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[b407driver]

I have a 2012 CVO Ultra that has handled poorly from day 1. I have owned 4 other Touring family bikes over the years (including the '09 and later frame) and none have ever handled like this one. It was very "twitchy" on the ride home from the dealer the day I bought it. I checked the tire pressure & suspension pressure when I got home and got them correct. (shame on the dealer for poor set-up). It still handled poorly, weaving all over the road. At the first service the dealer found that the triple trees were mis-drilled from the factory. A new set was installed and it is still twitchy. A friend of mine also picked up a 1012 CVO Ultra when his '11 Limited got wrecked and he complains about the same behavior. He had his steering head bearings tightened and still no measurable improvement. A search on this forum alludes to the possibility of the Chisel wheels creating the problem.....I'll have to look into that further. Has anyone raised their fork tubes in the triple tree? Over in the sportbike world, they will do this to quicken the steering and place more of a weight bias on the front tire. Any other suggestions as to why this thing handles like crap?

[mlbraptor]

My 2012 Ultra also did not handle well .  Never could get it right.  I sold it.

[hdctss]

I am in the same boat.  The harley rep rode the bike and said I have a great riding bike.  Makes me wonder about his competency.  He had no answers, only that in his opinion there was nothing wrong with the bike.  How did they determine the triple trees were drilled wrong?
Also one of my friends added chisel wheels to his ultra and said he did not notice any difference in the before and after handling.

[MikeyD]

My 09 was what I considered twitchy, I loosened the neck bearings and it seemed to cure it. The adjustment seemed to lessen the effect of minor road imperfections and allow smoother turns.

[MikeyD]

While I was doing that I did take the time to properly lubricate them too, really Harley - does grease cost THAT much?

[petewerner]

My 09 was what I considered twitchy, I loosened the neck bearings and it seemed to cure it. The adjustment seemed to lessen the effect of minor road imperfections and allow smoother turns.

Hmmm, that is a new one. How many swings did U set it up with?

[JR]

Guess I'm a lucky one here. Mine rides great. Straight as an arrow. Even before I changed out suspensions I thought it rode fantastic coming off my 05 SEEG. Do you feel safe riding or is it that bad? Hope you get it settled. I too am curious how they determined the triple trees were mis-drilled?   Good luck and God Bless!

 

[grc]

A few thoughts off the top of my head:

Have the alignment checked.  While it is no longer adjustable on the late models ('09 and later Touring), it would not surprise me in the least to find Harley's manufacturing tolerances and quality control lacking again.  If the front and rear tires aren't aligned in all planes the handling will be squirrelly. 

By all means get the steering head bearing preload checked and set to spec.  Don't just assume you need it tightened; as MikeyD noted too tight can cause issues as well.

Defective tires, or improperly mounted tires, can also create the squirrelly feeling. 

Jerry

[CVO Brian]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. mine is the best Harley I have owned to date. Since its a new model for you maybe have a couple buddies ride it and you ride theirs to see if either one of you feels anything different. There are so many variables as to why you could be experiencing this strange ride. I will say my 2012 CVO Ultra felt a little loose when I first got it, I changed the handle bars and now its perfect. I can however sit still on the bike and shake the handle bars form side to side and the front wheels and shocks twist a little more than any other bike I have ever had, but once you start rolling its perfect. I also live in south florida and our roads are very smooth and very flat our tallest hill is the speed bumb in my gated community. Keep at it yuo will find your sweet spot. I can also tell you, when I switched to my first bagger i came off a Fat Boy and my first 6 months on my Street Glide I thought, this bike ride like crap, very squirelly, soft. I got used to the ride now getting back on a Fat Boy is Hell..

[b407driver]

I am in the same boat.  The harley rep rode the bike and said I have a great riding bike.  Makes me wonder about his competency.  He had no answers, only that in his opinion there was nothing wrong with the bike.  How did they determine the triple trees were drilled wrong?
Also one of my friends added chisel wheels to his ultra and said he did not notice any difference in the before and after handling.

The handlebar was not symmetrical in relation to the fairing and the switch plate on the lower fairing had gaps on one end. When the dealer loosened everything to re-align the bars, it was tweaked even more.

[CowboyBagger]

Had a bad tire on my 08 that created the same handling problem.  By looking at the tires, you couldn't tell that anything was wrong.  Dealer replaced both tires, problem cured.

Cowboy

[ultrafxr]

Had a bad tire on my 08 that created the same handling problem.  By looking at the tires, you couldn't tell that anything was wrong.  Dealer replaced both tires, problem cured.

Cowboy

Several years ago had a new rear tire installed on my '07 cuse2.  Pulling out of the parking lot from the dealership I knew something did not feel right.  But I took it on a road trip and it just felt squirrelly.  Upon return I had dealership check it.  Tech said lateral runout on the tire was just a tad below the allowable tolerance for replacement and the GM would not authorize replacement.  I had them put another tire on (my dime) and problem was cured.  Luckily the SM was a good guy and he made it up to me on the price by discounting a future service. 

Then last year when I had my RUSE I had a new front tire installed (due to the cracking problem).  Again it immediately felt squirrelly and I returned immediately.  Tech said he had a difficult time balancing it and the SM had him install another tire.  Problem solved.

So I would definitely have your tires checked and/or replaced.  That could be your problem.   

[hdaliaconis]

should be rock solid.

[kraut]

don't forget to have the motormounts checked, I know of one case they came misfitted out of factory.

[hdaliaconis]

Didn't get many miles on before the winter set in after Christmas but handled well much the same as prior ultra's.  Only thing that will take some time for me to adjust is the hydraulic clutch.  Seems to engage all the way at the end of it's travel.  My cable clutches engaged about mid way.  I'll need to practice before making tight u turns or parking lot maneuvers!!