first ride on a dyna...
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 111
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From: Massachusetts
first ride on a dyna...
test rode a street bob this weekend from laconia HD in nh. first thing i noticed was the shake/vibration at idle. once you're riding its not bad, or you don't notice it. street bob has the 103" and my crossbones has the 96B so needless to say the dyna pulled harder than the bones. the turning was efforless, the dyna felt like a dirtbike compared to the softail. nimble and light. dyna seemed to soak up the bumps in the road better than the softail as well. also noticed the frame on the dyna was made with thicker tubing than the softy. keep in mind i was only on the bike for 2-3 miles but thats what i noticed right off the bat. all in all it was a very cool bike, and im sure its really a blast when you go for a real ride on it. would i love to have one? yes. would i have more fun riding it than the bones? maybe, hard to tell with such a short ride. will i be trading in the bones for the street bob? probably not. i feel like street bobs are a dime a dozen and a very popular bike (for good reason), and the crossbones is more of a rare item that i would regret not having, and it just has a certain cool factor. but man that dyna was awesome. if anyone out there wants to buy me one i might accept....
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,583
Likes: 115
From: Boston, MA
test rode a street bob this weekend from laconia HD in nh. first thing i noticed was the shake/vibration at idle. once you're riding its not bad, or you don't notice it. street bob has the 103" and my crossbones has the 96B so needless to say the dyna pulled harder than the bones. the turning was efforless, the dyna felt like a dirtbike compared to the softail. nimble and light. dyna seemed to soak up the bumps in the road better than the softail as well. also noticed the frame on the dyna was made with thicker tubing than the softy. keep in mind i was only on the bike for 2-3 miles but thats what i noticed right off the bat. all in all it was a very cool bike, and im sure its really a blast when you go for a real ride on it. would i love to have one? yes. would i have more fun riding it than the bones? maybe, hard to tell with such a short ride. will i be trading in the bones for the street bob? probably not. i feel like street bobs are a dime a dozen and a very popular bike (for good reason), and the crossbones is more of a rare item that i would regret not having, and it just has a certain cool factor. but man that dyna was awesome. if anyone out there wants to buy me one i might accept....
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,778
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From: Badlands of ND
That vibration in the Dyna is from the lack of internal balancers that are used in the Softail motors. I notice it on my Limited too. I love my Heritage, but you are right, you do not get it for the sports like handling.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,140
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From: Heavenlies
I got off a 2010 Road King onto a 2008 FXSTC. Had the RK for a year and got tired of the shake and rattle and heat and weight. I could have swore the left hard bag was going to come off the RK because of the vibration. One ride on the FXSTC (for a couple hours) did it for me.
In the process - I also took out a 2013 Street Bob - Between the "shakes" and the mid controls I could not ride the thing more than a mile or so. Also took out a 2013 Dyna
Wide Glide - same problem only it had the more comfy forward controls. I also felt as though I was riding "on top" of the Dyna's. The softail felt more as though I was sitting
down and in the bike and was much more comfy. JMHO
In the process - I also took out a 2013 Street Bob - Between the "shakes" and the mid controls I could not ride the thing more than a mile or so. Also took out a 2013 Dyna
Wide Glide - same problem only it had the more comfy forward controls. I also felt as though I was riding "on top" of the Dyna's. The softail felt more as though I was sitting
down and in the bike and was much more comfy. JMHO
Last edited by 10 RED RK; May 29, 2014 at 02:19 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,904
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From: Indiana
I shimmed the motor and the vibration is minimal at best; really made a difference.
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Road Captain
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From: L.I. New York
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Detroit
I own both a Dyna a and a Softail.
The Dyna shakes a lot at idle (who cares, keeps you awake when waiting at a stop light, and feels kinda cool). It smooths out really well over 2500 rpm, so if vibrations bother you, keep it over 2500 rpm.
On the other hand, softails are really smooth at low rpms, but the vibration increases, at any rpm, with higher engine load.
So goin' down the road at 80 or 90 on a Dyna can feel pretty smooth, while the Softail is starting to vibrate a lot. The Softail has internal engine balancers, but this does nothing to smooth out cylinder firing impulses fed to the rear wheel.
And like Galdog already stated, Dynas can have some problems with the rubbermounts deteriorating, so some people may be experiencing vibrations way beyond what they need to be.
The Dyna shakes a lot at idle (who cares, keeps you awake when waiting at a stop light, and feels kinda cool). It smooths out really well over 2500 rpm, so if vibrations bother you, keep it over 2500 rpm.
On the other hand, softails are really smooth at low rpms, but the vibration increases, at any rpm, with higher engine load.
So goin' down the road at 80 or 90 on a Dyna can feel pretty smooth, while the Softail is starting to vibrate a lot. The Softail has internal engine balancers, but this does nothing to smooth out cylinder firing impulses fed to the rear wheel.
And like Galdog already stated, Dynas can have some problems with the rubbermounts deteriorating, so some people may be experiencing vibrations way beyond what they need to be.
Last edited by Warp Factor; May 29, 2014 at 05:15 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,287
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From: Florida
I don't understand these people saying softails vibrate at speed. I do 80 on my fatboy lo and don't feel it. I've heard it said several times and I've purposely gone out and tried to find it. I feel a slight buzz in the floorboards, but that's about it. Definitely not a vibration. The mirrors are clear.
A previous fatboy I had DID vibrate, but there was something clearly wrong with that bike, even though the dealer swore up and down they couldn't feel a damn thing. That's why I traded it in. Also had a Heritage that didn't vibrate.
A previous fatboy I had DID vibrate, but there was something clearly wrong with that bike, even though the dealer swore up and down they couldn't feel a damn thing. That's why I traded it in. Also had a Heritage that didn't vibrate.
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