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[CVO2FIXUP]

Has any one used, or using a Glide Pro system on a 2009 and newer baggers?  And did the system help or improve anything? Any feed back would be great. Cheers.

[TexasBowhunter]

I had...
Put them in and have been fighting Ill handling problems since I installed them a year ago not believing it was the Glide Pros...
To be fare though I had at the same time replaced the bike with Avon radials and felt it was something other then the Donuts and had been chasing the handling problems around for a year...Replacing tires with the the same brand, tightening the swing away, rebuilding the front forks and still had the same Ill handling problems...
Finally...
Took them out and re-installed the factory and problems pretty much went away...
Jake has been very supportive prior to the last time I went back in there and put my factory back in there...
he had replaced then with the latest fandagoed models...
I do have them in the front and am considering removing them and installing the factory one's...
My theory there is with the back ones being firmer then the front ones that there is opportunity for handling problems traversing to the rear end giving it a wondering feeling when going around sweeping turns... may be a minor concern but I want to eliminate all handling problems that may exist...
FFT
Paul

[Skipper]

I had...
Put them in and have been fighting Ill handling problems since I installed them a year ago not believing it was the Glide Pros...
To be fare though I had at the same time replaced the bike with Avon radials and felt it was something other then the Donuts and had been chasing the handling problems around for a year...Replacing tires with the the same brand, tightening the swing away, rebuilding the front forks and still had the same Ill handling problems...
Finally...
Took them out and re-installed the factory and problems pretty much went away...
Jake has been very supportive prior to the last time I went back in there and put my factory back in there...
he had replaced then with the latest fandagoed models...
I do have them in the front and am considering removing them and installing the factory one's...
My theory there is with the back ones being firmer then the front ones that there is opportunity for handling problems traversing to the rear end giving it a wondering feeling when going around sweeping turns... may be a minor concern but I want to eliminate all handling problems that may exist...
FFT
Paul

I don't get it, why did you put them (Glide Pros...) in first place?

Vlado

[RayG]

I have an 08 but I'm putting in the front motor mount & the swingarm kit this winter.  I have the True Track & will disconnect it while I put a few break in miles on it.  Recently the rear end started to get real sloppy on some corners that it used to handle fine.  I have the AK-20's in the front and 13" Bitubo shocks in the rear so that's about all I can do to it that I know of to improve the suspension & ride quality.  I spent quite a bit of time talking to Jake @ Glide Pro and I'm confident that his product will solve my problem, I do know he changed the rubber hardness recently.   I have heard from a few owners that they had some vibration for a few hundred miles, I can live with that if it eventually stops.   

[Skipper]

I have an 08 but I'm putting in the front motor mount & the swingarm kit this winter.  I have the True Track & will disconnect it while I put a few break in miles on it.  Recently the rear end started to get real sloppy on some corners that it used to handle fine.  I have the AK-20's in the front and 13" Bitubo shocks in the rear so that's about all I can do to it that I know of to improve the suspension & ride quality.  I spent quite a bit of time talking to Jake @ Glide Pro and I'm confident that his product will solve my problem, I do know he changed the rubber hardness recently.   I have heard from a few owners that they had some vibration for a few hundred miles, I can live with that if it eventually stops.   

I'm sure it will work fine. My concern is for new frame (2009-2013 bikes).

[grc]

In my somewhat humble opinion, the problem with all of the products that purport to solve the acknowledged rear steer and wobble issues of the pre 2009 Harley baggers is that the companies continue to push those products to folks with 2009 and later models that don't have those same problems.  The Harley market seems to have more of this than any other I've seen, with untold numbers of people making a living selling products to theoretically fix all sorts of flaws Harley has pawned off on us over the years.  There have been many companies that did indeed come out with improvements that made many a Harley better.  But there are always some who slide over to the dark side and start pushing products that aren't needed or beneficial.  I think the folks selling the True-Trak, IPS, Glide Pro, etc. rear steer "solutions" to late model bike owners fit into that group.

Maybe people keep buying all this stuff they really don't need because they've become so accustomed to having to fix so many of Harley's issues for themselves.  I've often gotten the feeling that some folks can't be happy just riding their Harley, but instead can only be happy if they are spending money on it pretty much constantly.

Jerry

[2k]

Jerry, I knew what you were going to say before you said it........Sadly, you are correct

[FlaHeatWave]

I am also very interested in the Glide-Pro at this time for the '09, not so much for handling issues, but the consistant scalloping of the rear tire, here's why;

The '09 is on it's 2nd rear tire in 20k miles, the rears have a deep scallop by 8k and are making noise and viberating. All is well with the bike, Tire pressure, balance, alignment, upgrade suspension, etc... (I know the Dunlops aren't the best, but I am stuck with them between the sizes and load range on the '09) I won't run anything else on the '01 or the '05

I ran into some Vehicle Dynamics Engineers in a roadhouse in Kingman, AZ about 3 weeks ago ( There are Manufacturer Proving Grounds just south of there - one of the facilities is HD) showed them the bike and described the scalloping issue.

After thinking for a while (a few more cold drinks) they suggested that I firm up the bushings on the left (drive side) of the bike to minimize the deflection due to torque. It made perfect sense to me, and since the Glide-Pro are firmer, I will look into them.

Am I the only one with the rear tire scalloping issue?? If you folks tell me that I am, I will look elsewhere for a solution.

[hdbrad03]

"Am I the only one with the rear tire scalloping issue?? If you folks tell me that I am, I will look elsewhere for a solution."


No your not the only one with Tire Scalloping. Fire up your dealer for warranty on the tires. I've never paid for a new 407 or 408 on my 2009 FLTRSE3.


 


    Brad

[FlaHeatWave]

In my somewhat humble opinion, the problem with all of the products that purport to solve the acknowledged rear steer and wobble issues of the pre 2009 Harley baggers is that the companies continue to push those products to folks with 2009 and later models that don't have those same problems.  The Harley market seems to have more of this than any other I've seen, with untold numbers of people making a living selling products to theoretically fix all sorts of flaws Harley has pawned off on us over the years.  There have been many companies that did indeed come out with improvements that made many a Harley better.  But there are always some who slide over to the dark side and start pushing products that aren't needed or beneficial.  I think the folks selling the True-Trak, IPS, Glide Pro, etc. rear steer "solutions" to late model bike owners fit into that group.

Maybe people keep buying all this stuff they really don't need because they've become so accustomed to having to fix so many of Harley's issues for themselves.  I've often gotten the feeling that some folks can't be happy just riding their Harley, but instead can only be happy if they are spending money on it pretty much constantly.

Jerry

I kinda like the rear steer of the '05, 'just back it into a turn like the Moto GP guys do... The only things changed on the '05 are K&N and a PC III (and the PC III was given to me) To me, the '05 SEEG is the best bike that The MoCo has produced to date! (although I haven't ridden any '14s yet)

[FlaHeatWave]

"Am I the only one with the rear tire scalloping issue?? If you folks tell me that I am, I will look elsewhere for a solution."


No your not the only one with Tire Scalloping. Fire up your dealer for warranty on the tires. I've never paid for a new 407 or 408 on my 2009 FLTRSE3.


 


    Brad

Who said anything about paying for tires???

[INDEPENDENT_1]

I run the Glide-Pro system on my '12 Road Glide Custom with AK-20's and Bitubo WMT's. S&S T124" and other goodies. Bike tracks like a train. I have not replaced the tires yet, wheels and tires will be next. Hard to say if it has fixed the tire "scalloping" problem yet but the bike does handle the best it ever has. The Glide Pro mounts I have are what I think are the latest design (durometer) of hardness etc. They are yellow in color. Jake has been very reasonable to deal with for me and in my experience with him, I would bet he would be willing to help as much as possible or possibly even refund your money if you were not pleased with them. The new frame does inherently handle better than the previous design. Jake will tell you that the new bikes dont need the upgrade as badly as the earlier frames but my experience says the new ones are improved with the system also. Is it worth the money? I cant answer that for everyone but when it comes to my bike, I have spent more than Id like to admit but probably not as much as a lot of other people do. I enjoy my bike and I enjoy making it better than it is in stock form. The stock bikes IMO are just a platform for me to do with it what I want.

[FlaHeatWave]

I run the Glide-Pro system on my '12 Road Glide Custom with AK-20's and Bitubo WMT's. S&S T124" and other goodies. Bike tracks like a train. I have not replaced the tires yet, wheels and tires will be next. Hard to say if it has fixed the tire "scalloping" problem yet but the bike does handle the best it ever has. The Glide Pro mounts I have are what I think are the latest design (durometer) of hardness etc. They are yellow in color. Jake has been very reasonable to deal with for me and in my experience with him, I would bet he would be willing to help as much as possible or possibly even refund your money if you were not pleased with them. The new frame does inherently handle better than the previous design. Jake will tell you that the new bikes dont need the upgrade as badly as the earlier frames but my experience says the new ones are improved with the system also. Is it worth the money? I cant answer that for everyone but when it comes to my bike, I have spent more than Id like to admit but probably not as much as a lot of other people do. I enjoy my bike and I enjoy making it better than it is in stock form. The stock bikes IMO are just a platform for me to do with it what I want.

How many miles on your bike / rear tire

[Gnarl78]

I have an 08 but I'm putting in the front motor mount & the swingarm kit this winter.  I have the True Track & will disconnect it while I put a few break in miles on it.  Recently the rear end started to get real sloppy on some corners that it used to handle fine.  I have the AK-20's in the front and 13" Bitubo shocks in the rear so that's about all I can do to it that I know of to improve the suspension & ride quality.  I spent quite a bit of time talking to Jake @ Glide Pro and I'm confident that his product will solve my problem, I do know he changed the rubber hardness recently.   I have heard from a few owners that they had some vibration for a few hundred miles, I can live with that if it eventually stops.   

Are you going to reconnect the True Track or remove it once you have the Glide Pro broken in? Ray, I'd like to hear of your experience with this setup after you've had some miles on it.

[grc]

I am also very interested in the Glide-Pro at this time for the '09, not so much for handling issues, but the consistant scalloping of the rear tire, here's why;

The '09 is on it's 2nd rear tire in 20k miles, the rears have a deep scallop by 8k and are making noise and viberating. All is well with the bike, Tire pressure, balance, alignment, upgrade suspension, etc... (I know the Dunlops aren't the best, but I am stuck with them between the sizes and load range on the '09) I won't run anything else on the '01 or the '05

I ran into some Vehicle Dynamics Engineers in a roadhouse in Kingman, AZ about 3 weeks ago ( There are Manufacturer Proving Grounds just south of there - one of the facilities is HD) showed them the bike and described the scalloping issue.

After thinking for a while (a few more cold drinks) they suggested that I firm up the bushings on the left (drive side) of the bike to minimize the deflection due to torque. It made perfect sense to me, and since the Glide-Pro are firmer, I will look into them.

Am I the only one with the rear tire scalloping issue?? If you folks tell me that I am, I will look elsewhere for a solution.

The tire scalloping issue was widespread on the early versions of the Dunflop MultiTread tires, and is almost certainly caused by the tire itself.  The same problems were cussed and discussed on the MultiTread tires used on other brands of bikes before they were offered for Harleys. 

My theory is that the boundary of the two different tread materials is located where it can be in contact with the road almost continuously, and not just on hard cornering.  The two different compounds wear at different rates, thus causing the uneven wear.  Running the air pressure at the maximum may help if that's the case, and running it too low would of course make the problem worse. 

Anyhow, the engine/trans mounting system is designed to be a compromise between comfort and rigidity.  If someone wants to change to harder mounts to supposedly improve handling while riding their touring bike like a sports bike, go for it.  But you don't get something for nothing, there is always a tradeoff no matter what the advertisers say.

JMHO - Jerry