R_W_B
Senior Member
Well I've got a RoadGlide buddy bout 2 miles away, I will let him ride it. I probably need new front fork oil AND rear shocks, it's 2007 with original on each. How long to bike shocks last ?
Need front end input
- Thread starter R_W_B
- Start date
Well I've got a RoadGlide buddy bout 2 miles away, I will let him ride it. I probably need new front fork oil AND rear shocks, it's 2007 with original on each. How long to bike shocks last ?
Very good question-as I understand it, rear shocks have a harder time than the the forks-I'm not an expert- but in my riding country it pans out to 2-3 rear shocks changes to 1 fork overhaul.
I need a more qualified person then meself to comment on suspension matters but in the roads I ride out here in europe thats how it works out.
If this is not stupid, some riders are more comfortable with right hand turns than left hand turns-and they tend to countersteer and gas the bike into and out of the turn they are more comfortable with-thus loading the suspension on that side?.
It tends to be one shock that weakens or wears first in certain circumstances (thats my opinion-needs qualification) and I've found that you obviously need to change shocks in pairs.
Not 100% sure a touring bike rider will pin a problem on a sportier orientated bike-but never say never.
Good luck and safe roads 2 ya.
R_W_B
Senior Member
Update
I got some time to start looking for my mild front end wobble that happens at low speeds when I let go of the bars.
I sounded all my spokes, they are all tight and either go ding or dong. I tried tightening the dongs but they seemed pretty tight already, so left them be.
I put the bike back on the lift and was turning the front end back and forth real slow and noticed something. Just as the turn nears straight ahead (going from full left to right) I noticed a slow frequency shimmy or shake shake as the front end turns thru the front 15 degrees or so of the turn (rotation).
I thought it might be my clutch cable since it has a lot of tension and I had it plastic tied to the steering head to keep it from rubbing the paint off. So I clipped the plastic tie and also removed the clutch cable from the clutch bracket so there was NO involvement from the clutch cable. However the shake is still there.
Wondering if it's my steering bearings ? My fall away is a total of 4" adding the left and right. 15,8xx miles on bike.
Anybody had these symptoms ?
I got some time to start looking for my mild front end wobble that happens at low speeds when I let go of the bars.
I sounded all my spokes, they are all tight and either go ding or dong. I tried tightening the dongs but they seemed pretty tight already, so left them be.
I put the bike back on the lift and was turning the front end back and forth real slow and noticed something. Just as the turn nears straight ahead (going from full left to right) I noticed a slow frequency shimmy or shake shake as the front end turns thru the front 15 degrees or so of the turn (rotation).
I thought it might be my clutch cable since it has a lot of tension and I had it plastic tied to the steering head to keep it from rubbing the paint off. So I clipped the plastic tie and also removed the clutch cable from the clutch bracket so there was NO involvement from the clutch cable. However the shake is still there.
Wondering if it's my steering bearings ? My fall away is a total of 4" adding the left and right. 15,8xx miles on bike.
Anybody had these symptoms ?
R_W_B
Senior Member
I was reading this part of the front end removal procedure and noticed it kinda sounded like my symtoms.
----begin copy--------
With your bike on a work stand with the front end off the floor. Remove anything that doesn't look like a triple tree. Before loosening the top tree's retaining nut, rotate the tree from stop to stop. Without the weight of the front-end assembly on it, any roughness or dents in the bearings will feel much more obvious. If there's any doubt, now's the time to replace the bearings.
----end copy----------
----begin copy--------
With your bike on a work stand with the front end off the floor. Remove anything that doesn't look like a triple tree. Before loosening the top tree's retaining nut, rotate the tree from stop to stop. Without the weight of the front-end assembly on it, any roughness or dents in the bearings will feel much more obvious. If there's any doubt, now's the time to replace the bearings.
----end copy----------
Hoople
Account Removed
Re: Update
You mean like a chatter as you turn the bars? As if you had flat spots or depressions in the bearings?
That should not be there.
You mean like a chatter as you turn the bars? As if you had flat spots or depressions in the bearings?
That should not be there.
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Dave, if this bike sat outside for a lot of its life and the bearings were never right from the factory ( IT Happens) with the combo of salt air and rain you may have bad bearings. You are this far might as well check them out JMO
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Bubbie, We know some one else who spells Tyre like that:s
Just Because i spell tyre correctly
on topic
if it is the steering head bearing that is a wee bit notchy then it would need replacing as i have never done a steering head bearing on a harley i can not really give any definite advice although previous experience says that the lower bearing can be a bit of a pest to get off the steering stem and plenty of heat will be required
Brian
R_W_B
Senior Member
For about 15 degrees of the turn as the trees are near straight ahead (bout 5 degrees before straight, 10 after) I definitely have this. You don't hear a pronounced chatter, but you can hear an extremely faint low frequency hump hump, but this may be coming from the bike itself flexing on the lift. BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY FEEL IT. It is VERY pronounced on the FEEL test. The front end seems to bind and jump on each frequency, so much so that just turning my bars through this area actually makes the bike lift roll and inch or so in the direction of turning, by the time I through it. You can visually see the front end bobbing up and down a small amount as it turns thru this sweep.
The previous owner worked out of town and only rode the bike on weekends. It was parked in a small metal shed all week.
Bubbie are you saying a bad tire in the past (or present) caused this bearing damage ?
Yea I've already read what a pain the bottom 'sometimes' can be. In fact some folks have actually pulled the entire lower tree and stem out of the head and then end up having to take it to an Indy to get the bottom bearing off. Course I don't know what kind of special tool they have? I see visions in my mind of paying for them to cut and beat the thing off just like I can do (with possible damage to stem). I do have a heat gun though, if it ain't frozen on.
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Well this is just special. I feel about as happy as a cow at the slaughter house. This is just one of a long list of things that have broke in my life over the past 3 months. Couple that with loaning some money to family and friends to help them, then blowing the rest on my new TBars and Dakota Speedo and I am just about give out with all this. To make matters worse I came in last night and found my small frig in the utility room was broke and all my beer was hot.
I think I may just park the bike for awhile and concentrate on putting some new gaskets on my truck and just kinda re-evaluate a few things. I can still put ice on the beer. I had a horse once when I was a teenager, it was expensive to maintain also.