.be/roeVaCQq5To
Can you take a pic of the service order from the dealer? I'm curious what they replaced.
This is a good video showing basic spoke and wheel inspection.
https://youtu.be/roeVaCQq5To
So it looks like they removed spacer 34 (part # 43601-78a) which has flanges on either side and replaced it with part # 43608-82 which doesn't have the flanges. They then added 5 spacer-type washers. I gave them new bearings and oil seals which is why they're not listed on the invoice. The wheel has not been apart yet to confirm the order in which they installed the new parts, so I'm unsure of that. I also don't know if the part numbered 14 (in the parts catalog) was kept on there either. But it wasn't returned to me. So what are your thoughts? Also, if someone can tell me if the wheel is correct to be offset by 1/8 inch I'd appreciate it. Thanks for any help you can provide
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Last edited by Dirty Dancer; Jul 5, 2020 at 05:32 PM.
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Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Haslet Texas
As for your offset wheel that's normal but varies bike to bike.
The only thing that's important is if your bike tracks straight when you let go of the handle bars.
With or without a flange you need part 14 to space the wheel off the fork leg.
The top 2 are just shims and order doesn't matter.
The only thing that's important is if your bike tracks straight when you let go of the handle bars.
With or without a flange you need part 14 to space the wheel off the fork leg.
The top 2 are just shims and order doesn't matter.
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 173
Likes: 83
From: Pennsylvania
Ok, well, I'm looking into some things here. Just ordered the Tusk Wheel Balancing and Truing Stand and purchased a Tusk Spoke Torque Wrench. Does anyone know what the spoke torque values are for these older bikes? Should be between 2-4 ft lbs. This dude here has a great video on truing spoked wheels:
While those are being shipped I guess I'll check the fork oil (thank you nevil) .
Will put the original oem setup back on the front wheel. Highly doubtful the wheel should be offset like that.
Does anyone here mount and balance their own tires? What tools do you suggest as far as spoons and bead breakers? My guess is an air compressor is needed as well. Any suggestions on a good cheap compressor? Thanks for any help you can provide.
While those are being shipped I guess I'll check the fork oil (thank you nevil) .
Will put the original oem setup back on the front wheel. Highly doubtful the wheel should be offset like that.
Does anyone here mount and balance their own tires? What tools do you suggest as far as spoons and bead breakers? My guess is an air compressor is needed as well. Any suggestions on a good cheap compressor? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
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From: Bedford UK
My first Harley dealer was real old school and while visiting him one day there was just the two of us. He had a Sportster wheel which a customer had brought in for a new tyre. So as we chatted he removed the old tyre and rim tape and put the wheel in his truing jig (cast wheels weren't around then). Took him just a few minutes to tighten a few spokes, make a minor adjustment to true the rim, then file down the spoke tips, before refitting everything and pumping the tyre up. Took less than a hot mg of coffee, but that's what many years of experience can do!
I still have tyre irons etc, but don't use them any more - as even today it takes an expert so little time to do such things, with modern workshop tools.
I still have tyre irons etc, but don't use them any more - as even today it takes an expert so little time to do such things, with modern workshop tools.
