OMG! now I remember why I hardly post on this site. The Dyna comment was a JOKE! calm down Jax! I have a problem with my bike and simply posted it on here looking for some advice (isn't that what its here for). This doesn't mean I'm going to take all of it. If someone told me to jump off a building to get some fresh air, doesn't mean I'm going to do it. W/that, everyone freaking out, I think you could use some fresh air.

The 21" wheel is STOCK on nightrains... There has been some solid advice on here & I appreciate it from a majority of those offering it. I'll start messing around with a few things & then testing them out. Hopefully I can get this straightened out in the near future.

 

Ok, so tighten the neck bearings...they were pretty tight already but it was a notiable difference in a good way. thanks!

I think I described the "shakes" wrong. After riding today, I would call it the death wobble. I've never expierenced this on the east coast. I'm thinking its cause of the cross winds...also talked with a mechanic friend & he said its because I'm lower in the back then the front. someone on here mentioned that. he said cause I'm so light upfront its less stable.

 

OK so you "tightened" the neck bearings. But did you do it correctly? Different model Hogs set the friction differently because Harley has different necks on certain bikes. I have personally read at least five horribly WRONG ways to set the friction drag (fallaway) for Standard neck Harleys including the "expert " who is featured on Softails at the top of the Softail section.

Here is how a Softail standard does it: Loosen the lower triple tree fork clamp screws but not enough for them to fall out. Unscrew the fork nut chrome cap. Take a flathead screwdriver and a hammer and pry the lip of the retainer washer away from the top fork nut. After the washer lip is pried out where you can get at it take a flat head punch and hammer the lip completely flat so that it no longer interferes with unscrewing the top fork nut.

Unscrew the fork nut but don't remove it. Pour penetrating oil inbetween the lower triple tree fork holes and the fork tubes. You want to get that lower triple tree to "let go" of the fork tube so that the lower tree can move upwards later when you tighten the fork adjuster cog wheel.

Now jack the bike completely off the floor using retaining safety straps so it can't fall off the jack. Center the front wheel dead center and tap the han dlebars just a tiny bit at a time until the weight of the front wheel takes over and the wheel stops sticking and now "falls away." This means the wheel should sit there like it is sticky in the middle positions and after you tap it and slowly get it off center suddenly the weight takes over and without touching it the wheel "falls."

I personally set my bearing tightness so that if you look at the front tip of my front tire the whole thing travels in an arc of four inches of friction in the center. That is, for the middle four inches of tire tip movement the wheel will NOT fall. Then it falls.

Technically the book says that is "a little too tight." I believe spec is about a two inch (one inch each side) of fall away or a little more. But on my bike I am willing to wear out the neck bearings a little bit sooner IF it makes the bike more stable without affecting the steering in any evil ways.

The idea is that if you go "too tight" the steering may not be able to self correct itself. Well, on MY bike it took four inches of friction to completely eliminate EVERY trace of wobble and shake. And the wheel has no problem at all self correcting if I let go of the bars at speeds from 0 to over 100.

You might set your bike a little less tight at first and see if you need it tighter.

The way you DO all this adjusting of the tightness is to take a flat head screwdriver and a hammer and tap the adjuster cog wheel clockwise to pull the lower triple tree UP and reduce the space between the bearing faces. You SHOULD hear a loud popping or cracking noise which is indicating that the lower triple tree is finally MOVING upwards. If you don't get the lower tree to move upwards than you are not doing anything and you are not removing any slop.

After each adjustment go back to testing the amount of "fall away." The steering should get stickier and resist falling as everything tightens up.

The first times I did this exercise on my own Softail the forks stayed stuck to the lower tree and all my adjustments did NOTHING. The last time the forks FINALLY let go and the lower tree started moving upwards with a CRACK so loud I thought I had broke something and almost pooped my pants... THAT's how loud it was!

Anyway after all is nice and you are ready to close it up go tighten the top fork nut to spec (it's in the book---I think around 30lbs???). Then bend the locking tab back up alongside the nut so that it can't work its way loose later. Screw on the chrome cover. THEN tighten the lower triple tree clamping screws back to spec (on a Deuce it is 60 ft lbs tight.).

If you understand what you need to do to get the bearings to the proper tightness you will laugh out loud when you read some of the goofy instructions for doing it that are floating around out there. The manual is not very helpful at all as it assumes you understand how everything works together. "Just tighten it and everything will be hunky dory." HA!

Doing it correctly varies a little bit on standard neck Hogs but not a lot. Now Big Glides with their super long neck and rearward mounted fork tubes are an ENTIRELY different process. You actually bounce the wheel from side to side and measure bounces... That is a whole different way to get "fall away."

But what I have told you is enough to give you an idea of what you are trying to do. Get your manual and look at your specific model for any variation between models.

Yeah, fall away. It changes EVERYTHING. A LOT...

 

You're talking apples and oranges when you compare softail and touring models. The balanced engine is great up to about 70 mph and the touring model takes over after that. If you were riding in the mountains all day you'd be better off than him. They each have their place. I'm good with the softail for my style of riding.

 

I will run anybody with a full fairing "touring" model all day long at 100 with my softail Deuce. Or flat out at the track to see who can scoot and who has to slow down. I am not bragging. Just confident that all the work I did checking everything on my Softail has tightened it up to the point it drives itself at any speed the motor can wind up to.

The problem with a lot of Softails is the nut behind the wheel. Anybody that lowers a bike for looks and compromises the ground clearance is all ready a bit of a tool. If these guys were really able to tighten up the handling of their "Tails" they would be more into suspension UPGRADES than doing things that cause trouble.

You never hear handling complaints from softails that have intimidators, progressive shocks, full height or possibly one inch longer forks for better ground clearance, proper handlebars instead of some goofy pair that feels like crap, good tires and on and on.

Nope. You hear surprise and shock from guys that "slammed" their softail trying to make it look like a hardtail ridgid. Or guys that don't know how to make a Harley track straight because they didn't know how critical that is. Or guys that haven't even bought the manual yet. Or that have taken their softail to the dealer who in many cases is totally incompetent.

I OWN the results of my own hard work. My softail is equal to or better riding than any big bike on the road today. The classic geometry allows a nice relaxed long distance touring mode that carries this old man ten hours straight in the saddle at highway speeds of 80 plus and high speed sweepers where it rides on rails.

It amazes me how many Softail guys really don't get it. A Softail is just a normal Harley with inverted shocks. Period. I remember when the Softail was invented as an "add-on" upgrade by a couple of guys who were selling the swingarm and shocks as a customizing add-on.

There is NOTHING about a Softail that is not competitive with any other Hog from a performance or riding or handling standpoint. It is the nuts behind the wheel that are screwing these bikes up... The design attracts guys that are "all about the style." Nothing wrong with style. But if you can't get a Softail to reward you with superb highway manners and cornering prowess (for what it is---a big heavy bike) then you need to spend time getting to know all about what makes them function correctly and stop buying chrome doo-dads, lowering kits and 23 inch wheels...