Anybody here have these swingarm bushings installed in their bikes?
I have a 1990 FLHTCU that wallows in high speed turns over 70mph. From what I read.. its because of a rear steer problem directly related to swingarm play. My bike has 63K on it and I am sure whatever is in the swingarm currently is original. I was looking at other steering stabilizer links but they are out of my price range. The Rivera Stiffey is around $100.00

 

I would also be interested in hearing about this product. Does it work? Does it induce vibration? Was it hard to install?

 

Been researching the same issue with my 2001 FLTRSEI. Face it..., there just isn't one cheap fix-it-all. Besides, you get what you pay for, right?!?!?!
Yeah, you could dump the old bike for a new one, but is that really an inexpensive proposition...that would be like trying to do that with the 'old lady' for a new one, and we all know how that would work out... Didn't think you'd want that kind of expense!
There are three basic weak links to the situation you've described (that's after making sure that the problem isn't tires, wheels, or other failed components...). There is rubber/silicone in the swingarm that the Rivera Primo bushings would partially help to clear-up (look at your parts manual lately?), but it only replaces a portion of the bushing in the seingarm, and, you still have two other issues to deal with that probably have a greater impact (one, of which, is the stabilizer link that you say is out of you price range on...). There are several designs on the market that address issue number two (Stabilizer Link), and from what I can figure - it doesn't make much difference which one you choose to install, but install you must. They all do the same thing, but just from slightly different pivot locations. All of them stop that sideways (waggle) motion that all engine/trannie combo currently make (and HD says there isn't a problem???). The third weak link is the front motor mount, and again, there is stock or a urethane aftermarket replacement (OEM or Velva Ride) that would complete the changover. Combined, you get one clean carving machine.
At the same time, why not also look at swapping out the (P.O.S.) front fork spring wet bath setup and go to a Progressive front fork mono tube cartridge arrangement to make your bike one Bad-As* handling machine?
That's what I did...and all four changes only made for a lazy weekend job, which happened to be when rain kept us in the garage anyway.
Ride it like you stole it!

 

I own a 95 Glide Classic with about 94K on it. Like most people with this same frame I did notice it wallowing in cornerns and fast lane changes. Further, if I hit a bump I would feel the swingarm bang too. I felt the bushings were shot in the swing arm.

I elected to put in the Stiffey bushings. The left side went in quite well using the thicker of the spacers on top of the Stiffey. You have to make sure you clock the bushing and use only finger force to put it in. If it's hard to put in, you don't have it clocked right. They installed really easily with just taking off the rider floorboards, and removing the pillow block. Do only one side at a time. THEY say that if you take both side apart at the same time the swingarm will become misaligned. For the grins and giggles I also checked my rear wheel alignment after the install. There was no change. Literally you can use a rachet, socket and 1/2 hour and you are done. The right side was a different story as the retainer/pillow block was right behind the exhaust pipe. I had to loosen the pipe to take the block out and install the Stiffey.

I fired up the bike. OMG did that thing vibrate! I mean it vibrated! Idle to two grand it's almost like a paint shaker. This was one of the complaints I had read about but elected to try them anyway. As soon as I got up to speed the vibration was almost unnoticeable. Before anyone mentions this, at the same time I switched out the worn out front motor mount.

BUT, what I did notice was that the whole rear end had stiffened up. Even the shocks seems to be working better. Previously when I hit a bump the swing arm would bang. Not any longer. Further, the wallowing is gone too. I have more confidence in my turns. It's almost like riding a whole different bike.

Summary: For me it was about doing what some have done and remove the Stiffeys with their vibration side effect. Others claimed it was a miracle fix. I had to decide if I could live with the vibration at idle and have the wallow fixed or have a smoother idle with less handling. I only have 28 miles on the stiffeys now. I am leaning towards keeping them in there and living with the vibration. Otherwise I will take a loss of roughly 100.00 and spend time taking them out. Then I'd be back to the wallow and loose rearend.

As they say on TV, your results may vary....

 

Just an update on the Stiffey experiment.

Either I am getting used to the vibration or it's calmed down quite a bit. Maybe the bushings seated deeper.

Anyway I am quite pleased with the bike's stability. I have to admit to questioning my own logic by sticking the Stiffeys in. Having used them for 24hrs now I can say that I am pleased with what they did to the handling of the bike. I would recommend them.

 

1990 Glide here, owned from new. Before doing anything, read my thread on bagger wobble. That will explain the origins of your problem and suggest solutions. If your swingarm cleve blocks are still in, replacing them with a suitable alternative will improve things significantly. Installing a rear stabilizer as well should give you great improvements!

 

I was not comfortable with the feel of my 2004 FLHRS on corners when I got it. Others that I know just said "That's normal, get used to it." I contact Sta-Bo and did not go with their full bushing set, but bought their inserts for the stock rear bushings. Less than $100 and the rear feels much tighter on turns.

 

I got tired of the fishtailing on my '02 Standard in long, fast sweepers. Definitely did not feel safe. I installed the Stiffey, and it really did help with stabilizing the frame and swing arm. Not the complete, perfect fix, there was still some speed limiting on long curves, but it definitely helped. It did induce quite a bit of vibration, but I got used to that. I thought it was easily worth it for the handling improvement.

 

I know this thread is three years old.....but anyway, I just installed Primo Rivera Stiffy kit on my 2006 FLH and will say the following, the bike does shake a bit more than before, not like a paint shaker, more like a different frequency, nothing that you could not live with. The bike seems solid, like the suspension is now working, the bike seems "planted" in turns, I can now feel the short comings with the front end of the bike, everything in the back of the bike is fixed (note: I also changed the front motor mount). Overall, I would install this product again.