I rode my friend's new Road King last week and was surprised by how much the bike shakes at idle. By comparison, my Deluxe idles like a Honda. I know the Softails use the counter balanced engines and the other bikes use rubber mounted engines. And the shaking on the other bikes goes away when you give it some throttle. But why have two different kinds of motors? And what's the advantage of the rubber mounted engines? Is there any advantage to rubber mounted engines, other than the tradition of watching your bike shake at idle. I know tourers are supposed to be smoother at highway speeds, is this due to the rubber mounts? Personally, I'd hate to be sitting at a light with the bars and everything else on the bike shaking like it had palsey, but maybe that's just me.

 

Don't know, but I like the shakin' on my Harley. Makes me know it's a Harley.....

 

My engine shakes at idlebut the rest of the bike doesn't shake hardly at all, and I can still see in the rear view mirrors just fine.

 

My Springer was rock solid at idle and vibrated at speed; my RKC vibrates at idle and is smooth at speed. I findI'm atspeed more than I am atidle...

 

Counter balancing adds weight and subtracts some hp. Negligible on the bikes tho.

 

03 sportster shakes all the time like a true Harley should

 

not a problem w/my dyna, mirrors don't budge even on top of 16" apes. much like oldfartjc said. plus I get the extra ponies from the "A" engine.

 

I flat LOVE the way my Dyna shakes at idle. I"ll bet after a while you would too.

 

Actually, that was one of the "features" that sold me on HD. Damn, growing up the guys chopper Harley's down the street REALLY shook and made that HD rumble. I loved it.
I didn't want a Honda, except for a dirtbike, and for those I preferred Suzukis

I like the 88A. It's got soul.


ace57
'06 FLHRS "mattie"

 

I put 20k per year on a Shovel. Even tho it is oneof the first rubber mounted bikes it still shakes and rumbles at idle. I love the rumble and cannot get enough of it. The rubber mount makes it just about right when you are rolling, you still feel the road and the bike. It is like you are riding a living thing. I have ridden a TC B and it was just not the same.