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Passenger complains about vibration

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toanjo

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Hey everyone, I have a small problem. My wife consistently complains that my 06 street bob w/ sundowner passenger pillion vibrates so much that she is too uncomfortable to ride it.

I dont notice any vibration in my seat at all, nor in the bike. I have read the other forum posts on vibration and I dont have any of the other problems discussed (my wheels dont vibrate, my rotors dont vibrate when I brake, etc).

I picked up the sundowner passenger pillion because it was the "cushiest" looking seat for a passenger.

Has anyone had similar problems (either with the bike or the wife)? Any suggestions, should I try a different seat? The bike is stock except for the pillion, forward controls, blinker relocation.

Would different exhaust help? Oh, I have also tried being very sensitive to what gear I am in, I have tried the revs low, the revs high, but no luck.
 
toanjo said:
Hey everyone, I have a small problem. My wife consistently complains that my 06 street bob w/ sundowner passenger pillion vibrates so much that she is too uncomfortable to ride it.

I dont notice any vibration in my seat at all, nor in the bike. I have read the other forum posts on vibration and I dont have any of the other problems discussed (my wheels dont vibrate, my rotors dont vibrate when I brake, etc).

I picked up the sundowner passenger pillion because it was the "cushiest" looking seat for a passenger.

Has anyone had similar problems (either with the bike or the wife)? Any suggestions, should I try a different seat? The bike is stock except for the pillion, forward controls, blinker relocation.

Would different exhaust help? Oh, I have also tried being very sensitive to what gear I am in, I have tried the revs low, the revs high, but no luck.
Click to expand...
Is it possible to put someone else back there and check this out? Is it just her "behind" that gets uncomffy or does it come up from the foot pegs???
 
She says her butt vibrates so much that it gets numb. My previous bike was a Ducati that loved high revs, so I was very surprised to hear her complain (not to mention the seat was hard as a rock).

When the bike is running and I put my hand on the passenger seat I can definitely feel it vibrate, but I dont know if this is abnormal. I admit I dont have a lot of harley experience so I dont know that I would know what is normal or not.

You advice about having someone else ride it w/ me is good, I didnt think of that, I will try it.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I am 6'4'' and did try riding on the passenger pillion while driving the bike. I didnt think to put my feet on the passenger pegs though. I will try that too (I have long arms so its not hard for me to do this).

Thanks again.
 
The vibration may be coming up through the footpegs. The passenger footpegs bolt to the swingarm now instead of to the frame as on the older Dynas.

Also check that the fender, backrest, and shock mount bolts are tight, to specs, and that the seat is properly mounted.

I have the Sundowner seat on an '07 Superglide and received a complement from a co-rider (not wife) on how much more comfortable this setup is compared to my prior Honda VTX with a Mustang tourer seat.

Good luck.
 
HA! Thats the funny part about it, because thats what I tell her. I say that there are lots of women who would love to sit there.
 
glider - Hmmm lets see... that night I believe she told me that I could sleep by the bike in the garage. Between the floor jack and the welder.

silverfoxd - I did a test ride tonight and put my feet up on the passenger pegs while riding directly on the fender for about a mile. I couldnt believe how much the pegs vibrate. I think the pegs vibrate more than the fender. Im going to do some research and see if there is anything I can do about that. For sure I will have to make sure she wears the right footwear.

Thanks everyone for your advice!
 
toanjo said:
glider - Hmmm lets see... that night I believe she told me that I could sleep by the bike in the garage. Between the floor jack and the welder.


Thanks everyone for your advice!
Click to expand...
:bigsmiley20:
At least you were out if the weather
 
toanjo said:
Hey everyone, I have a small problem. My wife consistently complains that my 06 street bob w/ sundowner passenger pillion vibrates so much that she is too uncomfortable to ride it.

I dont notice any vibration in my seat at all, nor in the bike. I have read the other forum posts on vibration and I dont have any of the other problems discussed (my wheels dont vibrate, my rotors dont vibrate when I brake, etc).

I picked up the sundowner passenger pillion because it was the "cushiest" looking seat for a passenger.

Has anyone had similar problems (either with the bike or the wife)? Any suggestions, should I try a different seat? The bike is stock except for the pillion, forward controls, blinker relocation.

Would different exhaust help? Oh, I have also tried being very sensitive to what gear I am in, I have tried the revs low, the revs high, but no luck.
Click to expand...

Told my wife about this problem she wants to know if we could trade bikes? :D
 
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