Bagger follows cracks....

[tireater]

My 05 FLHT likes to follow big cracks...It sometimes feels like the wheels are going in 2 directions...
I think the neck may not be perpindicular to the swingarm pivot...Besides this the bike handles great...
Anyone else have a bike that follows cracks...and what you did to fix it...Thanks..

[Sonny S.]

" My 05 FLHT likes to follow big cracks...
Anyone else have a bike that follows cracks...   "

YUP !!   but mine prefers small cracks   

[AllanW]

What size tires ?

[Coyote]

Must be a Dunlop tire. Switch to Metzler and that goes away.

[tireater]

I run avon venoms...The last new front tire I put on made it worse...?

[AllanW]

What size tires, not what kind

[tireater]

16" by 130mm...stock size...both ends...

[AllanW]

Mine was a crack hunter also. Put a 150 on rear lost 90% of the crack tracking!

[Coyote]

I've never ran Avons but I can say for sure, both my softail and ultra did this with the stock tires. Switching the ME880s all but eliminates it. Has to do with the tire groove design.

[03deuce]

Agree with  Coyote.   

Not sure how the Venom thread pattern compares to the Metzler?

[blk-betty]

Noticed it a lot with stock Dunlops but not at all aftwer switching to Avon Venoms on last bike, an 02 FXST.

Plan on going with the Venoms on present bikes and hoping they will not follow cracks like the stock Dunlops.

[Clintster]

I'm running the Venoms with no tracking issues.  Is your bike still have stock springs and factory weight oil could have issues.  Is your stearing head in adjustment.

[tireater]

Steering head adjustment was checked recently...I replaced the cart. and have prog. springs, cart. emulators and 15wt oil...
It seemed to get bad after I put on the last tire...I guess I should swap it out...No more 7 yr old e bay tires for me...!!!

[CrazyRay]

Interesting how the responses vary so much. When I ran the Dunlops my '99 RK would hunt. Changed to Metzlers and not only did that stop, but handling in all areas improved. I just can't afford to replace the Metzlers 3 or 4 times a year. So last go round I put an Avon on front. Started hunting cracks again right away plus I noticed a little wobble that wasn't there before. I don't know though, could have something to do with the worn out rear tire. I'll change that and see.

Tireater, are you serious, is yours an old tire? Because I bought mine at a local shop and I think it is old too. I just can't remember how to read the date code.

CrazyRay

[FLTRI]

The front Dunlop is the cause. I run Metzler front because it doesn't follow cracks and feather the tread after trail braking and accelerating off the corners. I run Dunlop rear because I do not like the soft sidewalls of the Metzler rears. They need 48-50lbs to not squirm in the sweepers, whereas the Dunlop works excellent @ 38-40lbs.
PS- Brazil Metzler rears are worse than ever.
As always, JMHO, Bob

[Bakon]

Metzlers will make it stop but they are junk. Had one bubble up on the inside from the heat of riding an Iron Butt ride. Got a puncture after the balance was thrown off and let go after 700 miles and had to hunt for an 18 inch tire in Kentucky to finish the ride. Dont know if the puncture happened because of the bubbles as nothing was inside the hole, but when it was removed there was several large bubbles in the rubber on the inside. Ended up at a Honda dealer changing it myself. Tires rode nice but never again.

[Sonny S.]

Anyone having this problem with Dunlop E3's  ?

[Caper]

Tireater, are you serious, is yours an old tire? Because I bought mine at a local shop and I think it is old too. I just can't remember how to read the date code.

CrazyRay
[/quote]

   Example:    4703 would mean the tire was made in the 47th week of 03.

 

[smoserx1]

I agree with everyone else about the tires, but on my bike the rear seems to make the most difference when worn out.  As the stock rear Dunlop wears, the profile goes from very rounded to fairly flat, almost like a car tire.  A new rear tire will get rid of the crack following for several thousand miles, but then it starts coming back as the replacement tire wears.  The front tire seems to retain the rounded profile even when very worn.

[Deye76]

Metzlers will make it stop but they are junk. Had one bubble up on the inside from the heat of riding an Iron Butt ride. Got a puncture after the balance was thrown off and let go after 700 miles and had to hunt for an 18 inch tire in Kentucky to finish the ride. Dont know if the puncture happened because of the bubbles as nothing was inside the hole, but when it was removed there was several large bubbles in the rubber on the inside. Ended up at a Honda dealer changing it myself. Tires rode nice but never again.

I ride through curves a lot more than through cracks, and metzlers suck in the curves. Also don't do well in the rain anymore.

[Dennis The Menace]

Avon venoms here....Dunlaps were much worse than Avons.  And many roads in Colorado have grooved surface, and expansion joints running down the lanes.  So, a pretty good testing ground out here.

menace

[tireater]

Front and back Avons are basically new....I had a mostly bald front Avon that didn't follow cracks...
I noticed crack following when I replaced it with an old e bay tire. A new back tire gets rid of the flat tire wobble...

[Flat Dog]

The fatter the tire, the less the effect. A skinny 21 incher is lovely when negotiating a grated Florida drawbridge...

[RoadKingTrooper]

As others have said, I found this condition prevalent with the Dunlops on my RK. It got worse as the tires wore. Switched to Metzlers and haven't had it "wander" since.
RKT

[Big Dan]

I found it better with E3's than with 402's.

[sandrooney]

Dunlop E3's fixed mine.
SR

[sundog1258]

The elite 3's stopped my crack problem.
Now if I could just kick the booze.
Phil

[FLTRI]

I agree with everyone else about the tires, but on my bike the rear seems to make the most difference when worn out.  As the stock rear Dunlop wears, the profile goes from very rounded to fairly flat, almost like a car tire.  A new rear tire will get rid of the crack following for several thousand miles, but then it starts coming back as the replacement tire wears.  The front tire seems to retain the rounded profile even when very worn.

This is and always has been an issue with all tires for all makes of heavy touring bikes. This is also why some tire mfgs (Dunlop included) now put a harder compound in the middle of some touring tires. HD has that in the 09 rear tire. Time will tell the longevity story though.

FACT: Any bike will gain instability as tires get worn out (front) and/or "square" (rear).

Let's face it folks, if the bike no longer feels stable AND there is nothing broken or loose, new tires will cure the problem 99% of the time. Please do yourself a favor and replace the tires, even if there is tread left, before buying add-ons that claim to "correct" design flaws perceived from instability.

[FLTRI]

Note on Metzlers:
They require more pressure than Dunlops (5-10lbs depending on 16" or 18") because they have softer sidewalls so they will squirm @ below 45lbs, whereas Dunlops work fine @ 40lbs.
If you are using 18" Metzlers they need 50lbs or they will, if ridden for long duration on hot days, overheat and cause failures that include delamination that ends up spitting chunks of rubber off the tire and/or cause bubbling in the interior as SHOstreetglide experienced.
There are bulletins from Metzler addressing this issue.

Suggestion for proper tire pressure: Look at the max pressure (cold) on the sidewall of any tire and use that pressure when the tire is cold and you can't go wrong, regardless of mfg printed recommendations that are highly influenced by liability attorneys.

[Bakon]

Mine were 18 by 140 on PM rims on an 01 Ultra. I kept them up at 50 and checked them before I went on the Iron Butt ride. I think that even at 50 they overheated from the long ride. I dont know if I ran over something, but the bubbles were obviously a heat thing. Now I have the SG and hate that ugly rim on the front. 18 look good but I know the hassle of touring and finding that off size tire. Sure there is one waiting in Sturgis, but 1500 miles each way and one flat can throw the trip off one to two days with good shipping to a dealer to put it on. Nobody stocks them.

I also dont know if they were Brazil or German, this was in 2004.

[FLTRI]

Maybe you simply got one of the many defective tires if you always maintained 50 lbs. That does happen from time to time. I do know there were quite a few defective Metzlers when they first started coming from Brazil, but I don't remember when that was.

[hdpegscraper]

So are the newer Metzelers back up in quality, or do they still have issues? Just got some Pirellie Sport Demons for the Dyna, and interestingly enuf, they say made in Brazil also. Kinda got me thinkin bout quality issues.

[Deye76]

So are the newer Metzelers back up in quality, or do they still have issues? Just got some Pirellie Sport Demons for the Dyna, and interestingly enuf, they say made in Brazil also. Kinda got me thinkin bout quality issues.

Pirelli owns Metzler. Likely both made in the same plant.

[hdpegscraper]

Looks like the dirty bastards tricked me, I was tryin to get away from them. Oh well tread pattern is different so Ill see how that works come spring.

[DGlide04]

My 2004 had new stock Dunlops put on it before I bought it this summer and they track like a slot car in deep grooves in the pavement.   As soon as they're worn out, they'll be replaced with a set of E3's, no more stockers for me.

[mac10-45]

Replaced my Dunflops that followed cracks with Michelin's front & rear. Explained the problem with following cracks to service mgr., had tech check neck bearing, it was loose. They tightened it and with new tires it rides better than when new.

[04glide]

I have been through many tires and when they start wearing out the bike handles like crap. I will tolerate it for a while before I change them out. I always mount new tires before a trip just so I have a nice ride. I hate long trips on crappy tires..

[FLTRI]

I have been through many tires and when they start wearing out the bike handles like crap. I will tolerate it for a while before I change them out. I always mount new tires before a trip just so I have a nice ride. I hate long trips on crappy tires..

IMO that is the best program yet. Worn (square) rears with old fronts is not a nice ride. I find the combo of metzler front (no rut following and feathering) with the dunlop rear makes my bike fell better than any other set.

[Deye76]

I have been through many tires and when they start wearing out the bike handles like crap. I will tolerate it for a while before I change them out. I always mount new tires before a trip just so I have a nice ride. I hate long trips on crappy tires..

IMO that is the best program yet. Worn (square) rears with old fronts is not a nice ride. I find the combo of metzler front (no rut following and feathering) with the dunlop rear makes my bike fell better than any other set.

Yea I cringe when guys tell me they change fronts 1 to every 2 rear, because they (front) "still look good".
I use a tread gauge, and usually the front has less tread depth than the rear, even though it looks better. When I change tires it's done in sets.

[Bakon]

I always get two rears to one front.

[FLTRI]

I always get two rears to one front.

This is one of the two reasons I like the metzler front and dunlop rear combo, they wear at closer rates, not quite 1:1, but I change both at the same time with 1or2 32nds more left on the front. Replacing just the rear always feels better but not as good as replacing both.

[Clintster]

I usually try to replace both at the same time.  Somebody in the neighborhood can usually put a half worn 16" to use.  Free or near free and I get the peice of mind and handling a fresh set ot skins provide.

[Sonny S.]

From the link below :

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/motorcycle/how_to/mc_tires.html


For example, if the front tire has grooves that go around the very center of the tire for it's entire circumference (center line groove/grooves), then the tire's center-line groove's sea area will have a tendency to track concrete that has ridges running in the same direction as traffic, or the metal grating on open-grated bridges (like some draw bridges) -- and can induce a very severe front end wobble as a result, which is disconcerting to say the least. To avoid this, many manufacturers redesigned the center line to go back and forth across the tire slightly (an oscillating center line design), while others avoid a centerline groove all together.
   It may be noted that outside of North America, I've never run into a piece of road work with concrete ridges running in the same direction as traffic, so it may not be a design concern in much of the rest of the world. On the other hand, centerline grooves provide a benefit when riding in heavy rains, slush and slurry, as they help maintain road contact. It's a trade-off, depending on where you live and what kinds of roads you tend to face. In the USA, I personally avoid tires with a straight centerline groove at all costs because of the tracking issue.

[purplepeopleeater]

Anyone having this problem with Dunlop E3's  ?

I'm not, but I when I changed from the factory Dunlops to the Dunlop E3's it seemed like I bought a new bike when it comes to handling. Got the best deals for the 3's from Ron Ayers

[FLTRI]

Anyone having this problem with Dunlop E3's  ?

I'm not, but I when I changed from the factory Dunlops to the Dunlop E3's it seemed like I bought a new bike when it comes to handling. Got the best deals for the 3's from Ron Ayers

Just for clarification, did you replace new factory Dunlops with new Dunlop E3s? Or did you replace worn factory Dunlops with new Dunlop E3s?

[SCREAMN EAGLE]

Mine looks for cracks 130 lbs. max

[FLTRI]

Mine looks for cracks 130 lbs. max

I would think it would be looking a ditch with that kinda pressure. 

[Sonny S.]

Mine looks for cracks 130 lbs. max

I would think it would be looking a ditch with that kinda pressure. 

Split tail