When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I agree. I have the FSM at home. On my race bike I have some tools to measure the axle position relative to the swingarm pivot. As long as the frame is straight, this is the true zero and the only measurement that matters. I don't know why HD uses a design where the swingarm pivot can move in space relative to the main frame.
it's a touring bike, so i assume it's for a smoother ride, they don't much care about handling, i believe it was erik buell who designed the setup, though his design had 3 connection points to keep things in alignment, HD wasn't going to pay to use his patent, so they went with 2 and the bagger wobble was born LOL or something along those lines.
Harley commissioned the system from the Norton Isolastic design team, which was originally fitted to Commandos from 1967.
Later on, Erik Buell refined the idea for his frames.
I can set my cruise at 100MPH layback with my head on the back seat and put my feet above the windscreen and ride for an hour (on straight roads). No matter how many tar snakes or bumps I can almost fall asleep. I guess I'm lucky, the shark just runs straight.
My shark doesn't wobble either, even going 100+, my street glide sure did.
This set up is way too expensive and complicated.
It can be done with a $5.00 angle finder from Harbor Freight or even a short bubble level.
What I do is strap down the front of the bike. Adjust the straps until bike is strait up and down. Use the angle finder or bubble level on the front brake rotor to check.
Now check the rear brake rotor, if it's not strait up and down then you need to adjust the top brace. Older bikes are adjustable, new bikes are not and need to be replaced.
This method works on Dynas also.
LMAO... NO.
Not even with a hilti laser or any other setup are you going to be able to figure out what they did at rack and pull.
But you go ahead and use that $5.00 angle finder LMFAO
Listen to this man carefully, I don't care how many dial indicators you have or $5.00 angle finders, nothing compares to a "straight shooter" alignment tool. Just look at all the marks, everyone is on the nose except for the shock distance. Two dealers couldn't fix it but a $5.00 angle finder from China could make it all work.
Listen to this man carefully, I don't care how many dial indicators you have or $5.00 angle finders, nothing compares to a "straight shooter" alignment tool. Just look at all the marks, everyone is on the nose except for the shock distance. Two dealers couldn't fix it but a $5.00 angle finder from China could make it all work.
Wish I had seen this video 3 years ago. Wobble is way more troublesome than the bike just pulling to one side or the other, but the dealer said they fixed my pull, then when I showed them they hadn't fixed it., they gave me the "they all do that" routine.
I never experienced any wobble from my 17RGS, but I also never got it above about 90mph. But that thing pulled hard to the left when I let go of the bars.
the frame is seperate from the engine swingarm, its to isolate the road from the rider, and hence why one th etouring bikes do this. they share this odd frame that basically flexes sideways in the middle if not setup right.
I'm hoping you meant the "entire swingarm". The bottom of the engine is bolted directly to the main frame. So that front stabilizer bar is just to keep everything square and not introduce force to twist the frame one way or another. Frankly, it resists twist. The rubber mounts bolt directly to the main frame, and then the swingarm pivot and bearings are inside that. It's a stupid design. Every other manufacturer in the world has spent millions on R&D to make the swingarm and frame alignment as stiff as possible.
I'm hoping you meant the "entire swingarm". The bottom of the engine is bolted directly to the main frame. So that front stabilizer bar is just to keep everything square and not introduce force to twist the frame one way or another. Frankly, it resists twist. The rubber mounts bolt directly to the main frame, and then the swingarm pivot and bearings are inside that. It's a stupid design. Every other manufacturer in the world has spent millions on R&D to make the swingarm and frame alignment as stiff as possible.
We pay tens of thousands for antiquated tractors. If Harley wanted to make a bike that didn't vibrate and road straight they could easily do it but then again, it wouldn't be a Harley.
I have started threads, and bitched about the *** end of my bike wobbling at speeds above 80 on sweeping corners, since I bought the damn thing.
Honestly, I have gotten used to it, but I ain't getting any younger. It still unnerves me a bit when I am loaded down on a long trip, and we are doing 100 around a corner.
So...you can fix anything with money, right?
I bought the Ohlins NiX 22 cartridges, 044 shocks, and the front and rear TrueTrack stabilizers. Install pics and posts to follow, once all this **** arrives.
Spoiler
Gotta love winter!
Spoiler
Sounds like a individual bike issue. Certainly not a problem that plagues 09-up touring bikes.
Something is fundamentally wrong if a STOCK bike wobbles. Period.
There is no need to add a bunch of aftermarket parts to a touring bike to avoid a death wobble. Period.
Are there better solutions for shocks? Of course! Maybe even better solutions for front forks.
Folks who spend huge amounts of money to somehow correct a suspension issue on these new touring bikes are not changing the parts or alignment issues that are causing the problem.
Just my opinion with these bikes for over 30years.
Bob
We pay tens of thousands for antiquated tractors. If Harley wanted to make a bike that didn't vibrate and road straight they could easily do it but then again, it wouldn't be a Harley.
they made the M8 with almost no vibration and all the old fat guys complained, it's not a harley! so they purposely built some in. stupid IMO
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
