tight steering(I think) Harley Shocks & Harley Chassis Issues Discuss tight steering(I think) in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; I bought a 2005 FLHTI and when I ride it feels like the steering might be to tight. When I go straight I have to keep moving the bars back ...

I bought a 2005 FLHTI and when I ride it feels like the steering might be to tight. When I go straight I have to keep moving the bars back and forth a little bit to keep going straight. It's just enough to be annoying. Is there a way to correct this with out tearing it apart? It shouldn't be from lack of grease or wear because the bike only has 19,000 miles. Thanks for any info on this.

[EZE RIDER]

Hey Lou,

You should really bring it in to the shop asap. No sense taking a chance. If anything it sounds like the steering is too loose but it could be a number of things. If you are a new rider then sometimes a deathgrip on the bars will cause the bike to steer funny too. If your not a new rider than disregard the above statement.

You might want to check your rear cylinder valve stem seals. Your model had an issue with those and you might want to check to see if it was done.

[evoKENevo]

Yeah,Lou..like EZE said could be a number of things..incld'g loose vs tight..going as far back as rear wheel align'mt and other stuff in between. That and unfortunately your describtion of the problem is kind of vague..in that you did'nt mention at what speed you notice this,etc. When you say it feels like the front end may be a little tight do you mean hard to turn the bars..do you feel a bit of a "detent" (catch) in the steering..are your tires inflated properly..do you hear any clunking..is your fork oil level where it should be on both legs..do your handle-bars look straight,when you're going straight..does your bike feel top heavy..have you been riding heavy HDs or any bikes very long..are you just uneasy enough with it all for the "death grip" EZE mentioned..and how does it feel going into & thru curves ????

These answers and anything else you can think of to add would be a big help for those of us not able to experience what you've been W/O test driving it ourselves...noting we still have'nt covered ALL the bases and any combination of fixes are probabley just a clue away.

[frisco-rigid]

Hey Crz

It sounds to me just like what you think it might be-- tight Timken neck bearings..
Sure,, in this used '05 alota what was sugg'd could be contributing but I also know the feel of tight neck bearings and this fits..

Raise the front end off the ground, doesn't matter how much as long as the front tire has clearance..

This is serious so take the time to do it right..
Remove the clutch handle housing so the cable stiff-ness won't interfere with and im-balance the front end movement..
Then notice how easliy the front end will fall-away to either side from center..
If your model is the one that needs to swing 3 1/2 times to either side then learn to adjust it for that.. Other-wise it needs to freely drop to either side after moving it off-center NO more than 2".. If it doesn't drop freely after You move it slowly 2" either way it's gotta be loosened up till it does..
I don't have experience with the type that needs to swing 3 1/2 times but IF yours is supposed to then make it so..
Sometimes they will drop freely to one side at 1" and to the other at 2", don't get worked up about that cuz it's how the sickle is sitting (level????) stuff on the front end,, single front brake,, etc etc etc.......

Toooo tight a front end can cause a very serious high-speed wobble, I've had it when I adjusted just a weee/tiny too much.. Loosened it just a tad and no more wobble.. I personally run a little loose,, fall-away at about 1"..

Now,, after being too tight (if indeed that's what it is) you should make sure there isn't a detent/catch feeling like Ken mentioned cuz then you must replace the bearing races with new greased bearings too..
You really should dis-assemble to check/grease the bearings anyway cuz they are a very over-looked maintenence item and it is a used sickle..

Have a ball

Thanks for all your info. Winter is set in here in Mo. now so it may be a while before I can check out your ideas. I'll check back later if I can't figure it out. Thanks, crzrlou