i didnt have the bagger brace, but a similar product. the true trac. it helped tremendously. and i am not knocking it. but, issues i had were with ground clearance. speedbumps made me nervous. mine was lowered in the rear as well though. and the true trac stuck down a bit more than the frame. however, i now use the glide pro urethane bushings. much better! i wont use my true trac or any other similar product again. they are all bandaid fixes. sure, they work, and they help handling. but, if you dont have rubber bushings that will wiggle under load, you wont need it.

just my own personal $ 0.02,
corb

 

Yep, I agree with you on the the braces being a bandaid. Although I do have a Bagger Brace and was quite impressed with the difference it made I intend to replace it in the spring with the GP bushings.

What convinced me was when I upgraded my friends 2000 RK with a complete 07 swingarm etc. with new HD bushings. I honestly could not believe how nice it handled, better than my 05 with 45K on the original bushings and a Bagger Brace. My guess is when I put the BB brace on I could have just replaced the stock bushings, skipped the brace and would have seen an improvement equal to the BB. I just think the original bushings deteriorate to quickly.

Rick

 

i did something very similar. i robbed parts off of my 2004 road king custom, and put them on my 2000 road king. to include the swingarm. a company called custom cycle engineering, has everything i needed to do the swap, to include, the urethane bushings. great setup, and i never realized how bad the 2000, clev block style swingarm was,until i did this. and the rubber one do deteriorate super quick. so, why not replace them with urethane? same feeling here all around.

check 6, cause soccer moms on cell phones are more dangerous than bullets...
corb

 

I also used the CCE kit but I wasn't aware they offered the bushings so I used new stockers.

Rick

 

the only way i happened to find out, was that i called them. i didnt want them to send rubber ones, just so i could throw them away and buy urethane bushings, so, they confirmed that they could, and would put urethane bushings in my delivery.

 

I don't think you chaps understand what is going on in a rubber-mount Harley! The system is essentially the same as all Buells, which are also rubber mounts, but have three stabilizers. Their handling is legendary. Erik Buell invented the system in the 80s while working for the MoCo, but for reasons we may never know Harley only installed two stabilizers on their big twins. All rubber-mount Sportsters have three, so Harley knows the way to do things properly.

The purpose of the third stabilizer is to provide lateral support to the rear engine mounts. They remain rubber, even if you installed one of the bushing kits you mention. Early rubber mounts also had rubbery 'cleve block' swingarm bushings, which were a serious handling problem and were replaced with more solid bushings way back. You may be confusing those with the bushings you have recently installed.

The only reason stabilizer kits, such as True-Track, are compromised is because Harley didn't incorporate them into our bikes on the production line, like they did on Buells and Sportsters. The makers of our kits (and at the last count there are around a dozen brands) have to overcome two problems: 1 is avoid copying the others, and 2 is to get around the problem of retro-fitting something the factory should have built in from Day 1. That is the only reason why some of them stick out below the frame.

Some of the dozen brands IMHO seem to miss the point of the third stabilizer, but the True-Track appears to have been first on the scene and come closest to achieving what Erik Buell intended. They get my money and I have them on both my big twins, which share my garage with a Buell. All three of them have three stabilizers - it's the only way to travel!

 

nope, i understand it just fine. but, i think that the way i explained myself earlier was misleading. i re read my post, so as to see what you were missing, and it was i, that was missing something. i didnt adequately explain my reasoning.

but yes, you are correct, as far as i know, in the 3 rd stabilizer. but i replaced the cleve block style rubber "bushing" (that was in the swing arm mount on my 2000 road king) with solid bearings, as i used the swing arm off of my 2004 (that had spherical bearings.... and a bigger 3/4 inch swing arm pivot shaft) but i replaced the rubber motor and trans mounts with urethane bushings, and the rubber bushings, on the outside of the swing arm pivot mount, were also replaced by urethane. further aiding in solving my handling woes. thus negating my need of a true trac, bagger brace, or any other extra link, between my motor, trans and swing arm. thankfully so, as well, because i was always worried that i was going to tear mine off hitting big pot holes, or speed bumps in parking lots.

the only thing that i have not done to further aid in my bagger's handling woes, is lock up the front end. i used a fork brace, off of a dyna on my old 2004. but running without the cans, and the look were things i did not want to repeat. so, i am about to order the pinch bolt set up, also from custom cycle engineering, so as to lock in my front end, without the use of a fork brace. i dont know if anyone else is using one, but i ll tell you all how it works out for me.

sorry for the confusion,
corb

 

I think I understand it just fine and I'm saying on this particular 2000 RK replacing the old style 00 swingarm with an 07 swingarm and new stock donuts makes it handle as well or better than any touring Harley I've ever ridden (lots) brace or not. The owner of this bike asked if I thought he should buy a brace and I told him not to waste his money. It might be a benefit in a few years when the new donuts deteriorate but at that point my recommendation would be the Glide Pro bushings. JMHO.

Rick

 

Well all I can say is I have had the Bagger Brace on my 07 since the 10k mile mark and it makes a world of difference. Does the bike still have what I perceive to be a few handling issues? Yes it does, but it is greatly improved with the BB. I would spend the money again.

 

I never said it didn't make a diiference, I have one myself. It's just my opinion that's it's a bandaid for inferior donut bushings.

Rick