17 Road Glide Ultra Fairing Alignment
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 106
From: Lancaster pa
I'm 99% sure they are for wind deflectors. That's what's in using those lugs on mine.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,618
Likes: 290
From: Johnstown, PA
My 15 is the same as yours. Had the dealer check it under warranty, and they said their all like that (big surprise). I messed with it with no success. I just learned to live with it.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,561
Likes: 280
From: North Cental Iowa
It's most likely that the forks are off a little bit in the triple tree clamps. There are 2 allen bolts in the lower triple clamp, you or the dealer, if they'll do it, need to loosen all 4 bolts & twist the forks to get them straight. Mine are off just a little bit, but I haven't got around to adjusting them yet. I'd wait until you can ride it to see how far they are actually off. I can't say that it bothers me much as far as riding it, it just bothers me when I look down & see that they're cocked a bit. I think my dealer would deal with, it's just so little that they may go too far & make it just as bad the other direction. I figure I'll tweak them a little & go for a ride to see if I've gone far enough, trial & error until I get it right.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 353
Likes: 38
From: Ohio
You would think during assembly at the factory that would all be assembled in a jig/fixture on the line. That's a pretty critical dimension in the frame assembly. Maybe it was the Friday before an extended weekend and they were in a hurry and the old "close enough" theory took precedent. LOL...Thanks for all the responses. Mike
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 3,522
Likes: 3,707
From: South Texas
My 2018 RG fairing is also a little off kilter. Its marginal. Dealer sales guy and service guy suggested I ride it and if it bugs me they could try to improbpve alignment. But warned me that it was tricky and might not be able to get it perfect, or to even improve it much. So far i usually dont notice it so it usually doesnt bug me. But when I fixate on it it bugs me. So far not enough to take back to the dealer. Also concerned the might eff something up...
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 353
Likes: 38
From: Ohio
My 2018 RG fairing is also a little off kilter. Its marginal. Dealer sales guy and service guy suggested I ride it and if it bugs me they could try to improbpve alignment. But warned me that it was tricky and might not be able to get it perfect, or to even improve it much. So far i usually dont notice it so it usually doesnt bug me. But when I fixate on it it bugs me. So far not enough to take back to the dealer. Also concerned the might eff something up...
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 688
Likes: 350
From: Central Utah
Yeah-
For the money...it would bother me too...once noticed. And I tend to agree that there should be an uncomplicated way to square the fairing up to the front end.
I about fell for the RGU at a recent HD Demo Days here recently. Liked it way more than my EGS.
Hey- maybe nose your front wheel up to the garage door frame and bang it to the right against the wood...you know, like we used to do with our bicycles as kids to straighten out the bars...BANG!!!
All kidding aside, hope the dealer can do it right for you.
For the money...it would bother me too...once noticed. And I tend to agree that there should be an uncomplicated way to square the fairing up to the front end.
I about fell for the RGU at a recent HD Demo Days here recently. Liked it way more than my EGS.
Hey- maybe nose your front wheel up to the garage door frame and bang it to the right against the wood...you know, like we used to do with our bicycles as kids to straighten out the bars...BANG!!!
All kidding aside, hope the dealer can do it right for you.
Tourer
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 426
Likes: 50
From: Cali
Both me and my brother have Road Glides. At the time I had my '16 RGU and he also just purchased a '16 RGU. He said every Road Glide that he has seen including his new one, all look like the fairing is turned to the right. For me, I can't tell, but, some people can see that difference.
After taking it back to the dealer, the tech's agreed that the fairing indeed looked tweaked to the right. They also concluded that it seems all the Road Glides are that way. They called the their support at HD and was told the following:
When the Road Glides were designed and wind tunnel tested it was determined that the left side of the bike had more drag because of the primary chain case. The fairing was purposely tweaked to correct for this drag and make the bike travel straight without the tendency to pull to one side.
I don't know if I'm buying this explanation but it''s what the MOCO said about the issue.
After taking it back to the dealer, the tech's agreed that the fairing indeed looked tweaked to the right. They also concluded that it seems all the Road Glides are that way. They called the their support at HD and was told the following:
When the Road Glides were designed and wind tunnel tested it was determined that the left side of the bike had more drag because of the primary chain case. The fairing was purposely tweaked to correct for this drag and make the bike travel straight without the tendency to pull to one side.
I don't know if I'm buying this explanation but it''s what the MOCO said about the issue.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 3,522
Likes: 3,707
From: South Texas
Sparks, thanks for sharing that info. I’ll try to check out other RGs to see if fairings are similarly aligned. If so, the wind-tunnel story from mono might not be full of *****. (Mine is slightly cantered to the right)
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 353
Likes: 38
From: Ohio
Thanks again to all of you that took the time to comment and share. It's appreciated. Mike