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.
20259905[/url]]The thin front tire will track the cracks tar snakes and other irregularities of the road, that with the different rake is probably what you are feeling, JMHO.
It very well could be this. Do you have Harley Dunlop tires?
I ran nothing but Avon cobras for about 100,000 then switched to Metzler cruiseteks and the first time I went into a corner the bike felt like almost wanted to fall over.
Now that's it's yours, you can check it out to be sure everything is good... for peace of mind..
Both times I bought a used Harley, I went through them rather extensively once I got them home... I enjoy working on my bikes, and I always found something that needed to be addressed..
You can specifically go over the components in front end: tire pressure, inspect front tires for uneven wear, front wheel bearings, pinch bolts, handlebar risers, and even do a fall away test if you have the time/tools/motivation. Some models call for steering head bearing lube and/or adjustment at 25K miles, make sure to get an HD Service Manual if you plan to work on your bike..
Enjoy the new bike!
Last edited by hattitude; Nov 1, 2021 at 08:58 AM.
I am with jkinner, that skinny front tire is what you are feeling. My 09 Custom I bought from a friend went up to a 90/90-21 over the MT90-21. Same height but a 1/4" wider and made a big difference in the handling. Ran that for a year and started looking to replace the front tire and rim with a 21x3.5" rim and 120/70-21". 2013-2017 Breakout rim was what I was looking for and snagged one on Ebay. Now this is the way it should be. No more tubes or spokes to clean. Same spacers worked so it was a simple swap. Best mod I could come up with and Breakout wheel way cheaper than after market aluminum. Front fender barely clears but doesn't rub.
I am with jkinner, that skinny front tire is what you are feeling. My 09 Custom I bought from a friend went up to a 90/90-21 over the MT90-21. Same height but a 1/4" wider and made a big difference in the handling. Ran that for a year and started looking to replace the front tire and rim with a 21x3.5" rim and 120/70-21". 2013-2017 Breakout rim was what I was looking for and snagged one on Ebay. Now this is the way it should be. No more tubes or spokes to clean. Same spacers worked so it was a simple swap. Best mod I could come up with and Breakout wheel way cheaper than after market aluminum. Front fender barely clears but doesn't rub.
I believe you're correct, I'm going to have all new tires installed in the spring so, I'll have my guy put the biggest tire he can on the front. Don't want to change the rim, I like it.
90/90-21" is as big as you can go with that narrow rim. Had a senior moment, my Custom had spoke rim and see your does not. So disregard what I said about a tube.
I don’t know specifically what you are feeling but it should not flop over in the corners. That is not something you would feel on a stock Harley. Yes, it is raked a little more but the rake, trail and wheel/tire combo is designed to be stable and at speed will not flop. It takes counter steering to push the bike on the sidewall to turn. If yours wants to flop over, something is wrong. I would start with the simple things like air pressure and check the front end fall away. There is a procedure for this in the service manual. A lot of guys that maintain their own bikes do a half @ss job and think that an oil change is all they need. There is a lot more to it and front end fall-away is one thing that gets neglected.
I don’t know specifically what you are feeling but it should not flop over in the corners. That is not something you would feel on a stock Harley. Yes, it is raked a little more but the rake, trail and wheel/tire combo is designed to be stable and at speed will not flop. It takes counter steering to push the bike on the sidewall to turn. If yours wants to flop over, something is wrong. I would start with the simple things like air pressure and check the front end fall away. There is a procedure for this in the service manual. A lot of guys that maintain their own bikes do a half @ss job and think that an oil change is all they need. There is a lot more to it and front end fall-away is one thing that gets neglected.
I think you're on to something with the fall away also, going to have both tires replaced as the date codes are too old IMHO.
