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[novazeus]

Not much has been mentioned about the relocation of the stabilizer link to the front of the motor in 2008.

My FLHRSE4 has one on the front top of the motor and one on the front bottom of the motor.
Would having this stabilizer link relocated to the front of the motor result in eliminating the wallowing effect some have experienced in long sweeping corners? Does the '07 SERK have a stabilizer link at the bottom of the front of the motor?
Has anybody that has ridden an '07 noticed any difference in the '08? My '08 seems solid as a rock in the corners so far.

[grc]

Not much has been mentioned about the relocation of the stabilizer link to the front of the motor in 2008.

My FLHRSE4 has one on the front top of the motor and one on the front bottom of the motor.
Would having this stabilizer link relocated to the front of the motor result in eliminating the wallowing effect some have experienced in long sweeping corners? Does the '07 SERK have a stabilizer link at the bottom of the front of the motor?
Has anybody that has ridden an '07 noticed any difference in the '08? My '08 seems solid as a rock in the corners so far.

The link at the lower front hasn't changed from the previous models, only the upper link was changed.  After taking a cursory look at the entire mounting system, I would say that the link change wouldn't have any beneficial effect on the handling issue.  The "wallowing" is a result of the drivetrain being allowed to "flex" at the rear, both from movement in the mounts and from flexing of the swingarm itself.  Moving the upper link further from the rear wheel definitely isn't going to reduce flexing at that point (and really isn't designed to affect that anyway).  The upper link's real purpose is to keep the drivetrain (engine, trans, and rear wheel) aligned vertically with the frame and front wheel.  Side to side alignment is controlled by the lower link and the rear trans/swingarm mount.  

The swingarm itself has been upgraded/stiffened several times over the years, and many of the recent touring models seem to have significantly less "wobble".  Some are better than others, due to variations in parts and assembly, but overall the latest versions do seem improved.  Of course, as the rear mounts and suspension age and wear you may find a gradual degradation.  The system really needs at least one more link to control the side to side and twisting movements at the swing arm pivot.  That is what the aftermarket stabilizers attempt to do by adding another lower horizontal link at the transmission.

Jerry

[djkak]

Not much has been mentioned about the relocation of the stabilizer link to the front of the motor in 2008.

My FLHRSE4 has one on the front top of the motor and one on the front bottom of the motor.
Would having this stabilizer link relocated to the front of the motor result in eliminating the wallowing effect some have experienced in long sweeping corners? Does the '07 SERK have a stabilizer link at the bottom of the front of the motor?
Has anybody that has ridden an '07 noticed any difference in the '08? My '08 seems solid as a rock in the corners so far.

I feel that there is some potential for the stabilizer link’s new location to improve the Motorcycle’s handling. It goes without saying that the ability of the chassis to maintain alignment of the front and rear wheels is key to the stable handling characteristics of the Motorcycle. Rotation of the powertrain on its horizontal axis, even a small amount, will negatively impact the alignment of the front and rear wheels.

I believe that moving the location of the top stabilizer link to a point closer to the steering head of the Motorcycle will result in a more stable vertical powertrain alignment, relative to the steering head and front wheel. This would return the greatest value during times of high load and stress when chassis flex is greatest. If this proves true, the effect on vehicle handling would be substantial.


As always, this is JMHO.

djkak

[cvo junkie]

they had to move the mount to the front do to the new 6 gallon tank thats why it is there. beleive me harley still thinks there bikes never wobble
d

[novazeus]

That is probably why they moved it foward but it does seem to be a better location and Harley probably would not tout the new location as making the bike more stable with any chance of giving pending lawsuits ammunition.

[Billy]

Some of the Mechanics at Harley think it is for the future Vrod type engine      Billy

[Chief]

Regardless of the reason for moving it there, it looks like crap. They could have done a lot better on that piece. Now they're hiding part of the front rocker box with  a zing plated piece of stamped steel. They couldn't have created a fuglier piece of chit if they had tried.

Way to go Willie!

[novazeus]

If it weren't zinc plated how could they sell you an upgraded chrome bracket later???

[grc]

If it weren't zinc plated how could they sell you an upgraded chrome bracket later???

    No doubt in my mind, if they don't already have a chrome cover for that sucker they will have by the time the next catalog comes out. 

Jerry

[Talon]

The link at the lower front hasn't changed from the previous models, only the upper link was changed. After taking a cursory look at the entire mounting system, I would say that the link change wouldn't have any beneficial effect on the handling issue.  The "wallowing" is a result of the drivetrain being allowed to "flex" at the rear, both from movement in the mounts and from flexing of the swingarm itself.  Moving the upper link further from the rear wheel definitely isn't going to reduce flexing at that point (and really isn't designed to affect that anyway).  The upper link's real purpose is to keep the drivetrain (engine, trans, and rear wheel) aligned vertically with the frame and front wheel.  Side to side alignment is controlled by the lower link and the rear trans/swingarm mount.  

The swingarm itself has been upgraded/stiffened several times over the years, and many of the recent touring models seem to have significantly less "wobble".  Some are better than others, due to variations in parts and assembly, but overall the latest versions do seem improved.  Of course, as the rear mounts and suspension age and wear you may find a gradual degradation.  The system really needs at least one more link to control the side to side and twisting movements at the swing arm pivot.  That is what the aftermarket stabilizers attempt to do by adding another lower horizontal link at the transmission.

Jerry

I agree with Jerry and Chief, the major problem related to the motor/trans is the rubber mount on the motor, trans and swing arm. The flex allowed by this design allows the rear wheel to change camber while cornering. This causes most of the wallowing affect you feel in a hard turn. Not sure what the change in the top mount does in regard to this, but I agree with Chief, looks like crap! They should have at least made this chrome. Also what does this do to the front head design. I would assume this head is different than years past?

[skreminegul07]

From that picture I noticed that now that the SE engines are silver, the black SE 110 badges look stupid as in the 07 cluster F#*K with silver badges on the black engine.

What do they smoke in Willyland?

[djkak]

.....Moving the upper link further from the rear wheel definitely isn't going to reduce flexing at that point (and really isn't designed to affect that anyway).  The upper link's real purpose is to keep the drivetrain (engine, trans, and rear wheel) aligned vertically with the frame and front wheel.  Side to side alignment is controlled by the lower link and the rear trans/swingarm mount.....

Jerry

I agree with Jerry and Chief, the major problem related to the motor/trans is the rubber mount on the motor, trans and swing arm. The flex allowed by this design allows the rear wheel to change camber while cornering......

I believe we all agree that keeping the rear wheel aligned vertically with the front is necessary in order to achieve stable handling at high speeds. Actually I don’t think that it matters as much that the wheels are perfectly aligned, but that the relative alignment doesn’t change substantially when riding.

My sense of the benefit for moving the top stabilizer link from the center of the frame to the steering head is to reduce the affect of torsional chassis flex on wheel alignment. This is most evident during times when the machine is being ridden hard at high speed. The benefit from moving the link is realized by allowing the midpoint of the chassis to move independent of the top stabilizer link. The steering head is the logical choice for the anchor because it also maintains the vertical alignment of the front wheel.

The rear tire is going to follow the lateral movement of the top stabilizer link at nearly a 1:1 ratio; an 1/8” of lateral stabilizer movement will result in nearly an 1/8” of movement at the tire tread’s centerline. This isn’t a question of whether the frame is going to flex under high load; it’s a question of how much.

The folks marketing the aftermarket stabilizers boldly assert that the rear powertrain mounts are the weakest link in the Twin Cam’s chassis. There is no mention of the inherent flexibility of the double cradle frame relative to contemporary perimeter frame designs. This makes good sense if the goal is to sell stabilizer links, but if the intent is to explore the possible reasons for high speed instability, the frames ability to resist torsional loading should considered. It is my strong sense that the issues resulting from the torsional flexibility of the Twin Cam’s double cradle chassis far exceed the overhead of properly functioning rear powertrain mounts.

These ramblings are not intended to be presented as fact, but simply as my humble opinion.

djkak

[sooiee]

From that picture I noticed that now that the SE engines are silver, the black SE 110 badges look stupid as in the 07 cluster F#*K with silver badges on the black engine.

What do they smoke in Willyland?

I just don't get it.  Do some complain just to complain?   
No...the engines are not silver.  They're a granite color.  It's in between silver and black and has SS in the paint.  Go see one in person. 

Cheers, J

[sadunbar]

From that picture I noticed that now that the SE engines are silver, the black SE 110 badges look stupid as in the 07 cluster F#*K with silver badges on the black engine.

What do they smoke in Willyland?

Skremin,

I think the real reason the cylinder head badges are black instead of silver or granite or any other light color is so you can't see the rear cylinder badge turn colors from the overheating rear cylinder head!!

Scott