I have just less than 1000 miles on my FXSTSSE. It’s the first Springer I’ve owned or ridden. I’ve went through all the normal stuff like air pressure and such. However the front still seems to be heavy in turns, fast or slow. I pay more attention to it in corners as I think it’s heavy however I didn’t believe it’s in my head. It requires much more pressure in counter steering and slow turns you need to push fairly hard also. It does have the small tire on the front. Anyway is this normal for Springers? I have a Heritage also and it handles fine. You just really need to be paying attention when riding the Springer.

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Hi:

First off, nice looking scooter in the pic.

I'm not a Springer rider, nor have I ridden one, in fact, my Deuce is my first HD. My nigh-40 years of riding has been aboard dirt bikes and mountain trails prior to the Deuce. However,certain things about bikes are common across the board. That so, I'll at least offer you some input until one of the true HD experts can arrive on the scene:

1. It feels heavy because it is. These are not lightweight bikes. But of course, you knew that, just a reminder.

2. It likely has more rake than your Heritage. More rake means more effort to slow-turn the bike on account of the geometry. That is, when sitting still, instead of pivoting (as a steep rake will do),the front end wallows side to side, thus you feel the weight more.

3. You have more hardware hanging out the front with a Springer type front end. This tendency was also felt with leading-link suspensions on dirt bikes. Simply put: A springer front end weighs more than forks and that weight has to be turned with the handlebar.

4. It could be that the Springer front end has a leading axle/trailing pivot, which places the front wheel axis out past the pivot point even further, thereby increasing the hefty feel at the handlebar.

Bottom line: I suspect that a Springer will always feel a bit "heavier" in the front in regards to steering input. However, I've got a feeling you're riding skills will adapt and you'llget used to it.

Good luck!

Andre Ming
Eastern OK

 

I think your thinking too much--enjoy the ride.

 

My bike previous to my Ultra was a Springer.

I loved that bike that loved the way it handled. Yes, it did seem somewhat "heavy" in the front compared to standard shock front end bikes. But it didn't take very long to get over that feeling and on to the fact that the Springer is a nice handling machine. I've owned several bikes and truth be told, I liked the way the Springer handled better than any of them.

Just ride and enjoy. You have a sweet looking bike there too!

 

No offense, but since you said that this was your first Springer could that be why you are experiencing a different ride than you are used to? I don't have much of a riding background to fall back on, but I've had my Springer for almost 3 years and I haven't noticed anything wrong with it. Is it also possible that different models of bikes have their own ride handling features? Good luck and enjoy the ride.

 

I have a buddy that had this problem and with him it was the rake. He just was not use to it. I took him out to a parking lot and had him try feathering the rear brake to steady to bikein slow speed turns.

Also, at slow speeds turns, you need to be careful with the front brake (this is true for all bikes) but with more rake it seems to be a little more sensitive.

Anyway, that fixed the problemfor him.

Sounds like you need to get out and practice.

My .02

I'm sure others will weight in.

 

You alsomight want to check the steering headnut. If it's a little bit loose the bike will feel heavy in turns, even more so as the turn gets sharper. My friends fat boy had the problem and when we tightened the nut it handled great, heaviness went away.

 

Went from a Wide Glide front end to a Springer, takes some getting used to. Especially at slow speed.

 

I think my Springer feels a little "heavier" for lack of a better desciption. It didn't take long to get used to it, though, and now it just feels different when I go back and forth between the Springer and the Ultra.

 

Never had any problems. A bit of a different ride but never felt heavy.