Sooooo.....need a little help here. Maybe I'm missing something, just don't understand, or I'm being stupid, but I'm thinking the motor mount brackets on my Spitfire are welded in the wrong place.
Long story short....bought a 2009 Thunder Mountain Spitfire (basically a custom 1200 sportster extended and raked with a custom frame) that vibrates badly (at least I think so). Self diagnosed to bad front motor mounts. So I got some new ones and pulled the old ones out, pics attached. I'm pretty sure they're not suppose to look like these do, especially the twist that's evident in the side of the mount in the second pic. And judging from the wear (center bushing was pretty much riding on the motor) I'm also pretty sure that was/is the cause of the vibration. So anyway, put the new right side mount back in and noticed the bushing in the rubber mount is about half inch or better too far forward of the hole in the mount bracket (bike is upright on a maintenance table and the motor supported by a jack). The holes in the tie-links match up just fine so I don't think the motor shifted forward any in disassembly, especially since it's evident that the old mounts were crushed due to the condition being preexisting. Is it normal for sportster motor mounts to be that far off ? I spoke with my local dealership and they said they should pretty much line right up.
I'm interested in what some of you with more experience in replacing motor mounts on a sportster know or think, and if this is not a normal maintenance issue, I'm interested in what creative solutions come to mind. Already have a few of my own, but always open to more ideas.........
I did take the bike back to the dealership within the 30 day warranty period and told them about the vibration problem. They gave it back and said they didn't "see" anything wrong with the mounts. Took the old mounts back and showed them to them today and discussed what the problem might be. They admitted maybe they should have looked a little harder and are willing to take the bike in and see if they can figure out what the issue is. Kudos to them for admitting their mistake and wanting to make it right, but what I don't want is to have them force the new mounts in only to have the problem resurface because the problem is actually the mounting brackets are misaligned.
So do I understand what I think I understand...…...or do I not understand?
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Damn, I don't know much about motor mounts but from the looks of those I do believe you found your problem. Good luck, hope you get your scoot fixed soon.

BTW, I never heard of a Spitfire, got any pics?
Edit- BTW did you post this in the Sportster section? You may get more replies from those guys over there.

 

Update....so this morning I put the old mounts back in and rode it down to the dealership to talk to their senior tech. My plan was to leave the old mounts in until I figured out what, if anything, was actually wrong and what to do about it. The tech explained that he's replaced the motor mounts in over a dozen sportsters, including his own, and that they never line up quite right. He said you really have to loosen all the mounts up (front and rear) to get them to go in right. He reiterated that he'd like to have the bike back to have a look at the mounts for himself, and convinced me to leave the bike with him. He said he'd have the new mounts in by the end of the day at no charge. So I agreed, and while I was waiting for my wife to come pick me up and bring the new mounts down, he had it on a table and was taking it apart before I left. They called me about 4:30 this afternoon and said the new mounts were in and I could come and pick up my bike.
I went to pick up the bike to bring it home, and the tech was waiting to talk to me. He said it went together just fine, everything lined up just right, and was satisfied there was nothing wrong with the bike or out of the ordinary. Vibration isn't near as bad at idle, but still pretty much the same through the gears. It starts to smooth out at about 70 now instead of 80 so I'm more comfortable running on the highway.
Moral of the story is I learned a few things, got a couple new tools for the box, the old dog picked up a few new tricks, and I'm comfortable with the outcome. Again, kudos to the folks at Classic Iron in Fredericksburg VA for following through after their warranty had expired. I appreciate all the consideration from those that took the time to read the post and hope you all stay safe. BTW here's a pic of the bike.

 

So am I reading it wrong? From the sentence quoted above it sounds like idling is OK but your still getting bad vibration while riding, just at a different speed.

 

Yeah, It still vibrates pretty good around town, and the vibration isn't quite as sharp as it was, but it's still there. I'm not quite done with trying to diagnose the vibration. It's definitely rideable and my understanding is most will tell you that vibration in a sportster is just something that comes with the territory. But my wife's sporty doesn't vibrate anything like this one does. Hers runs about as smooth as my Fat Boy. But truth is, I didn't buy it for long runs, I have my Fat Boy for that. So I'll keep digging until I figure it out. Until then I think I have a pretty sharp second bike for around town.