Stopped next to a Harley...

HillnTx · Nov 3, 2011

When I was riding around town earlier this week I happened to pull up next to Harley rider on one of the big twins. We were stopped at a light; the rider was a nice guy who smiled and commented on the great weather we were having. What suprised me the most was just how much the bike shook while stopped. The rider had the bike in neutral and everything that wasn't touching the ground was violently shaking what seemed like a half inch in each direction. I looked down at my bike and it was just sitting there like it was asleep. My first thought was "How long does the suspension last when a bike shakes like that?" You'd think the forks would wear out just from stop lights. I've never ridden a Harley so I really don't know anything about them other than the people that have them seem to love them. From a casual observer it seems like it would wear you out just sitting on it.

From the guys that had them, what are they really like?

sherob · Nov 3, 2011

saddletramp8511 · Nov 3, 2011

Harleys have been known to shake in the presence of an ST.....Bill

SupraSabre · Nov 3, 2011

saddletramp8511 said:
Harleys have been known to shake in the presence of an ST.....Bill

Jeff F · Nov 3, 2011

My 2007 softail doesn't shake any more than the metric twin I had. I know what you mean tho - some older ones really SHAKE at idle.

Tidrick · Nov 3, 2011

Not a HD owner or lover, but I have ridden 3. The one with the isolated engine mounting shook at idle, but was surprisingly smooth under way. The other was a dresser of some alphabet soup variety with a hard mount engine. At 55 mph my helmet was rattling on my head. I could not wait to get back to my ST! The HD driver didn't want to swap back...

The last was a Sportster. While not real smooth, it was more tolerable than the dresser I mentioned previously.

Coucours Grad · Nov 4, 2011

"If you have to ask you'll never understand."

Rodneypieon · Nov 4, 2011

I rode a 1996 electra glide for a year and a 2007 electra glide from 07 to this August at work . They both shook. It evens out after you get moving. The 96 it came back at about 65 mph and made 70 or above way too dangerous. The 07 it never came back but in the 5 years I rode it I shook 3 parts off.

Andi As · Nov 4, 2011

Normally I ride an ST1100 but the Brother asked me to move his bike a Harley Sporster some 30 miles and boy was I glad to get off the thing.Ive owned a Suzuki SV650 V twin before and vibration was the norm but this thing was just "orrible".It just shook violently at the lights and was just as bad driving at 50mph and I certainly wasnt going to 70 on it EEK!........Oh Lord Honda forgive my blasphemy :bow1:

saddletramp8511 · Nov 4, 2011

What do Harleys and big shaggy dogs have in common?.....They both like to ride in the back of pickup trucks

Fireball · Nov 4, 2011

saddletramp8511 said:
What do Harleys and big shaggy dogs have in common?.....They both like to ride in the back of pickup trucks

That 3/4 ton pickup I just bought has a shell over the bed. As a Honda rider I can keep it there. It keeps the dog dry.

pixguy · Nov 4, 2011

I just got back from a 2,000 mile road trip which included visiting a cousin of mine in Neward, DE. He has a Harley. He and I, with his wife Linda on the back of his HD, did some riding including going up to the Amish country around Lancaster, PA. I noticed that if we were stopped at a light he would click into neutral so that he could rest his hands and wrists from the vibration traveling through the hand grips. Funny story: Toward the end of the 2nd day, we both stopped for gas with him close to empty. It seems that once you turn the ignition key on an HD you can remove it and just use a switch to turn the ignition on and off. Well, he did that the first day, put the bike in his garage, and turned the ignition off with the switch. The next day, he leaves the key at home by mistake but, of course, can still run the bike UNTIL he needed gas! No key to open the gas cap! So, he sweated it all the way home, getting there essentially on fumes!

Bones · Nov 4, 2011

Coucours Grad said:
"If you have to ask you'll never understand."

But if they can't explain it, how do we know that they understand?

Coucours Grad · Nov 4, 2011

Bones said:
But if they can't explain it, how do we know that they understand?

"Dont try to confuse me with facts...."

wjbertrand · Nov 4, 2011

My old Norton used to shake like that at idle. Stopped next to a brand new CB750 one time and the Norton decided to shake the tail light / license plate assembly loose and deposit on on the ground right in front of the other bike.

:

Of course this also ripped the wire out shorting the exposed end to + earth and blowing the main fuse as well.

:

:

Happened twice when I owned that bike.

Andi As · Nov 4, 2011

No key...........Well we know no ST owner would ever steal a Harley

Firstpeke · Nov 4, 2011

I did a commemorative ride in April and during part of it was stationary amidst a group of HD's..... apart from the auditory and percussive torture they gave out, they were scary to watch at idle...... I cannot believe that more parts don't fall off......

I really don't understand why people spend soooo much money buying a HD when it must really be painful to ride more than a very short distance....

I'm sorry to those people on here that own one but I cannot imagine riding any of the ones I got close to...... I'll take my ST1100 any day over one of those.

Jeff F · Nov 4, 2011

Harleys have that old-pickup-truck-cool about them - earlier described in this thread as character. :yes:

st11ray · Nov 4, 2011

Hellbilly said:
Not painful at all. Take a look at the IBA web site and see what most people ride on their LD rides. The vast majority of them are Harley's. I couldn't imagine riding any of the Harley's I've owned for a thousand miles at a pop, but a 500 mile day is very doable. The farthest I rode my electra glide was 690 miles on a Friday and them back home on the following Sunday. I won't BS anyone here and say it was easy because it wasn't. However, neither is my ST for those distances.

Yes, they are mostly HD's for SS 1000 rides. Mainly because HD's make up the largest percentage of bikes in general. Look at the entries in the Iron Butt Rally to see what type of ride the "real" LD riders choose, not many HD's there.

FieSTa45 · Nov 4, 2011

Back in the day i was sittingf at a light with the sun setting. Up pulls a HD with a very nice gril on the back.
I try not to look but the sun was doing strange things to my eye. Taking a good long look, the sun was winking at me
as the front tire was lifting off the ground! No HD's for me - EVER!!

Stopped next to a Harley...

HillnTx

sherob

Old Herder of cats.

saddletramp8511

R.I.P. - 2019/01/01

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired

Jeff F

Tidrick

Keith B. Tidrick

Coucours Grad

Rodneypieon

Rodney

Andi As

saddletramp8511

R.I.P. - 2019/01/01

Fireball

pixguy

Bones

Your Humble Scribe

Coucours Grad

Attachments

wjbertrand

Ventura Highway

Andi As

Firstpeke

NT1100D

Jeff F

st11ray

2006 ST1300

FieSTa45