| Author | Message | ||
     Haaken |
Went for a short ride today and did a little checking of the bike before I left. More things are starting to rattle off then have previously ever done. The bike felt a little more wobbly then usual, and my hands are silt a little numb from vibrations. I checked the rear isolators when i got home and the right side one seems to be ok and the bolt is in the middle of the opening still. The left side one however is canted off to one side. I am almost 100% positive that this means the iso's are shot. Does this sound correct? Will bad iso's cause for poor ride quality? And finally can someone point me in the right direction for how to replace them? Thanks | ||
| Gusm2 |
Check the front engine mount on the cylinder head, bolts are notorious for shearing | ||
| Haaken |
I hadn't even thought of checking the front motor mount. i will double check that one for sure. I think that one would have been really noticeable though. | ||
| Jolly |
I had a front isolator bolt on my X1 that was loose.... It made the bike vibrate "funny" and feel..... "Loose".....lifted the motor back into place and torqued the ISO bolt/nut back to spec..... All was well. | ||
| Haaken |
I checked the front motor mount and all looks good. I am pretty sure though that my rear left ISO is going though. To be off to one side and not the center can't bee a good thing...I am willing to bet that if I don't correct that it could lead to a sheared bolt on the front motor mount. Anyone have a link to a DIY for changing them out? I have a ton of work ahead of me. I need to change my rear shock as well, lol. Always something  | ||
| Lynrd |
Haaken- Great timing. I just did this trip today on Veronica, who just had her frame re-powdercoated.. Here is the official method: http://www.ukbeg.com/downloads/files/techbulletins /Isolators96-00.pdf You can actually still order the kit from Latus Motors. I am planning on writing up the whole trip, but I found some interesting things: re: the pin depth on the Frame I was working on. | ||
| Haaken |
That doesn't really look like one of those "fun" DIY's...Oh well, I need ago get a hoist to replace my shock anyways. I couldn't figure out how to do that job without one anyways. It's so tempting to take the whole thing apart at that point and have the frame and swing arm powderdcoated. | ||
| Kalali |
"...To be off to one side and not the center can't bee a good thing" Your isolator could be bad but the off-center bolt is not necessarily an indication of a bad isolator. I'm willing to bet if we went and checked, majority of our isolator bolts will be offset to lower left with no vibration felt in the pegs. I know mine has been that way on both sides since I bought the bike and over 12000 miles ago. | ||
| Haaken |
How do I tell if it is bad then? | ||
| Dannybuell |
A torn front isolator gives lousy steering and more vibration. my 96S1 has 103,000 miles. This has happened to me a couple of times. The bolts were on National back order at Harley Buell so I went through a learning curve on vendors until I found; https://maps.google.com/maps?expflags=enable_star_ based_justifications:true&ie=UTF8&cid=785822060376 7623817&q=General+Threaded+Products+Co&iwloc=A&gl= US&hl=en General Threaded has grades that go past 8. I also broke the front cylinder head's right front motor mount bore. My independent shop didn't want the liability of a bad weld so we got a new head. | ||
| Kalali |
"How do I tell if it is bad then?" A lot of vibration in the foot pegs plus movement of the bolt when the isolators are loaded/unloaded. A careful placement of a bottle jack also works with emphasis on careful. | ||
| Haaken |
So you are saying that if the isolators were bad it might be possible to wiggle the bolt? I am not getting any excess vibrations in the pegs as far as I can tell. I might just be overthinking things. I just noticed the right side bolt being centered and the left one being canted towards the back at idle and while revving. I thought that was my sign it was bad. i will go back and double check everything again and go over it with a flashlight this time. The bike only has 16,xxx miles on it so they should still be good? | ||
| Beardo |
Snap some pictures | ||
| Haaken |
I'll try and take some later this evening. I have a DSLR so I should be able to get a good quality photo. | ||
| Kalali |
If you do not feel too much vibes in the foot pegs, the chances are the isolators are fine. I have not done an exact comparison of the locations of the bolts on my X1, but I would not be surprised if the left one is (slightly) more off-centered than the right given that the weight of the bike rests on that side when leaning on the kickstand. Just a theory on my part. | ||
| Haaken |
"If you do not feel too much vibes in the foot pegs, the chances are the isolators are fine. I have not done an exact comparison of the locations of the bolts on my X1, but I would not be surprised if the left one is (slightly) more off-centered than the right given that the weight of the bike rests on that side when leaning on the kickstand. Just a theory on my part." That is a good point, i had never thought of that. | ||
| S1owner |
The bolts are also not in the center at least on my bike they are back and down from center Its realt not a hard job I do it with no special tools a little lube and a little weight and they slide right in | ||
| Haaken |
It is sounding more and more like the isolators on my bike are till good. | ||
| Jim2 |
Description of location of bolt on good vs. bad isolator: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=47623&post=2238777#POST2238777 Pictures of iso replacement with link to the starr method and how to use jackstands instead of hoist if you have passenger pegs: http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/47623/6 61750.html?1325819613 | ||
| Kalali |
The replacement procedure for the bikes with a removable side plate, like your X1 assuming your profile is accurate, is much simpler that the one shown for the M2. Check the condition of your belt if you do decide to replace them. Same process. |
