Not trying to be critical but...my brother made the cross over from a Yamaha to a Harley (I have always been a Harley rider from the 70's till now) and his first Harley was an 08 Super Glide (FXDC) with all the bells and whistles. From the day he bought the bike he swore there was a vibration that should not have been there. I rode his bike several diffrent times and even took it way, way above normal speed limits and never felt the vibration he was said was there. He ended up trading the bike in for another Yamaha. The point is some peaople are just more comfortable sitting on a pile of rice verse the rock solidness of a Harley. Do not get me wrong I will ride with anyone no matter what they ride, I am a believer that if you are willing to be out there on two wheels then you are ok in my book. My point is Harleys vibrate, they always have and the always will. it is just part of their charm and some people just cannot get used to it, my brother being one them and maybe you as well cannot get past the vibration. For those who are interested he ended up buying a Yamaha Road Star with all the bells and whistles. He is happy with the Yamaha and as far as he is concerned all is right in his world. It is just a matter of expectations.
Frustrated and Discouraged
- Thread starter gww303
- Start date
cowboywildbill
Active Member
I agree, I used to work for a dealer and rode lot's of bikes. Some vibrated more or different than others. it can drive you crazy if you let it. Just like the noises they make.
I always thought they made Harleys vibrate on purpose, so that way if you had any money left in your pockets the dealer could shake that out of you also. LOL
But seriously I had posted about a vibration in my FLHTP that was worse after I had the cam tensioners and oil pump replaced last year. Go figure? Never have figured it out. That was over 10,000 miles ago. I just do the maintance and just ride it. It can be frustrating.
I always thought they made Harleys vibrate on purpose, so that way if you had any money left in your pockets the dealer could shake that out of you also. LOL
But seriously I had posted about a vibration in my FLHTP that was worse after I had the cam tensioners and oil pump replaced last year. Go figure? Never have figured it out. That was over 10,000 miles ago. I just do the maintance and just ride it. It can be frustrating.
No problem Slapp,I dont mind the normal harley vibration,and vibration is probably not the right description,it's just a brief different sensation that comes into the floorboards at certain speeda and rpm's.I rode two other Ultra's and did not get that feeling.I also had multiple people at the dealership ride it and they all felt it. In total they installed the Stage 1,adjusted the clutch,replaced all the engine mounts,and the final thing was to replace the floor boards.I got it back and I'm still feeling it but not as bad.I think I'm just going to ride it awhile and see what happens.I love my bike though.
Ok, maybe I've got a sensitive butt and feet but I can tell the difference in my heritage by what brand of gas Ive got in the tank. I always run premium gas but some brands are very smooth and others feel like it's right up there. I wouldn't call it a vibration but you can feel it most in the road pegs. I usually run Shell gas, which is one of the one's that give me the most feeling, it just sounds and feels better when i'm getting that little sensation.
cowboywildbill
Active Member
I remember last year I had a vibration in my floor boards also, at certain rpm"s.
The dealer had the exhaust pipes off or loosened them up to do some work.
I re-aligned the exhaust and it solved my problem. It turned out to be my two into one exhaust pipes not being re-hung properly. They were binding or torqued downward with a lot of pressure or tension on the rear rubber muffler mount. When I unbolted the the rear mount, the pipes dropped about 4".
I couldn't push them up by hand to meet the mount. So I loosend the exhaust pipe header bolts at the heads and raised the rear up and up bolted it back. Then I re-tightened the header /flange bolts where the pipes go into the heads and all is well. That engine vibration was being transfered to the frame and ultimtley to my boards. On a rubber mount engine the exhaust has to float with the engine and tranny also. Just a thought.
The dealer had the exhaust pipes off or loosened them up to do some work.
I re-aligned the exhaust and it solved my problem. It turned out to be my two into one exhaust pipes not being re-hung properly. They were binding or torqued downward with a lot of pressure or tension on the rear rubber muffler mount. When I unbolted the the rear mount, the pipes dropped about 4".
I couldn't push them up by hand to meet the mount. So I loosend the exhaust pipe header bolts at the heads and raised the rear up and up bolted it back. Then I re-tightened the header /flange bolts where the pipes go into the heads and all is well. That engine vibration was being transfered to the frame and ultimtley to my boards. On a rubber mount engine the exhaust has to float with the engine and tranny also. Just a thought.
And if there is anyone who could do that it would be you Glider.Sure it wasn't a Harley (they all do that)
I call that somebody that doesn't know what they are doing, seen it much too many times myself. I enjoy however letting the mechanic talk them-self into a corner ...then firing a few tech questions at him and watch him get defensive when they can't answer and they see you know what you are saying, just LOVE that! :lolrolling
Your advice has been right on since I have been coming to this web site and I have followed you advice/sugestions more than once! I look forward to your replies.And if there is anyone who could do that it would be you Glider.
Thanks horizonchaser. I try not to seer anyone wrong after all the times I have seen "techs" at a shop pretend they were professional wrenches and knew very little but I must admit that I enjoy doing what I posted above
Tell us a bit more about the vibration. Have you isolated it? Is it coming from the engine and/or drive line, or is it coming from the wheels? If you put the bike in neutral at about 50 mph and shut the motor off, does the vibration disappear or is it still present? If you're stopped and rev the motor off, does the vibration appear across the rev line or does it come and go at particular rpms? Have you checked the motor mounts to ensure they're in good shape and properly adjusted?
Tell us more.
Tell us more.
J
jimharvey1
Guest
Hmmm...I dunno if I'd try that.