I took it in and they adjusted the steering head bearings. It took them three adjustments and test rides but they are now happy with it. As for whether I'm happy with it...time will tell but it does appear much better. The bike only has 550 miles on it and they say that those first few pot holes that you hit can knock the head around a bit.
Even so, they still wanted to charge me for the adjustment. They were NOT paid for it and decided to try to bill HD for it or eat it themselves. If parts need to seat, how can you charge for adjustments right out of the gate? I can understand adjustments should be charged for after miles are on the bike but not even before the 1000 mile service.

Mark

 

I'm glad to hear it is fixed. Talk to the General Manager at your dealership and tell him you think it is unfair to charge for an adjustment on a bike with 550 miles and that you believe it should be warranty. Then, call the MOCO's customer service line and chew on someones ear. You will hopefully get a refund or a dismissal on your charges.

 

Two things:

First, unless you banged a pothole, it sounds like it wasn't set up correctly by either the MoCo or the dealer. If so, they definitely can't charge you for their screw-up.

Second, all this time I've looked at your bike, Dave, I kept wondering why you called it a "taildragger" when it had a stock rear fender. Now I know it an airplane thing!

 

Charges were already settled. I am not paying. They have to go after someone else.
Please define MOCO for future reference? As a newbie I'm not completely hip with the lingo.

Mark

 

Harley Davidson MOtor COmpany

 

I Georgia some of the highway are grooved and I get a little front end wobble at high speeds on those highways, Also if you air pressure is high in the front it could give some bounce, Lower you air a few pounds.

 

I've got a 05 Fatboy (3500 miles) and can't take my hands off the bars at any speed. It doesn't have as much of a headshake as it feels like it's going to fall over. I have tried at all different speeds and the same reaction. Dealer say's there is nothing wrong with it and I should keep both hands on the bars. I dis-agree but can't find out what the problem is.

Doesn't really give me an issue riding or handling wise, I just know it there and something isn't right. I'll keep searching till I find something wrong.

 

Oldschol,
Go find yourself a different dealer! My dealer has a mechanic that just rides bikes all day. He listens to the owners issues then takes the bike for a spin and comes back with his comments to give to the mechanic that does the work. Afterwards, the test rider takes it back out to confirm that all is well. In my case, it took three adjustments before it was good enough for the test rider. After putting 30 miles on my bike I can now say that the bike is right and track true with no bar shaking at all.
As for your bike Oldschol, you need to get it fixed so it works right. It could be the steering bearing, tire balance, bent rim or any number of other things.

Mark

 

Gentlemen

Been reading your comments on head shake. My thoughts, the torque of the bike during acceleration will make the head shake to some degree. Try taking your hand off the bars during decceleration and I bet their will be a difference (make sure your going straight tho).

If you still think there is a problem have the front wheel balanced.




Ride it like you stoled it

 

The head shake only appears during decel, in my case anyway. I tried the head bearing adjustment per the thread that cbrunson posted and it seemed to help. I still have to fine tune it but I am only getting a slight wobble between 37-40 mph on decel. BTW, just tightening the head bearing nut wasn't the answer for me (made things worse). You must tighten it and cycle it back and forth and then loosen it...run it and adjust it again till it's right.