Lean(s) and mean
#71
09-26-2010, 02:17 PM
Lehman was putting the entire back half on the TG not just the body. Harley is now doing the entire TG at their York factory.
#72
09-26-2010, 02:20 PM
Bravo!
#73
09-26-2010, 02:24 PM
#74
09-26-2010, 03:16 PM
Must be some employees new job blues. Got to believe once they get the kinks out all with be fine. I guess their learning it takes just a little more attention to detail to build a trike.
#75
10-02-2010, 08:04 AM
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Tampa, FL
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Update on 2011 TG lean. Whoa.
I met at the dealership with the Owner, Sales Manager and Service Manager. I took my 2011 TG in and compared it to 2 TG's on the showroom floor.
We rode mine in their large rider training area, on flat straight ground, right down the middle. I held the fairing & handlebars straight visually, kept it there and let out the clutch. I ended up in the far left corner making a left sweeping turn. This, I demonstrated, is why I have to constantly make a "slight right turn" to drive straight.
We tried another new trike. Same result, slightly better result but not by much. Obvious problem. This trike also was measured as leaning left by 5/8" at the rear fenders.
Took the new trike on I-75. I had to hold a slight right turn to drive straight on level ground.
We then duplicated the measurements on my trike and the other 2 new ones on the showroom floor. All three trikes lean 5/8" to 3/4" left when measured at the top of the rear wheel cutouts on the fenders. Then, the servicemen took a carpenter's square, put it on the floor and slid it up to the front brake rotors. In all THREE cases, when looking at the front wheel from the front, the square would touch the top of the rotor with about 3/16" gap at the bottom of the rotor when the square was placed on the left side of the trike, and reversed when moved to the right side of the bike (3/16" gap at the top of the rotor when touching at the bottom of the rotor).
Now, THAT's a problem. The rear of the trikes all lean to the left and all by the same amount. I've measured (9) new 2011's in a row.
And, the front wheel's aren't vertical on (3) in a row that I've measured using a square, all leaning to the left.
If you are aware of these two problems, you don't need a tape measure or a square to see it. Stand either in front or in back and just look. It's substantial enough to see it with the naked eye on flat ground.
The dealer is great. He gave me back my bike to ride until he gets to the bottom of it. He's offered me any bike or trike he has (although I'm taking a pass temporarily and awaiting the result of his phone calls to HD).
The dealer even offered me a brand new, 8 mile, Vision Crossbow Cimarron trike, which I rode to compare with the HD. I will post my impressions and comparisons in another thread in a moment. So, I'm back to square one, but I finally got some verification that the leaning problem on new 2011's is consistent and valid (IMHO).
We rode mine in their large rider training area, on flat straight ground, right down the middle. I held the fairing & handlebars straight visually, kept it there and let out the clutch. I ended up in the far left corner making a left sweeping turn. This, I demonstrated, is why I have to constantly make a "slight right turn" to drive straight.
We tried another new trike. Same result, slightly better result but not by much. Obvious problem. This trike also was measured as leaning left by 5/8" at the rear fenders.
Took the new trike on I-75. I had to hold a slight right turn to drive straight on level ground.
We then duplicated the measurements on my trike and the other 2 new ones on the showroom floor. All three trikes lean 5/8" to 3/4" left when measured at the top of the rear wheel cutouts on the fenders. Then, the servicemen took a carpenter's square, put it on the floor and slid it up to the front brake rotors. In all THREE cases, when looking at the front wheel from the front, the square would touch the top of the rotor with about 3/16" gap at the bottom of the rotor when the square was placed on the left side of the trike, and reversed when moved to the right side of the bike (3/16" gap at the top of the rotor when touching at the bottom of the rotor).
Now, THAT's a problem. The rear of the trikes all lean to the left and all by the same amount. I've measured (9) new 2011's in a row.
And, the front wheel's aren't vertical on (3) in a row that I've measured using a square, all leaning to the left.
If you are aware of these two problems, you don't need a tape measure or a square to see it. Stand either in front or in back and just look. It's substantial enough to see it with the naked eye on flat ground.
The dealer is great. He gave me back my bike to ride until he gets to the bottom of it. He's offered me any bike or trike he has (although I'm taking a pass temporarily and awaiting the result of his phone calls to HD).
The dealer even offered me a brand new, 8 mile, Vision Crossbow Cimarron trike, which I rode to compare with the HD. I will post my impressions and comparisons in another thread in a moment. So, I'm back to square one, but I finally got some verification that the leaning problem on new 2011's is consistent and valid (IMHO).
#76
10-02-2010, 02:27 PM
I met at the dealership with the Owner, Sales Manager and Service Manager. I took my 2011 TG in and compared it to 2 TG's on the showroom floor.
We rode mine in their large rider training area, on flat straight ground, right down the middle. I held the fairing & handlebars straight visually, kept it there and let out the clutch. I ended up in the far left corner making a left sweeping turn. This, I demonstrated, is why I have to constantly make a "slight right turn" to drive straight.
We tried another new trike. Same result, slightly better result but not by much. Obvious problem. This trike also was measured as leaning left by 5/8" at the rear fenders.
Took the new trike on I-75. I had to hold a slight right turn to drive straight on level ground.
We then duplicated the measurements on my trike and the other 2 new ones on the showroom floor. All three trikes lean 5/8" to 3/4" left when measured at the top of the rear wheel cutouts on the fenders. Then, the servicemen took a carpenter's square, put it on the floor and slid it up to the front brake rotors. In all THREE cases, when looking at the front wheel from the front, the square would touch the top of the rotor with about 3/16" gap at the bottom of the rotor when the square was placed on the left side of the trike, and reversed when moved to the right side of the bike (3/16" gap at the top of the rotor when touching at the bottom of the rotor).
Now, THAT's a problem. The rear of the trikes all lean to the left and all by the same amount. I've measured (9) new 2011's in a row.
And, the front wheel's aren't vertical on (3) in a row that I've measured using a square, all leaning to the left.
If you are aware of these two problems, you don't need a tape measure or a square to see it. Stand either in front or in back and just look. It's substantial enough to see it with the naked eye on flat ground.
The dealer is great. He gave me back my bike to ride until he gets to the bottom of it. He's offered me any bike or trike he has (although I'm taking a pass temporarily and awaiting the result of his phone calls to HD).
The dealer even offered me a brand new, 8 mile, Vision Crossbow Cimarron trike, which I rode to compare with the HD. I will post my impressions and comparisons in another thread in a moment. So, I'm back to square one, but I finally got some verification that the leaning problem on new 2011's is consistent and valid (IMHO).
We rode mine in their large rider training area, on flat straight ground, right down the middle. I held the fairing & handlebars straight visually, kept it there and let out the clutch. I ended up in the far left corner making a left sweeping turn. This, I demonstrated, is why I have to constantly make a "slight right turn" to drive straight.
We tried another new trike. Same result, slightly better result but not by much. Obvious problem. This trike also was measured as leaning left by 5/8" at the rear fenders.
Took the new trike on I-75. I had to hold a slight right turn to drive straight on level ground.
We then duplicated the measurements on my trike and the other 2 new ones on the showroom floor. All three trikes lean 5/8" to 3/4" left when measured at the top of the rear wheel cutouts on the fenders. Then, the servicemen took a carpenter's square, put it on the floor and slid it up to the front brake rotors. In all THREE cases, when looking at the front wheel from the front, the square would touch the top of the rotor with about 3/16" gap at the bottom of the rotor when the square was placed on the left side of the trike, and reversed when moved to the right side of the bike (3/16" gap at the top of the rotor when touching at the bottom of the rotor).
Now, THAT's a problem. The rear of the trikes all lean to the left and all by the same amount. I've measured (9) new 2011's in a row.
And, the front wheel's aren't vertical on (3) in a row that I've measured using a square, all leaning to the left.
If you are aware of these two problems, you don't need a tape measure or a square to see it. Stand either in front or in back and just look. It's substantial enough to see it with the naked eye on flat ground.
The dealer is great. He gave me back my bike to ride until he gets to the bottom of it. He's offered me any bike or trike he has (although I'm taking a pass temporarily and awaiting the result of his phone calls to HD).
The dealer even offered me a brand new, 8 mile, Vision Crossbow Cimarron trike, which I rode to compare with the HD. I will post my impressions and comparisons in another thread in a moment. So, I'm back to square one, but I finally got some verification that the leaning problem on new 2011's is consistent and valid (IMHO).
#77
10-02-2010, 03:45 PM
Road Master
#78
10-03-2010, 07:47 AM
After reading jimaroo's comments above, I remeasured my 2011 at 3 different spots. I measured from the bottom tips of the fenders, the tops of the rear tail lights and from the centers of the wheel well on the fenders. The largest difference I found was 1/32" and that was probably due to my measuring rather than lean. If I look at mine from any angle, I can't see any lean. I don't have a carpenter's square, so I could not duplicate the front measurements. I have however, let go of my handlebars on a flat straight stretch of road and found no tendency to pull left or right. I guess I've just been lucky!
#79
10-03-2010, 08:52 AM
You got good eyes bronx...old people like me can't even see 1/32nd. of an inch. If you went out to a trike gathering, I would bet you could find them off by as much as 1/4 to 1/2, but it may be on either side and it is likely due to body fitment. The only real way you can tell if it's not twisted is to stick a bubble level on some flat part of the rear frame (not the axle) and for ball-park purposes, this can be inside and on the floor of the trunk, or even the top of the tour pack.
I think all the ones leaning to the left were assembled by left-handed assembly workers (LOL).
I think all the ones leaning to the left were assembled by left-handed assembly workers (LOL).
#80
10-03-2010, 02:38 PM
Somewhere back up in through this thread tbob asked what adjustments they would make. Any trike builder could tell you, but I am sure what they plan to do is simply align the trike by adjusting the motor-mounts. I don't mean the actual mounts, but the adjustable links that move the engine in the frame. The trike is simply twisted and they will adjust these links to bring it into alignment. It's not that big of a deal and a good trike builder could do this without removal of the body.
Last edited by 0734; 10-03-2010 at 03:04 PM.