My engine was vibrating pretty hard forward to aft, so I replaced the front engine mount. Went to J&P and bought the replacement mount they said fit - To me it looks like the old -79B style. Fit like a champ, install was smooth, and the bike totally rode better, with no rattling.
After about 200 miles of riding, the engine started going fore and aft again. Took it to my local wrench, and he said that style mount was too soft, and we needed to upgrade to a urethane mount.
I'm by no means a mechanic, I don't even play one on TV. My gut tells me to check tightness on the mount, and if that's ok, to loosen everything back up, run the motor so it can "recenter" itself, then tighten everything up again.
Anyone have opinions on this?

 

Opinions?! Yup - don't buy cheap aftermarket stuff! The stock front mount has been upgraded since your bike was built, it's currently #16207-79D, so the fourth version.

 

Opinions on the softness of the OEM mount or the urethane mount, or both??

I would need to know the PN before commenting on the softness of the OEM mount but if it is the -79B; keep it. The new PN referenced on GFBrowns post is much stiffer and, according to those that have installed it, it takes a while to "settle in" . I ran the Buell front mount on my '02 FLHT for many miles; softer than the -79B but also needed replacing about every 5K miles.

I now run the Glide Pro urethane mount; best yet as Jake finally has the bugs worked out. Run the OEM mount, torqued to spec and when it breaks, install the Glide Pro mount; it should out last you.

 

Compression stiffness
The 79B mount measures 880lbs/inch
the 79D mount measures 1540lbs/inch


Not measured the Buell yet, got to take it off my bike and that's a pain. It is slightly softer based on the pencil test (just pushing the point of a pencil into it) but as the B & D are both around 45-50 shore I would estimate it to be no less than 700lbs/inch as the rubber is already at the soft end of the scale for the B mount. This would mean it would be grossly overloaded on a twin cam motor. Slightly less so on an EVO. The D mount gets its additional stiffness from the shape of the rubber profile not the hardness of the rubber.


The easiest way of checking if you B mount is overloaded, or collapsed is to see if the motor plate that sits on the mount is hard down on the rubber doughnut. There should be a small gap between the top of the mount and the bottom of the plate. This does not apply to the D mount as there is no gap to start with

 

I like the Buell mount on my '02 FLHT and if not for the Glide Pro urethane mount, would still be running it than the -79D. The -79B has become very hard to find. I recently ordered another Buell mount but the PN has changed and I believe the Buell mount has been modified similar to the -79D. I will now when the mount arrives.

 

The Buell mount and 79D looks like it came out of the same mould tool originally but is a different rubber hardness. When it comes to aftermarket parts (even OEM) a few years after the end of the production of the original vehicle it is quite common for minor variances between parts to become merged into one version to keep inventory down. They they stop caring if the parts work 100% as the originals did. Its unfortunate but true.


I have a good one on my Buell, been on 14 years and is still in good shape I dread the time I have to change it and be at the mercy of the aftermarket.