[VikingRider]

Dear dr. Ruth, before I go and waste a lot of money at the local MOCO I need some pointers to locate the problem.
My bike is a '01 FLTRSEI2 with 28k on the odo. It was imported from FL (probably had its share of sun and warmth)with no previous service record with it.
The engine is stock and last year it got an overhaul (pulled the 203-cams and replaced them with new ones also replaced one lifter). I was, to say the least, a little surprised with all the problems found...makes me wonder if my bike was a star at some HOGMANIA!
I hade the bike tested in a Dyno recently. The local MOCO had me sign a waiver on any warranty regarding the engine (I'm kind of regretting that, as this migh be the core of my recent problem).
My bike has, of course, the dreaded M&M EFI which in itself makes a lot of problems when starting cold (it sometimes stops after a sudden drop in RPMs).
So, to my latest chagrin - I now have more vibrations in the engine than before the Dyno-run. It's clearly noticeable in the floorboards to the extent that my feet starts to "sleep"! I even have more oil-slobbering so this makes me wonder if I'm having a serious problem with the engine or if it's just "normal" wear & tear (as often said at MOCO!)

Yours sincerely

 

[ironmark]

Do you have any mechanical ability??? Sometimes it is better to do some work by yourself.
The vibration could be in the tune but to check to make sure you can do a few things yourself.
First you can do a compression test and see if the compression is somewhat equal in both cylinders.
Second you can get a micrometer and check the crank runout, also when you are checking the crank runout it will allow you to check the cam chain tensioners for wear.
Third you can open the primary cover and inspect the primary chain tensioner and the clutch assembly and the compensator sprocket.
All the above mentioned will cause vibrations if there is worn parts, bearings or out of adjustment.
Also there could be non engine parts that cause vibrations such as wheel bearing or tire wear or balance or drive belt, to test for these issues you can ride down the road and pull in the clutch which will disengage the power to the wheels and see if the vibration is still there or if the vibration goes away. If the vibration goes away then it is the engine/transmission if it doesn't then it is in the wheels.
Get a HD service manual for your year model bike if you don't have one yet.

 

[calgaryglide]

More Vibration?

Ok,

Front Motor Mount

1. Take a good look at the lower front motor mount. This can be the culprit of "excessive vibration" even when the motor is revving at cruising speed. The bike is an 01, right now that is 15 production model years old. Depending on the mileage, if the oil filter was changed only once a year that is 15 times that the oil from the filter removal had a chance to spill down onto the front lower motor mount when the filter was changed. Even with the most care and attention, some oil can trickle down to the lower motor mount.
2. Those motor mounts were/are rubber. Over time oil and rubber do not do well together. Rubber loses the battle.
3. Replacing a front motor mount is the easiest thing to do without spending a ton of money. There are aftermarket front motor mounts, Glidepro, is one that I have used. You can replace it with a stock mount and see if that makes a difference.
4. The age of the bike and where you sourced it from. 15 years old and residing a fairly humid climate with salt in the air leads to corrosion. Inspect the bike thoroughly, look at all bolts behind the saddlebags and every connection point on the bike held together by bolts. Clean the frame thoroughly especially under the motor and inspect all the welds. Look for cracked paint and rust. The paint on the frame is to protect it from corrosion. If there cracked paint and rust, remove it back to paint that is tightly adhered, repaint the exposed areas with a quality undercoat and then with a good quality black rust paint.

Two things I would recommend that you do; get a service manual for your bike, if you don't already have one, buy a good torque wrench, not crazy expensive digital one but a good dial torque wrench in inch/pounds or n/m.


Calgaryglide

 

[VikingRider]

Do you have any mechanical ability??? Sometimes it is better to do some work by yourself.
Get a HD service manual for your year model bike if you don't have one yet.

Thanks for your reply, ironmark. That takes some guessing out of the equation and I believe you're right about where to look. I only have a hunch that the cam-chain tensioners might be the culprit. It's good to have an expert to back up the facts!

No, I'm not a trained mechanic (my somewhat limited knowledge was picked up while serving with a transportation battalion) and unfortunately nor are any of my buddys...furthermore this bike have costed close to US$ 10.000,- in repairs to get it running right so I'm kind of cautious before doing any DIY-work. That said I do some simple mantenance tasks myself (I'm not the guy who have MOCO replace broken bulbs and fuses!
like changing oils/filters etc.
I got the Clymer H-D FLH/FLT Twin-cams manual. Do you have any other suggestion for good manuals?

Thanks again!

 

[staush]

Get the harley manual. Climer manuals are too generic. Might find one on e-bay

 

[VikingRider]

Thanks for your reply calgaryglide!

Ok,
Take a good look at the lower front motor mount.

I have checked it but can't see any sign of excessive wear,

Replacing a front motor mount is the easiest thing to do without spending a ton of money. There are aftermarket front motor mounts, Glidepro, is one that I have used.

Good idea, I heard about Glide-Pro - do you know of any online-retailer that ships worldwide?

The age of the bike and where you sourced it from. 15 years old and residing a fairly humid climate with salt in the air leads to corrosion.

Yeah, I know and done it already to be sure!
I was first told that the bike came from Wisconsin (closer to our climate), when I heard it actually came from the Sunshine state I was bit annoyed (long story short: two 01 SERGs were imported from the US to Norway same color and all...)

Two things I would recommend that you do; get a service manual for your bike, if you don't already have one, buy a good torque wrench, not crazy expensive digital one but a good dial torque wrench in inch/pounds or n/m.

Yes, I got the Clymer FLH/FLT Twin-Cam manual. I've heard that it's not that good. Do you have any other suggestions?
I got a good torque wrench, needed that for replacing the spark-plugs.
Thanks again!

 

[VikingRider]

Get the harley manual. Climer manuals are too generic. Might find one on e-bay

Thanks, staush - I'm off to e-bay!

 

[Woodman]

I would second the notion of checking the front motor mount. I went through a few on my road king. The new stock Harley motor mount was so bad I couldn't ride over 60MPH with out the bike vibrating excessively. My feet went numb from the vibration, so I bought a Glide Pro Mount. A little pricey but as soon as I installed it I had a different bike . Look up glide -pro on the web. At the age of your bike it should have a new mount anyway, rubber deteriorates
I hope you get your problem solved.

 

[grambo]

You could also try a cheap Drag Specialties motor mount. 20 to 30 dollars. I had an independent put one on my 06 after it developed serious vibrations and some rear steer. It works great. No vibration and the bike tracks perfectly.

 

[VikingRider]

I would second the notion of checking the front motor mount. I went through a few on my road king. The new stock Harley motor mount was so bad I couldn't ride over 60MPH with out the bike vibrating excessively. My feet went numb from the vibration, so I bought a Glide Pro Mount. A little pricey but as soon as I installed it I had a different bike . Look up glide -pro on the web. At the age of your bike it should have a new mount anyway, rubber deteriorates
I hope you get your problem solved.

Thanks Woodman. I'll have to take your advice and check it thoroughly. That would certainly save me a lot of $$ instead of searching for a gremlin in the machine!

 

[VikingRider]

You could also try a cheap Drag Specialties motor mount. 20 to 30 dollars. I had an independent put one on my 06 after it developed serious vibrations and some rear steer. It works great. No vibration and the bike tracks perfectly.

I'll keep that in mind, grambo. But since I've already spent a small mortgage on the old ironhorse I won't skimp on any expenses for some peace of mind! :wink:
I heard the that Glide-Pro is of outstanding quality and will last for miles/years to come. The fact that it's made in the US is a bonus (have family and kin over there!)
We'll see.

 

[grambo]

I completely agree with you about using quality parts. In my case the Indy shop happened to have a cheapy part available so I said go ahead and try it. It works great and now I know the vibration I had on my bike was only a worn motor mount, hence no need to go through expensive diagnostics such as crank bearing run out or fuel injection. This cheapo motor mount saved me hundreds of dollars. Next motor mount may be a Glide Pro or a Velva Glide, or maybe for the price of those parts I will just replace with 6 to 8 Drag Specialties motor mounts which would take decades to do so. I probably will not have the bike that long.

 

[ironmark]

Chance are if the motor mount was bad the tech doing the dyno would have seen it since the engine would have lifted and twisted when it was at high RPM.
A simple inspection of the motor mount is easy to do you only have to remove the Voltage Regulator to see the motor mount good.
Yes the earlier version of the motor mounts had failure problems with the rubber compound and oil spilled on the motor mount during a oil change was a big culprit of the failure.
HD changed the rubber compound on their stock motor mounts and they have no more issues with the motor mount failing so you can use a stock HD motor mount and be confident that it will hold for years to come.
Chances are the motor mount has already been changed on your bike but check it anyways.