Hi.

So apparently this isn't as easy of a job as one might think.

Don't attempt it if you dont want to remove your rear swingarm, wheel and shocks. It was fine, and I had the time, but it's not a quick job.

The front was alright, it gave me the oppurtunity to clean the swamp under the oil filter. Sure I've tried the funnel deal that goes under it during an oil change, but... They are only so - so, and the primordial ooze of oil bugs n dirt needed to go.

Both floorboards have to come off, and the jiffystand too. Plan on using the a small jack, and put a block under the motor, and support the weight of the front of the motor. [I know this is a no-duh but...]
Oil cooler has to be loosened [unmounted], I left the oil lines attached. Regulator needs to come off. [Consider the chrome one?? I didn't, but maybe will. Mind the electrical connections x2 underneath.] I pulled the front fender, then the paint is somewhat safer...

The rear is trickier. I'd day this one you should get a hand from someone, it'd help. If you're doing this on the ground, my hat is off to you. I would use a lift. I have the SAM 1000 and the rear dropout works really well. But we're talking ~$1800 - 2400 depending on where you live -> but it is handy [pun sort of intended] do do ANY job on the motorcycle. I recommend one to anyone planning on doing anything more than an oil change.

This was a cool job to get in and get a good look at certian aspects of the motorcycle, but I'm going to be bold and say don't do it unless you have a whole day [6-8 hours] a lift, a scisszor jack. There is definately a feeling of accomplishment when you do a job like this yourself.

I hope this is a good upgrade. Urethane is stiffer so wobble should be reduced, however vibrations could increase...

The stock mounts looked worn, but not terrible. I do have a 120R so maybe a little more stresses on them.

Have a good one

H

 

how did everything work after the huge job?

 

The rear can be done without removing wheel, shocks and swingarm; at least on my '02 FLHT and without a second set of hands.

 

Well as far as the results went -- I rode it all last season. It felt tighter but the urethane is more firm and a little more vibration makes it through. I found if get a slight wobble at 130 km/h. I wasn't sure if the harmonics had changed.
What the issue ended up being though was the radial tires I had put on. After a long talk with Metzler in Sturgis -- bias ply is what should be on my 09 FLHX. The crappy thing is the agitator wheels have somewhat limited tire options. I did want to try the ME888 but screw it - Dunlop are at every dealership. Maybe I burnt the rear tire with to many hard accelerations.
I think this upgrade should be completed after shocks and fork suspension upgrades. I appreciated the job as I got to look into more aspects of my motorcycle.

 

I realize this thread is over two years old but my question for the OP (if he's still around), was it worth it? I'm about to do the same thing in hopes of correcting some instability issues that began a year or so ago. It just doesn't handle like it used to... The isolators are the only thing(s) in the rear that haven't been replaced.

 

Hello,

Yay communication and technology.

Glide pro wasn't too hard. Just do one at a time (front then back).

Also I have a motorcycle lift so it's way easier.

You'll be blocking the motor and supporting its weight to do the fronts. The rear the swingarm comes out so if you need a rear tire the consider that. Rear shock swap?

I also have progressive monotubes and JRI external resubmit rear shocks. So did the glide pro make magic happen? Yeah a little. We're the motor mounts played out? Yes.

If you're low mileage I'd go after the suspension first. Glide pro after 40,000 miles?

But just contemplate other jobs if you're paying shop rates.

Have a good one.

H

 

Thanks for the reply... I have a tad over 40k miles on it, Ohlin shocks, around 7k miles on MC IIs and wheel bearings. I'll be doing the labor myself and sounds like fun

 

Now I can say I've done it too! It's been a couple of weeks since I've installed them and thought I would share my experience and lessons learned.
My justification for installing this kit was based on some instability issues. Once I had the back wheel off and everything disconnected from the swing arm, I checked for side to side movement. I think about a 1/8 to 1/4" was present. After the glide pro isolators were installed, it was gone. The handling is back to normal now.
After installing the motor mounts, the vibrations through the handlebars and foot boards increased dramatically. I thought I was going to have to go back to stock but after a 100 miles or so, it's almost back to normal. I'm guessing with a few more miles I won't notice it anymore.
Now for the lessons learned. I did this job by myself and took an evening and finished the following morning. If I had worked straight and knew then what I know now, it probably would have taken about 4 hours.
Removing the rear wheel and swing arm is straight forward. When removing the belt guard, you don't have to remove the forward mounting screw. Just loosen it up and slide the guard out of the slot. (makes sense when you see it)
When installing the new glide pro axle ensure it is centered. When inserting it from the left side until it stops, it will stick out about 1/4" too far on the right. You won't notice until you go to put the "decorative" chrome cap on. Put the nut on the right side and make it flush with the threads of the axle and torque down the left side nut. Then check the torque on the right side.
I had issues/concerns with the rear wheel alignment. When torqueing down the nut to a 100 ft lbs, the adjuster would move forward and out of sync with the left. I ended up just loosening it just a tad and it lined back up.
The front motor mounts/isolators were a pain and partly due to the instructions. The isolators are bolted to the motor mount. I can't remember verbatim what the instructions say but my advice: You don't have to remove the left side plate with the jiffy stand or the brake pedal. You can loosen the bolts and remove the forward one to the master cylinder and get to the plate mounting bolts. When you remove these three bolts that hold that plate on, you can make room to remove the motor mount. You will have to remove the voltage regulator for easier access to the mounting bolts (and probably the oil cooler if you have one). Once you remove the motor mount bolts, you should be able to slide the mount to the right, drop it and remove it. Then you can put it in a vice to loosen the isolator mounting bolts. Installation should go pretty smooth but if you can't get the motor mount bolts to line up (don't forget the dowel pins), disconnect the top engine stabilizer from the frame. This will give you some wiggle room. There are no alignment procedures that I'm aware of.
After I removed the engine isolators, I noticed that in quite a few places that the rubber was worn down to the metal. This is not a cheap upgrade and if I were to do it again, I would just replace with stock. The 09s and up have a different set up then previous years so keep that in mind if you're googling and pay attention to what year the bike is you're reading about.

 

Good write up.

I think I started front and then did the back. No matter.

I would also consider stock as well - but since pretty much everything else is messed with -- why not the drivetrain mounts too. Ha ha.

Like all things - I got used to it over time. I'm sure if I went back to stock I'd have to get used to that too.

Is that what they call first world problems?

Have a good spring and happy riding.

H

 

Just spent time in the deals gap area this past weekend and rode the dragon and foothills parkway 3 times plus the moonshiner 28 and Cherohala Skyway. Bike handled great! I'm guessing I've done this ride probably 20 times with this bike and this was the first time I didn't drag the floorboards (maybe a coincidence or I'm just slowing down...lol). The vibrations I mentioned in previous posts are gone...