| Author | Message | ||
     Prebs75 |
ok try to make sense of this i got the front fixed on my 02 clone but now i feel a harder all around vibration. In my feet and hands, could it be the DS isolator i got to stiff? i can really feel it in my hands and feet | ||
| Buellistic |
Prebs75: It is the old saying: "YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO !!!" The -79D and DS ISOLATORS are "STRONGER" as not to come apart, which means you have a more ridged(stiffer)isolator of which the negative side is "VIBRATION" ... The "POSITIVE" side is they last longer ... MAY THE LONG LASTING BUELL BE WITH YOU !!! | ||
| Tdman77 |
Give it a little time to settle and the vibration will lessen. But it will never be like the stock iso, it's something you just have to live with. | ||
| Guell |
Thanks for the updates, mine should be in this weekend. | ||
| Prebs75 |
ya it just sucks the little bit i drove it around town tonight my right hand started to tingle after only a few minutes. are there any grips or rubber mounts for the handle bars that could help with this if it does nt get better?? Also trying to find a sock for my forcewinder intake any ideas, thanks | ||
| Guell |
My bars are filled, and im running traction grips, ill let you know how mine feels. | ||
| Buellistic |
Prebs75: BUELLers buy a FORCE set up so the engine will breath better, then they put "SOCK" over the Air Filter, could "i" be missing something here ??? Put my "ECONO FORCE" inside my OEM Air Box, which allows me to ride in the "RAIN" ... MAY THE LONG LASTING BUELL BE WITH YOU !!! | ||
| 14d |
Do you need to replace the front motor mount bolt with the f911 one that's in there or will a grade 8 suffice? Or can a grade 8 suffice for a couple hundred miles? | ||
| Tdman77 |
Buellistic - That's because the stock air box is ugly as hell. Anything is better than that black thing stuck on the side of the bike like an eye sore! Even Buell knew it was fugly, they got rid of it in 03. | ||
| Buellistic |
Tdman77: "UGLY" it is, "BUT" it also makes a good SLIDER for the right side ... "YES", in 03 they did go to the METRIC style Air Box ... | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Replacement rain socks are available from your local dealership, or any parts shop that has a Drag Specialties catalogue. Sorry I don't have the pn for you. They help in moderate rain, but are not great for the heavy stuff. | ||
| Eshardball |
I have the same front Iso and have Gel grips. There is a product called bar snake that is supposed to deaden vibration. You could mix in a few ounces of #9 lead shot into epoxy which should do the same thing in therory | ||
| Phelan |
BTW, the sock is a proven 4+HP killer on the dyno, so please only use it in the rain unless you "don't" want that 4 HP... | ||
| Guell |
My bike has that bar snake crap in the handlebars, i didnt put it in there so i never had a before after comparison. | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
Go back an recheck what ya did? The washer has a flat side, check it did not spin wile tightning if it touches the frame guess what happens? big vibes. | ||
| Prebs75 |
i checked the washer looks good. I can t seem to find that sock anywhere i guess i just want it to put in my travel back just in case or for washing. | ||
| Jmkybf |
http://www.nrhsperformance.com/partscarburetion.sh tml Dry charger sock for Forcewinder XR/XR2 $32.95 | ||
| Fullauto |
I put a plastic bag over mine when I wash it. | ||
| Bikerjim99 |
Well everyone, I give up. After many years of near flawless service, I am trading in my 40,000 mile S3. This year, I was stranded by a still unknown short in the electrical system. I then tore my front isolator, which I found out that there was no direct factory replacement. I replaced the iso with a Drag Specialties one, and had increased vibration as noted by others. On the way home from Homecoming, I noticed the vibrations to seem to get better. I was quite happy with that, until in my garage I noticed a broken bolt on the engine mount. I do not know if the harder isolator caused the mount bolt to break, but it is suspicious. Seeing that there is no direct replacement for the isolator, and I don't feel that I can trust my bike any longer, it's time for a new bike. I drive 1000 miles or more at a time on a trip, so I need a reasonable amount of reliability. I have noticed that many of us who start down this road of trying to repair the problem just keep having recurrences. With no direct motorcycle replacement from Buell ( I know, the Uly, but I do not like the XB series that much, and I cannot comfortably fit on a 1125 ) I chose a Dyna Superglide. Boy, will I miss my tuber! Perhaps some day, I will get another Buell, but for now it's over to the dark side. I hope you all have better success with this problem of the isolators than I did. Safe riding Jim | ||
| Kalali |
The charisma and the character of the Tubers is second to none but that can only go so far. I think the Superglide is the best bang for the buck in the Harley line and I am sure you will enjoy it more on long trips. Good luck. | ||
| Hippyjoe |
I replaced the iso with a Drag Specialties one, and had increased vibration as noted by others. On the way home from Homecoming, I noticed the vibrations to seem to get better. I was quite happy with that, until in my garage I noticed a broken bolt on the engine mount. I do not know if the harder isolator caused the mount bolt to break, but it is suspicious. Same thing happened to me. A month after installing the Drag iso, the vibes smoothed out. Two months later, a mount bolt sheared off and the mount broke in half. I read that the Drag iso is made in China. I suppose you get what you pay for, even in terms of rubber. | ||
| Kalali |
I am not sure if the country of manufacture is the issue here. It appears that the harder rubber puts more stress on the head bolts causing them to shear off. Intuitively, I would have thought the softer rubber would last longer because it would allow for more movement, more pliable, etc., and would also put less stress on the bolts and transmit less vibration. Is Buell technical guys/engineers aware of this? This is becoming ridiculous. | ||
| Oldog |
Jim, there is a buell part available for the tube frame bikes, I rode mine with the ds part and the bolt in the head broke, I started the experiment and many took it as a success, I am still making repairs ( scope creep & errors on my part ), we may have to live with the Buell isolator, and its short life, I think that the rear isolators may be a factor, I have since replaced all isos, if on completeion of repairs it vibrates brutaly as it did before I will change back to the new buell isolator, I will also contact Buell by certified letter outlining all of the issues I have had todate with this problem, I too wonder if the DS part is to hard and overloads the mounts, XB heads may be an alternative, as you never hear of the heads failing or the bolts breaking, a lot of problems are getting sorted on the new air cooled bikes.... Like Kali says character can only go so far.. BTW Hippy Joe, the OE Barry controls isos, are made in China, Too, I do not know what or why but I wish that "the 200" could help us owners solve this. it certainly makes me want to think long and hard about a future Buell, (Message edited by Oldog on June 08, 2009) | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
Could rear isolator stiffeners help save the front one? I am thinking of the pucks that go inside to limit movement as sold by American Superbike. Vibration would increase but I am thinking that might be okay if reliability is improved. Just an idea. | ||
| Oldog |
Not likely, may cause other problems | ||
| Kalali |
"I will also contact Buell by certified letter outlining all of the issues I have had to date with this problem" Thanks Oldog. If you need to collect signatures to underscore the prevalence of this problem, please let us know. It might strengthen the position. They need to understand that there are a lot of folks out there who love these bikes and have been going out of their way to keep them on the road. I am willing to bet that the Jap bike owners would have dumped their bikes long ago. | ||
| Tdman77 |
IIRC this is not a new problem. Our brothers in europe fix the problem with something called a Stillen Brace (I think). It connects the two top isolators. As far as I know no one with the brace has had any further issues with their isolators or engine mounts. I think it is worth a trip into the archived threads. If anyone wants to build their own or have a shop make one here is the specs.  | ||
| Guell |
Well screw it, that ds iso isnt going into my bike, way too many failures on that iso. | ||
| Hippyjoe |
Looking at Don Casto's site this problem has been going on for some time. It would probably be a good thing to have a sticky for the front iso/mount in this forum, with relevant options like billet mounts, Stütz bars, different isos, grade-9 bolts, etc. Tuber riders need to know about the options before experiencing catastrophic motor mount failure at 80 mph on a crowded interstate. Especially now that people without a lot of mechanical, Harley, or even general motorcycle experience are buying older Buells as "toys" because they are so inexpensive these days. | ||
| Prebs75 |
wow all this talk of broken engine and parts and this and that really make me feel good about putting that DS iso in "not" so now im just suppose to wait for something to break and or piss away the money i spent on this iso and having it put in , really sucks!!! |
