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[motor1]

A little late, but I thought I might add my own 2 cents. Have experienced the handling you have described countless times on several different Harleys. As you probably know by now it is fairly common on rubbermount Harleys. I have had it happen in the 65-85 MPH range ( a little unsettling); and at 95-100 MPH on a Police Road King ( during a pursuit) with an underwear change required afterward.
     I have found the simple things make a big difference, ie tire pressures, and suspension air pressure, it seems it will always be there, but proper set, will get rid of 80 percent of the problem.

[DavidB]

I tighted the front fork bearings on mine tighter than the book says on all my bikes . That helps to some extent.

[mackmorrowjr]

Thats why the manual says dont exceed 85mph on an ultra.

[greglyon]

A little late, but I thought I might add my own 2 cents. Have experienced the handling you have described countless times on several different Harleys. As you probably know by now it is fairly common on rubbermount Harleys. I have had it happen in the 65-85 MPH range ( a little unsettling); and at 95-100 MPH on a Police Road King ( during a pursuit) with an underwear change required afterward.
     I have found the simple things make a big difference, ie tire pressures, and suspension air pressure, it seems it will always be there, but proper set, will get rid of 80 percent of the problem.

What has your experience been regarding optimal tire and air suspension pressure for solo riding?

[djkak]

At 100 mph even on a straight road you're going to get some instability (wobble) because of the vortex that is created behind the fairing.....But like sooiee stated, there are many other factors that contribute to handling performance, and not all of them are bike related....The leather tour pak actually has nothing to do with that.  Where the tour pak comes in to play, especially if you have it loaded, is during low speed maneuvering, as your center of gravity, is moved slightly higher.

Cheers ,
Red

Try this once just for the heck of it; find a lightweight kitchen broom or something similar; ¾” wooden dowel rod, etc. Grip the broom in the approximate center and hold it parallel to the ground. Take two one gallon containers of house paint, or equivalent and hang them from the broomstick right next to your hand. Now, as quickly as you can, swing the broomstick from side to side in an arc of approximately 45 degrees. Count off the seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and write it down.

Next, move the weight away from the center near your hand, out to the outer end of the broomstick. Repeat the swing exercise again, counting off the number of seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and subtract it from the previous time.

This simple demonstration will help to illustrate the effect of moving just a few pounds of weight a short distance away from the center of gravity.

Consider the weight of a loaded Tourpac and the forces that must be overcome in order to keep it stable, in an environment where it is required to change directions, or stop changing directions. Now consider the Tourpac and luggage rack substantially overloaded; I realize nobody ever does this, but humor me for a moment.

If you don’t conclude that the load on the tail end of this machine is going to wag the Motorcycle all over the asphalt, repeat the exercise again with more weight.

One last thing to consider; does the force necessary to change the direction of the loaded Tourpac change as the speed of the Motorcycle and Tourpac increases?
 
djkak

[DavidB]

Try this once just for the heck of it; find a lightweight kitchen broom or something similar; ¾” wooden dowel rod, etc. Grip the broom in the approximate center and hold it parallel to the ground. Take two one gallon containers of house paint, or equivalent and hang them from the broomstick right next to your hand. Now, as quickly as you can, swing the broomstick from side to side in an arc of approximately 45 degrees. Count off the seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and write it down.

Next, move the weight away from the center near your hand, out to the outer end of the broomstick. Repeat the swing exercise again, counting off the number of seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and subtract it from the previous time.

This simple demonstration will help to illustrate the effect of moving just a few pounds of weight a short distance away from the center of gravity.

Consider the weight of a loaded Tourpac and the forces that must be overcome in order to keep it stable, in an environment where it is required to change directions, or stop changing directions. Now consider the Tourpac and luggage rack substantially overloaded; I realize nobody ever does this, but humor me for a moment.

If you don’t conclude that the load on the tail end of this machine is going to wag the Motorcycle all over the asphalt, repeat the exercise again with more weight.

One last thing to consider; does the force necessary to change the direction of the loaded Tourpac change as the speed of the Motorcycle and Tourpac increases?
 
djkak

Takes a lot of practice to ride a 850 lb motorcycle in curves at high speed. Really aint nothing ya can think about at the time.
Seen a lot of people around here get a new bike at 50 years old take a " Harleys rider course" and think there ready for the road. Then they  want to keep up up with experenced riders like the "Hillbilly Rocket Riders". It aint a pretty sight.

[RedDevil]

Try this once just for the heck of it; find a lightweight kitchen broom or something similar; ¾” wooden dowel rod, etc. Grip the broom in the approximate center and hold it parallel to the ground. Take two one gallon containers of house paint, or equivalent and hang them from the broomstick right next to your hand. Now, as quickly as you can, swing the broomstick from side to side in an arc of approximately 45 degrees. Count off the seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and write it down.

Next, move the weight away from the center near your hand, out to the outer end of the broomstick. Repeat the swing exercise again, counting off the number of seconds that it takes to complete 5 iterations and subtract it from the previous time.

This simple demonstration will help to illustrate the effect of moving just a few pounds of weight a short distance away from the center of gravity.

Consider the weight of a loaded Tourpac and the forces that must be overcome in order to keep it stable, in an environment where it is required to change directions, or stop changing directions. Now consider the Tourpac and luggage rack substantially overloaded; I realize nobody ever does this, but humor me for a moment.

If you don’t conclude that the load on the tail end of this machine is going to wag the Motorcycle all over the asphalt, repeat the exercise again with more weight.

One last thing to consider; does the force necessary to change the direction of the loaded Tourpac change as the speed of the Motorcycle and Tourpac increases?
 
djkak

How much weight do you put in your tour pak to get your tail end to wag all over the place?  I've loaded mine up pretty good (up to or maybe even a little more than the recommended) quite a few times and have never experienced that kind of wag that you're talking about.   
Cheers ,
Red

[djkak]

How much weight do you put in your tour pak to get your tail end to wag all over the place?  I've loaded mine up pretty good (up to or maybe even a little more than the recommended) quite a few times and have never experienced that kind of wag that you're talking about.   
Cheers ,
Red

It doesn’t take a lot of weight to adversely impact handling. Consider the maximum allowable load on the Tourpac luggage rack of 10 pounds; my FXRG jacket weighs 8 pounds. We know these racks will physically support large goodie bags full of stuff; you see it all of the time. The reason for limiting weight in this area is due to its adverse effect on vehicle handling.

The Tourpac’s placement relative to the vehicle’s center of gravity has a significant impact on handling, even when empty. At low speed the overhead may simply be an increase in rider input. The inertia of the Tourpac and contents increases with vehicle speed. Maintaining stability and control of this added weight at high speed, increases demands on the chassis and tires as the Rider and environment act to change the vehicle’s direction of travel.

It doesn’t take a hell of a lot to start wagging the machine; especially if you are riding near triple digits. At these high speeds, the rider will be competing with a well loaded Tourpac for control of the machine. At some point we should be thinking about recommended loads and speeds relative to actual use. This should give us a rough idea of how much additional capacity this chassis setup has to offer; or we could read the warning in the Tourpac lid.
 
djkak

[Midnight Rider]

It all works together...when packing, I always try to keep the heavier items in the saddlebags...tool kit on the bottom front, then in goes the liners with the lighter things on top.  The tourpak gets the fleece, my camera...stuff I might have to get to on the road.  If I need the tools, I can just pull the liner out with all the clothes in it and get to them.  I also have a roll bag for the luggage rack, but it is strictly reserved for rainsuits, hats, other fleece, combs/brushes.  It's probably got more in it than 10lbs, but I make every attempt to keep it light.

I also think decent suspension, both front and rear, plays a big part in getting good feedback from the bike in order to make the small adjustments necessary to keep from getting in bad situations.  The stock suspension, in my opinion, provides about the same feedback as a 1968 Buick.

[djkak]

It all works together...when packing, I always try to keep the heavier items in the saddlebags....I also have a roll bag for the luggage rack...It's probably got more in it than 10lbs, but I make every attempt to keep it light.

The stock suspension, in my opinion, provides about the same feedback as a 1968 Buick.

Buick Wildcat or Electra??

Exactly TC; awareness is the key. Taking a read of what lies ahead and understanding how your machine is going to react so that you can get ahead of it. Unlike the Saddlebags, the Tourpac places the load in a relatively undesirable location. If you are overloaded and you understand how it affects the machine, you can adjust your riding style to compensate for that shortcoming.

The thing to be avoided here is charging into adversity at warp speed, high on life, only to discover that you have leveraged your “edge” for something much less important.

djkak

[RedDevil]

Buick Wildcat or Electra??

Exactly TC; awareness is the key. Taking a read of what lies ahead and understanding how your machine is going to react so that you can get ahead of it. Unlike the Saddlebags, the Tourpac places the load in a relatively undesirable location. If you are overloaded and you understand how it affects the machine, you can adjust your riding style to compensate for that shortcoming.

The thing to be avoided here is charging into adversity at warp speed, high on life, only to discover that you have leveraged your “edge” for something much less important.

djkak

The key to all riding regardless of what motorcycle you ride, is to ride within your limitations and those of the machine.  Knowing those will get you a lot farther down the road, and the ride will be much more enjoyable. 
Cheers ,
Red

[djkak]

The key to all riding regardless of what motorcycle you ride, is to ride within your limitations and those of the machine.  Knowing those will get you a lot farther down the road, and the ride will be much more enjoyable. 
Cheers ,
Red

That is so true, Red. Speaking of limitations, my Wife tells me that I am over my limit after 6 pints of ale. I am going to go out tonight to check and see if 5 will get he job done.

If anyone is around in the early am tomorrow morning and notices a post or two that look like they could use a little spell check; that will be me next to my keyboard, flopping like a Walleye on a dock.

djkak

[RedDevil]

That is so true, Red. Speaking of limitations, my Wife tells me that I am over my limit after 6 pints of ale. I am going to go out tonight to check and see if 5 will get he job done.

If anyone is around in the early am tomorrow morning and notices a post or two that look like they could use a little spell check; that will be me next to my keyboard, flopping like a Walleye on a dock.

djkak

Well that put a good image in my mind...beings a Minnesota native, I'm all too familiar what a Walleye looks like when it's flopping on the dock.  You'll be in prime shape...
Cheers ,
Red

[Hoist!]

That is so true, Red. Speaking of limitations, my Wife tells me that I am over my limit after 6 pints of ale. I am going to go out tonight to check and see if 5 will get he job done.

If anyone is around in the early am tomorrow morning and notices a post or two that look like they could use a little spell check; that will be me next to my keyboard, flopping like a Walleye on a dock.

djkak

Hey dj, if you run into trouble communicating, direct it to me. We'll probably be speaking the same language by that hour! Hoist!

[paulq]

My 2006 cuse had severe tank slap at 80 - 100. You can overcome this by powering thru this speed. I have fitted the true track and it eliminates about 80% of the problem. It is still an unacceptable characteristic of this machine.