| Author | Message | ||
     Bikerrides |
OK, sounds like I did a better job of describing what I can see, which isn't much. I will take a pic this afternoon and post it. My question would be how long I can wait before replacing it. It is not disintegrated at all or doesn't appear to be dry rotting; I can only see that one place where there is a gap between metal and rubber. However, I haven't gotten a good look at the left side or the top. How difficult is it to replace the front ISO? I work at a high school with an outstanding automotive teacher who I know has dabbled in some motorcycles. He is ASE certified and a very experienced auto mechanic; I don't know his experience level on the bike side, especially H-D or Buell. With that said, is the front ISO job something that a person like that could do w/out any problem as long as they followed everything in the shop manual? I'm hoping to be able to wait until the summer when no students are here and the two of us can do the job in a day or so. At that point I'd only have the cost of the part to have to pony up.  Otherwise, I'd probably have to take it to the local H-D dealership, aka stealership, to have the repair done.  | ||
| Oldog |
Danny: No the DS item I used was the OE mfgr part prior to revision to the softer less durable rubber compound, marked BARRY iirc.... on issues since According to AL the Urethane bushings and other items with urethane don't hold up..... | ||
| Dannybuell |
put a floor jack under the motor so when you loosen the top nut off the engine doesn't drop. after that it is all very simple. American Sport Bike has the best setup for you. Oldog ~ Yes, my urethane front iso sucked. | ||
| Oldog |
I looked I had posted an article in the KV on changing the front iso  can't find it.. on the x1 it can be done with the tank off in about 1 hour | ||
| Oldog |
+1 what Danny said IIRC 9/16" wrenches and socket for iso mount (front) 3/4" wrench & sockets for hanger bolt the motor hangs off of the front iso at one point from the hanger on the front head a. remove tank b. place jack c. remove hanger bolt d. remove iso mount bolts (2) e. remove iso f. place and attach iso g. place D washer and hanger bolt h. jack up engine locktite bolt i. torque to spec ( check FSM ) (sorry im at work.) | ||
| Bikerrides |
OK, I took a few pics of the ISOs front and rear. I'll start w/the front, since it appears to have possible damage. If you've seen this before, let me know how bad it is based on what you see and how quickly I need to replace the ISO. Thanks for all your knowledge and advice.   | ||
| Jramsey |
You Sir have failed front Iso. | ||
| Bikerrides |
So James, how long is it safe to ride this way or does it need to be addressed immediately? Anyone else have an opinion? Dumb question  | ||
| Buell_lee |
If it was mine I would replace it before I rode the bike again. As the other guys have mentioned it is not a big job you should be able to replace it in about an hour. | ||
| Bikerrides |
Ok, so I know I'm going to have to replace the front ISO. Is the one from American Sportbike going to be the best one and last the longest? I keep hearing about differences in the longevity of them after they've been replaced. Now I'm going to post a few pics of the rear ISOs that I took earlier. The first pic is the right side and the 2nd is the left.   | ||
| Two_seasons |
The rear ones look good. Yes, the American Sport Bike iso's are the rubber ones, not the urethane ones. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Yes that front isolator is bad. Do not ride until you have fixed the bike. Oldogs instructions are great. American Sport Bike is the best. | ||
| Bikerrides |
I just ordered the ISO from American Sport Bike along with a service manual for my bike. Should be here Monday. Thanks for your help. | ||
| Bikerrides |
I know a couple of you have said not to ride the bike until the front iso is replaced. I've ordered it and it is on the way, but I know it won't be here until some next week. Based on what you can see in the pics, what you've seen on other bikes, and with 10 being perfect, can you rate the condition of the front iso from 1 to 10? If I ride on Sunday, the weather's supposed to be really nice, how much do I risk causing damage to the bike based on what you can see in the pictures? The picture doesn't show it, but there is no visible damage from above. I'm new to street riding and won't be hauling ass, doing wheelies, or dogging the thing out at all. Just easy riding. In my earlier posts about feeling excessive vibration below 2500 rpm, most of you said I was lugging the engine too much; it really smooths out over 3K rpm. Does the front iso look so bad that I just shouldn't ride it at all or would it be ok to ride easy? | ||
| M2marc |
Mine looks twice as bad as that and I have put nearly 250 miles on it. I know it need to be replaced and that I should'nt ride it. Its the next to do on my list. IMO it has not affected on the performance, but others will disagree. | ||
| Essmjay |
If you have excessive vibration from the bad ISO you risk breaking a front motor mount or exhaust header bolt. Maybe happen on this ride or maybe not. Your wallet, your choice. | ||
| Oldog |
I dont recog those rear isos, if original you may want to consider changing them, As others have stated the front iso is BAD.. the D washer on top is the fail safe BUT as stated you may wind up breaking the front head bolts, Again consider changing the rear isos too.... | ||
| Hootowl |
Show us a view of the rear isolators from below. From above, they look like the new kind to me. | ||
| Bikerrides |
This is the iso that I ordered from American Sport Bike. Do I need anything more? http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/17025-B.html | ||
| Jim2 |
Those rear iso's are the old style, but from the pictures the rubber appears to be in good shape. Look at all sides for worn or cracked rubber. When they start to fail they will sag and the position of the bolt in the frame hole will move toward the bottom of the frame hole as it sags. I believe that is a good indicator of failing rear iso's. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Don't understand Oldog saying...Again consider changing the rear isos too...." Those are pictures of your NEW rear iso's, right? Wait for the American Sport Bike front iso. You're not going to get any significant miles and all the while your mind will be on that front iso instead of the road ahead of you. | ||
| Bikerrides |
Steve, I just bought the bike last weekend, so I don't know if the rear ISOs have been changed or not. As far as I know, they're original. The seller had most, if not all of the service records from new and there wasn't anything in there where the rears were replaced. They appear to be in very good condition from what I can tell, but I don't have a point of reference. | ||
| Jramsey |
Stacey, Look where the rear head pipe runs underneath the frame for contact/rub marks, if they have been rubbing the Iso's need replaced. With the bike on the sidestand kneel down on the right side of the bike and push/pull the right grip up and down hard and look at the Iso area were it fits between the frame and swingarm block,new Iso's will have about 1/8" total up and down movement. Your bike has the early style that do not have the "safety" ears. Here's a pic of the new style. I bought a couple pairs from Al a while back, about $42 a pair.  | ||
| Bikerrides |
James, If they are worn beyond what is acceptable, will there be more or less than 1/8" movement? I assume more. What is it that actually moves; the iso itself, the frame, the swingarm, or what? When I get home from work today, I'm going to do these simple checks. Thanks! | ||
| Hootowl |
If you've got the old ones, you should just bite the bullet and get the new ones. They'll never (that I've ever heard of) fail you, and your old ones will eventually fail. Probably sooner than later. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Stacey: Thought those pics of rear iso's were new ones. I change those as well. Start yourself an 8.5" x 11" maintenance log on a clipboard and keep in your garage. Easy reference to what you are replacing, plus part #'s for the future. | ||
| Essmjay |
If the rear isos's are okay, I would wait until they need replacing. Replacing the rears on a s3 is a lot of work and you would want to replace the belt at the same time. So fix the front and ride. Just my opinion after doing s3 iso replacements on two bikes. | ||
| Bikerrides |
Ok, I did a James' tests and the rear header pipe and frame show no signs of any contact. When I pull up and down on the right handlebar grip as James says, I can see the frame move a little in relation to the swing arm bolt; I don't think it's more than 1/8". Now I'm going to post a few more pics of the rear ISOs for more opinions on their condition based on what you see. The first is the left rear from below.  Right side swing arm  Now the left side  Who makes the best rear ISOs so I can order them and replace these when necessary, whether sooner or later? | ||
| Two_seasons |
American Sport Bike The rears look good. It's your call. I agree with Essmjay above regarding replacing the drive belt at the same time. Overall, the original picture you posted of your new to you S3T looks like the PO took good care of it, so overall, I do not think you'll have a lot of maintenance issues to address. | ||
| Bikerrides |
Steve, I sure hope you're right on the maintenance issues. I believe it has been taken good care of, which is why I went ahead w/the purchase. I knew going in that I'd be looking at some work here or there i.e. ISOs and if the front is all I need to do right now, then I am in good shape! My father-in-law wants me to ride w/him tomorrow on a 60-80 mile short trip and I'm debating whether I should go or not; I believe he's as excited as I am about getting a bike  I rode about 25 miles yesterday and as long as I was above 3K rpm it felt really smooth. I think when the new front iso goes in, it'll smooth things out even more, especially below 3K. Do you think if I stay above 3K rpm as much as possible it would lessen the possibility of causing another issue considering the rear ISO's seem to be fine? My FiL rides a street glide, so it's not like we would be haulin' ass. Thanks again for all the advice as I become familiar w/my new steed |
