as usual, iclick. great write up. thanks. i've not noticed any strange behavior with my 08 streetglides handling, yet. "yet" being the operative word. i will likely attack this during the non riding season coming up next winter. thanks again, iclick. job well done.

 

i just bought the progressive link. reading most of iclicks posts, it sounds like a similar design to the ride st8 at a better value. pipes are off - so i think i'm in for an easy install.

tin

 

will these things add to, or take away vibration.???????

 

I didn't notice any on my bike and if there was an increase it was small enough that I couldn't feel it. I have heard a few mention that they felt an increase, but most of these were with the Alloy Art stabilizer which has a rather complicated set-up with three Heim joints, and looking at its design I'm not surprised that it increases vibration a bit.

The RideStr8-type design will restrict only lateral movement, so it would make sense that in corners where there is pressure on the rod that you would feel more vibration than normal, but I haven't noticed it there or any other time.

Since this thread started in July 2007 it would be worth noting that '09 and later bikes with their improved frame design don't need these stabilizers, and they may not even be available for them.

 

WTF, over.

I thought we got over all this a long time ago. With all the products available, the bottom line is that they address a design deficiency that Harley corrected with the '09 frame. Once again the aftermarket forced HD to change their product. So, for those of us who choose to refine rather than replace our rides, we can pick from several products that do the same thing.

"Are you on the rag today, Ragdoctor?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Hello Iclick,
This is True-Track and we have just read this thread and have some comments. As always bikers know everything and nothing.
#1 - Harley in 2009 has changed their frames and made a 4 point isolator mounting system, a heavier swingarm, a bigger tire, and guess what - Harley still has the lateral movement in the swingarm under load conditions.
# 2 - Harley also has but one anchor on the top side of the engine.
The reason we know this - we do R & D on these bikes to develope our products. We do have a True-Track for the 2009-2010 models FYI and for all the forum riders reading this. Yes we purchase a new model every year to stay ahead of all the imitators out there as we are not only the leaders, but the innovators in swing arm pivot anchor suspension stabilization. Hats off to Eric Buell as well. Though you have given your best opinion it would behoove all to have all the facts. Past thread writers you mention indicate that True-Track has a drag problem on right hand turns. There have been 9 revisions since the product was first brought to the market including a revision to adjust for the aggressive riders. They could only get aggressive enough after the TT stabilizer was installed and the rear steer was removed - we take this as a compliment.
In late 2007 we introduced the Low Ryder model designed for the Harley factory lowered models which provides a no lean angle loss and stability that no other unit can duplicate.
By the way, do the imitators especially those that are cheaper in price, provide a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser - do they stand behind their product as True-Track does?

 

Quick question. Does RAGDOCTOR work for True-Track? If so, its kind not cool the way this thread was dug out of the past and thrown back at iclick. He just gave his observations and reasons he made his choice. I am not taking sides to anyone, just someone in the market wanting my 07 to ride safer.

 

Iclick,
No I do not sell True-Track but I did know the inventor for over 20 years and thus know alot about the various models designed and tested before the final product made it to the market. This is a direct quote from Wil Philips the inventor of True-Track who passed away in 2007:
"Ride-Str8 touted to be designed by an engineer is doubtful. Engineering 101 never weld to a casting! The chasis attachment point is 4 1/2 long to the point where it is welded to the cast passenger foot mount. The power train bracket is attached with 3 bolts at the rear, not enough surface area. The attachment point is too far from the pivot point. The attachment point cannot stop the transmission from twisting when cresting a hill and landing. This causes the swing arm pivot boss to crack. The True-Track is attached with 5 bolts and is boxed which acts as a girdle to reinforce the pan rail and prevent twisting so the trans will not crack. The True-Track stabilizer links are stainless steel, vibration isolated with Nitril and USA made. Ride Str8 are a solid type that are made in China, the cheapest you can buy. In fact they can be bought at Orchard Hardware Supply (a Sears Co.). An O-ring is used for vibration elimination under the link - WRONG. Material is architectural aluminum, no radius in corners. This is but a few differences."
Has this shed some light?
Of course riders can choose any stabilizer they wish, with over 20 imitators on the market to choose from, but mis-information can cause more harm than good and result in costly expenses down the road.
Wil Phillips also coined the phrase - True-Track, cheaper than a funeral!

 

Dear True-Track:

I'm not sure what material contained in this thread would support your "know everything and nothing" comment. In my latest reply I did state that for '09 and later FLH bikes stabilizers "may not even be available for them." That was a correct statement in that I didn't know you made one for these bikes. I also said that they didn't need a stabilizer and I'll stand by that statement as an opinion, and I can say that I've never heard of anyone who's installed or feels the need to install a stabilizer on a late-model bike. That said, if someone does I would like to see a write-up here on the result. Also, if you can show any evidence these later-model bikes can benefit from your products please enlighten us on how.

The "low-rider" version of TT hasn't been mentioned anywhere on this forum or any other forum that I read that I'm aware of, and when I purchased my RideStr8 you didn't have that model available. Reports of clearance problems with the TT at the time are easy to document if you care to use the search engine for this forum, and that was one reason I chose another product.

You state that TT provides "stability that no other unit can duplicate," but where is your evidence for this claim? If you can't quantify the statement with tangible evidence would you try to qualify it by giving us an explanation why your design works better than the others? We'd all benefit from that input, I'm sure.

As for the benefit of a lifetime warranty, that's a nice feature but I don't know how that would be a major factor since no parts from the stabilizers I'm aware of would likely wear out over the long-term. If a heim-joint needs replacing the cost would be minimal, but nothing else should require service or repair.

 

Have you heard of one of these welds failing? If so, could you document it?

So? Are you implying this is too long? If so, why? It could be 12" long and still keep lateral movement in check, and that's the basic function of these stabilizers.

How does this different fundamentally from the way the RideStr8 works? The only difference I see is that TT mounts lower using much-longer mounting bolts to the oil pan, and since the heim-joint attaching point is forward of the mounting bolts it would cause a twisting motion to the box unit. This plus the long bolts used would seemingly stress the threads in the aluminum tranny case. Another factor in my decision was that the TT lowers the bike's clearance, while RideStr8 and others of this type are tucked completely out of the way. There is no chance of damage from bottoming or cornering.

What do you mean by "The attachment point is too far from the pivot point"? Here's a shot of the RideStr8 and TT for everyone to see, so perhaps someone will see something I'm missing and point it out.






Can you document this ever happening? I'm going on three years with no problems and haven't heard of any issues reported from any other users on any forums that I read.

Again, I'd like for you to document these alleged cracking incidents. Next, TT uses long bolts that could stress the threads in the aluminum casing in long-term use. I haven't heard of any such problems but there is more stress on these threads even with TT's 5-point attachment system. In contrast, RideStr8, et al, attach flush with the pan. Pressure is along the axis of the bolts, not at a point off-axis as is the case with TT.

Chinese products aren't necessarily poor quality, so your claim is baseless unless you can document failures. The two end pieces are not Chinese and are fabricated by RideStr8, and the side piece is a modified HD part. These are both powdercoated so rust isn't a problem there, and the heim-joints must be SS since I have no rust on them either. The bolts have shown some surface rust over the years, however, but an occasional rub with lithium grease once per year or so keeps them clean. If that is a bother to anyone they could be replaced with SS for little extra cost.

No, not for me, but it might with some much-needed details you've omitted. I would like to see some documentation for the alleged weaknesses you claim for the other products.

Again, let's see some documentation, please.