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Softail rigidity !!

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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 08:13 AM
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Default Softail rigidity !!

Hi all,

every time I ride my 07 NT specialy in speeds higher than 50, I feel like the bike is not in one rigid piece !! it is like few bolts are loose !! making the frame/fork not solid !!

I demo rode a Rocker just to compare and couldnot notice the same ? maybe becoz different geometry or being a brand new bike !!

any body notice the same ??
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 08:51 AM
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Hey...very solid feel to mine(07 Train).
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 09:08 AM
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I dunno but it could be subjective or there is really some thing wrong !!
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 10:09 AM
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Check the head bearings and wheel bearings for play, as well as the swing arm pivot. Should be solid feel if all is right with it.
Ron
 

Last edited by rbabos; Jul 13, 2009 at 10:11 AM.
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 11:02 AM
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Have you checked your shocks to see if they are equally set?
Tom
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by rbabos
Check the head bearings and wheel bearings for play, as well as the swing arm pivot. Should be solid feel if all is right with it.
Ron
That's what I would suggest, but if everything is up to snuff you might want to look into getting a fork brace.
The 'Wideglide' front end is not famous for its rigidity and will often begin to display a bit of 'flexability' once you put a few thousand miles on it.
So if you have checked everything else there's a good chance its the fork tubes getting a little loose on you.
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by QS78
Hi all,

every time I ride my 07 NT specialy in speeds higher than 50, I feel like the bike is not in one rigid piece !! it is like few bolts are loose !! making the frame/fork not solid !!

I demo rode a Rocker just to compare and couldnot notice the same ? maybe becoz different geometry or being a brand new bike !!

any body notice the same ??
I've had two Fat Boys now and neither of them acted the way you describe.
They both have felt quite rigid at all times.
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 12:16 PM
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How many miles on the bike and has the headset bearing and fall away been checked or serviced?

When my headset went out of spec my bike felt a tad sloppy and had a lil' clank.

I have also had an ongoing issue with the clamp on the left side (Sitting on the bike) fork leg. The clamp has two studs that go up into the fork itself. The bolt on the back part kept coming loose. I checked and found it was stripped. I pulled the stud, replaced it and use nylock nuts there now.

I did notice when replacing my wheels back in jan that with the new wheels and new bearings the bike also felt tighter.

It really could be anything. Like the others have said....A bad bearing etc.. Do you have a lift to jack it up on and start looking stuff over with the bike in the air?
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 12:44 PM
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All of the above are things that need to be checked and serviced regularly.Also look at your tires along with the correct air pressure.If you can't or unsure of doing these things yourself get it done by someone in the know.G.
 
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Old Jul 13, 2009 | 12:54 PM
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Originally Posted by chunks
I've had two Fat Boys now and neither of them acted the way you describe.
They both have felt quite rigid at all times.
A lot of what you don't feel is because you DO have a Fatty.
The larger/heavier front tire & wheel add a fair amount of gyroscopic stability, in addition to the fatter fork tubes.
With the long wide spaced skinny fork tubes and lighter rotational mass of the 21" tire we loose a lot of that feeling of solidity.
I'm not complaining, I like the look more than I care about trying to keep up with the kids on crotch rockets. But I did put a fork brace on mine and it did cut down on a lot of the 'wandering' feel in high speed turns.
 
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