| Author | Message | ||
     R32nj |
Should anything be put on the exposed rubber portion of the front isolator to keep in pliable and in good shape? Silicone, grease, etc. or just leave it alone if it's in good shape. | ||
| Ourdee |
It likes rain. Yes, just leave it alone. | ||
| Teeps |
Over the years, here, many have speculated that pulling wheelies with a resultant hard touch down contributes to front isolator failure and belt failure. Sold my Buell in 2018 after 12 years and 42k miles; the isolator was still good. For some interesting isolator chat: Do a badweb search "isolator" and XB group. | ||
| Tpehak |
Mine went bad at 12000 miles. Now there are 26000 miles and the new isolator already has cracks. No wheelies at all. So basically front isolator is good for about 10000-15000 miles. I put this mileage within a couple years and the rubber had no time to deteriorate, so there is no maintenance can help to prolong front isolator lifespan. https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?51131-Buell-XB-high-performance-front-isolator (Message edited by TPEHAK on May 06, 2020) | ||
| Hangetsu |
I'm curious if anyone has actually used that gorgeous CNC piece and can report on how well it worked. The fact that you can replace the bushings is great, but how well does it dampen vibration? I believe it's safe to assume that a lot of R&D went into the design of the bushing in the OEM piece and a lot of trial and error in the quest to achieve the best balance between strength, stability, longevity, and vibration dampening qualities. The unit above looks great, but how well does it work? | ||
| Tpehak |
It works OK for 20 miles, maybe slightly more vibrations, but the biggest issue is the rubber inserts do not last long, maybe after 20 miles rubber inserts crack and isolator slides down resting on the bolt increasing vibration. I think it is better to design bracket can accommodate standard insert for car engine mount so you can just replace the cheap inserts when it is necessary. https://www.autozone.com/collision-body-parts-and-hardware/motor-mount/duralast-passenger-side-motor-mount-2844/237275_15320_4302  (Message edited by TPEHAK on May 06, 2020) | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
that's weird, Tpehak, my 06 just passed 100k miles with the original front and rear isolators. I think maybe you're just hard on shit or maybe don't know how to install stuff. | ||
| Tpehak |
I followed service manual to install the isolator. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
First front mount lasted 47900 miles. Failure was sudden and startling. Current mount is nearing 40k miles and doing fine. | ||
| Screamer |
My Ulysses is at ~32k, and I’m on my 4th isolator mount. At times, I used to ride it very aggressively, but it was also mixed with 800 mile days on the freeway. One isolator I installed was used, and I replaced it after about three months, so it was likely already compromised when I installed it. By looking at the isolator mounts I have in storage, there were three iterations, the original casting number and an A and B version. The only visible difference (other than casting dates) on the casting is on the B, which has an indexing notch on the top of the isolator opening. I purchased spare (new) isolator mounts in October of 2014 - they have a production date of August 2013, and have the “B” marking. My original 2006 Uly also has a B version dated January 2006. So nothing had changed for seven years, and the only noteworthy recent item was that the isolator mount kits were on temporary hold in 2017, due to a cosmetic issue with the mount bolt. Also, I believe the part has not been rev’d (or it hadn’t been rev’d by 2014). Regarding the mount bolt, I have one mount bolt which has a rubber washer fused to the underside of the head. The bolt in the new (2014) kit I have, does not have the rubber. So, I’ll assume it was a short-lived concept. I don’t really remember unusually high warranty activity on the isolator mount, but maybe the iterations were improvements by the supplier to reduce inspection fallout. Anyway, I suspect (speculate?) that riding style (wheelies/stoppies etc.) combined with the right iteration of isolator mount (and rear isolator condition) - may - result in an unusually short front isolator life. Thanks to R32nj for starting this thread, I reluctantly know more about isolators than I did two hours ago... | ||
| Ratbuell |
The problem with trying to use an automotive isolator is, they are designed to handle stresses that pull the mounting bolt sideways. The front iso on the Buell pulls along the length of the bolt, like you're trying to pull it through the hole. | ||
| Etennuly |
What Ratbuell said ! I bought my 06 X new. The first one failed at 7,000 miles. I believe the best I've seen is 12,000 miles. I have back issues. I can detect the beginning of the mounts failure. I have test ridden other Ulys over the years to find that a lot of riders have no clue why they feel more vibrations than they used to, but it is no bother to them because their body can let them ignore it. I have changed them when riders have no idea why they are gritting their teeth all day. Always an oh shit moment after their new one went on. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Vern, Have you noted, or had the experience to note if there's a difference in the way various model years go through them? I'm curious if the 08+ model year changes make any difference in the isolator lifespan | ||
| Ourdee |
Vern, What rpm range did you try to keep the engine in during operation? | ||
| Teeps |
Ourdee Posted on Monday, June 01, 2020 - Vern, What rpm range did you try to keep the engine in during operation? The XB engine does not like being lugged... I made it a point to stay above 3k rpm at all times. | ||
| Ourdee |
Tom, I want to know what Vern is running at to get only 7 to 12 thousand out of the isolators. That is unless you are also killing them off quickly. My bikes like 3,500 RPM plus. | ||
| Teeps |
Ourdee, Ah, copy that... My '06 Ulysses had the original isolator when I traded it off in 2018, with 40k miles. | ||
| Etennuly |
Rpms have nothing to do with it. I clutch probably easier than most. 67,000 miles original clutch only adjusted once. Mine probably has to do with load and sensitivity. I'm above 250 with gear, all three bags with 50 pounds of crap, and my frequent passengers are notably over 250 also. Add to all of that I have back issues that make me sensitive to vibrations and loads I can generally feel the failure coming when it is about 50% on the way to failure. I have ridden several XB bikes where it is obviously bad but the owner had not even noticed it, until we put a new one on. Usually they say I knew something wasn't right but did not know. They fail over time and use, so slowly most just don't know why it feels like that now. Lol | ||
| Tpehak |
Mine clutch from Barnett lasted just 4000 miles. | ||
| Ontheroad68 |
Looking at my new front isolator before installation I can see that the rubber mount is made inside a thin steel case that is then pressed into the cast aluminum head bracket. Two little tabs from the thin outer steel bracket are then bent down over the cast aluminum bracket so it stays in place. So it is absolutley possible to replace the inner rubber mount. I have contacted Barry Controls (now owned by Hutchison AeroSpace), the OEM Supplier to HD for this part, and I have a sales rep looking into this. He did tell me that usually when they make a part for a manufacturer there is an agreement to only sell the part to them. It's still worth looking into, I'll let you know what I find out. | ||
| Teeps |
Ontheroad, Not to dash your hopes, but I chased that lead a few years ago to a dead end. My guess is if they are still making the unit for H/D. You to will come to a dead end... too. Or, maybe you will have a favorable outcome? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Vern also saves a LOT of miles on front tires..... | ||
| Ourdee |
Good Ole Vern. | ||
| Jhelm |
What are the symptoms of a bad front isolator? I recently had a "where the F did that vibration come from" moment that caused me to pucker up and slow down. Not constant, mostly at highway speed. Doesn't happen under acceleration either. | ||
| Tpehak |
 | ||
| Mark_weiss |
When I posted on May 13th, my front isolator was doing well. No longer though. While it did not completely break as did the last one, vibration increased considerably over the past few weeks. Only 36k miles from #2. The center webs had considerable cracking and bottom clearance decreased by about 1/2. Fortunately, I had a new isolator standing by. Now I have to decided if I should purchase another spare. | ||
| Giarcg |
I would... if it made sense once (and it did) it will make sense again. If not used you can always sell it. |
