| Author | Message | ||
     Cyclonedon |
A few months ago I had my steering head bearings torqued and the motorcycle kinda felt funny when I was riding and would let off the gas. It seemed there was front end vibration. Now it's getting really bad to the point I can't even read my gages because of front end vibration. Any ideas what could cause this? I'm going to take it to the dealer but would like some ideas what to tell them to look for. | ||
| Pdento |
You might check your front engine mount. The rubber bushing could be going bad (Message edited by Pdento on June 28, 2014) | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Check your front tire's surface for cupping. I rode out to a Buell Homecoming with a badly cupped Dunlop 616 and it felt like I was riding down a railroad track the entire way. If your front end feels bouncy just pushing your bike into the garage then it is the tires. | ||
| Yo_barry |
I agree on the front tires--had a front end vibration especially if I let go of my handlebars. This was with a set of Dunlop 616s near the end of their life. No vibration with the new tires, Metzler Tourance Next. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I put a new Dunlop Roadsmarts front tire on my Uly late last year so I'm ruling the front tire out. My bike's steering is also hard to turn but I still find it hard to believe all the front end vibration just because of bearings. | ||
| Arry |
Maybe a wheel balancing weight came off? Don't you hate paying a dealer to screw up your Uly? | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I run with Ride On in my tires and don't need wheel weights | ||
| Gp81 |
Just a thought here.... If your steering seams tight or more so than usual I would back off the steering head bolt a turn and 're-torque it.... If all was fine and dandy before you had it done then that is where I would start.... Just my $0.02 | ||
| Gp81 |
Something else that I read here somewhere was brake build-up on the rotor over time, usually due to holding the front brake while stopped. Might be worth it to check/clean/replace the front rotor if necessary... Just another thought... | ||
| Cyclonedon |
The brake has a slight pulse when stopping and I can live with that. I think it's a combination of the steering head bearings and the front motor isolator mount. I'll post more after I get the bike looked at by the dealer. | ||
| Gp81 |
I would invest in a service manual and torque wrenches.... It will cost less than dealer service and then you can do it on your own time at your own pace and have 100% faith in the work performed instead of always having that little voice in the back of your head wondering if you ACTUALLY received the services that you paid way to much for.... | ||
| Blake |
Slight pulse in braking... Deposits on rotor or slightly sticking pistons. Try pumping brake and pulling lever as hard as you can. This can unstick pistons. If no effect, hard braking from speed will wear/burn off the deposits. I'm like you though. Doesn't bother me at all. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
EBR brake upgrades rotor screws and washers, cures pulsing. | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Sandpaper and EBC-HH pads cures pulsing for a whole lot cheaper. Yeah man, go buy some torque wrenches and a book. You can't go wrong. Taking anything to a harley dealer is like smearing a bike in bananna goo and throwing monkeys at it. It may get fixed right, and then again, maybe they hate Buells. Maybe their idea of a torque wrench is...um...no torque wrench. The first time I worked on my 1125R I wanted to find the setup tech and kick him in the leg. Hard. Taking a Buell to any other kind of dealer is a shot in the dark. Maybe they know Buells, maybe they don't. They always SAY they do.... Letting another man torque your head bearings is like letting your third cousin's nephew chaperone your hot daughter to the prom. You never know how that's gonna turn out. Why risk it? | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I took a good look at my motorcycle today and determined it was the front motor mount because the rubber bushing is tore and the front is riding on the bolt, metal to metal! I'll order a new one on Monday. I haven't decided if I want to replace it or have someone else do it yet. | ||
| Pagprivat |
Just changed my steering stem bearings, races totally mashed and dented. Pretty dry too, so I'm not surprised. New OEM came pretty dry too, so I repacked with more EP2 grease before I put them in. Question is, what's the public opinion of the OEM with balls vs. the available tapered roller bearing kits out there? I'd think that tapered roller would have much more contact surface than the OEM ball type, hence more durable? Opinions / experiences? | ||
| Mark_weiss |
The front motor mount is not difficult to replace, just takes patience. If it is not accurately aligned the mount will not go together, so it takes a lot of little adjustments to get the new bolt to thread easily into the frame. As far as ball or tapered roller bearings? Tapered rollers can take more load so this allows the use of smaller bearings for a given task. An advantage to ball bearings is that they operate with MUCH lower drag and are easier to set up. Ball bearings are tightened JUST until freeplay is eliminated, and no more. That's a fairly easy spot to find. Tapered rollers require a bit of preload and it is not hard to have too much (low speed wander) or too little (45mph to 35mph wobble) preload both of which may cause handling issues. | ||
| Mrakz83 |
I put roller bearings from All Balls in for my steering head and they're working out great. The recommended torque spec of 40 lb ft made my bars too tight so I only tightened it to 30 and it feels just right. Not saying that's what should be done, but it worked best for my case. | ||
| Pagprivat |
*Ball bearings are tightened JUST until freeplay is eliminated, and no more* OEM ball bearings are preloaded by tightening the stem nut with 38-42 ft/lbs as per manual? | ||
| Motorfish |
If you replace the motor mount, make sure you use never seize on the bolt. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
The manual says locktite Red. | ||
| Pagprivat |
Loctite on the pinch bolt, yes. Lubricate the cap nut. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I ordered a new motor mount from Al last Friday and will install it myself when it arrives. Dealers want 1-1/2 hours labor to install the three bolts. I refuse to pay more than an hour because I feel they can do the actual work in about a half an hour! | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Well I wasn't able to get the old bolt out on my front isolator bracket so I had to take it to the dealer to replace. They had to weld a nut on it to get it broke loose because it had seized on there so bad. They only charged me for an hour's labor so that wasn't so bad. Rides like a new motorcycle now. I'm happy riding it again! |
