True-Track Swingarm Pivot Anchor
True-Track Swingarm Pivot Anchor
CW EVALUATION
Isolation without oscillation
THE PROBLEM IS RUBBER. BUT NOT where it meets the road; where it meets the driveline.
To isolate riders from engine vibration, Harley-Davidson's FLtouring models use rubber-cushioned motor mounts. Those big-inch, narrow-angle V-Twins judder around so much when mounted in rubber, however, that the rest of the driveline must also be rubber-mounted, including the swingarm. Otherwise, the final-drive belt tension would fluctuate wildly as the engine performs its large amplitude dance. The swingarm pivots solidly in the back end of the transmis sion case, but the outer ends of the arm's pivot axle mount are housed in big rub ber donuts on the sides of the rear frame downtubes.
In reaction to the imbalance created by the engine's reciprocating internals, the drivetrain has to shake in its rubber mounts only along a longitudinal plane. Two links between engine and frameone at the front of the motor, one at the top-are supposed to prevent the drive train from moving side-to-side.
And therein lies the problem. When an FL is banking through a turn, the normal lateral forces of cornering try to push the rear wheel out of line with the front. On other motorcycles, the swingarm pivot is solidly mounted, thereby preventing any significant later al rear-wheel movement. But on an FL, the rubber swingarm-pivot bushings will easily deform under such loads, and the two links on the engine are too far from the rear wheel to prevent driveline mis alignment. So when the wheel deflects off-line in corners, the bike tends to wal low around, sometimes enough to make its rider quite uncomfortable.
DETAILS
True-Track, Inc. 11490 Burbank Blvd. #6E North Hollywood, CA 91601 818/623-0697 www.true-track.com Price.. .$395
Ups
Solves a handling problem Relatively easy to install Boosts rider confidence
bowns
Not exactly a giveaway Why didn't Harley do this?
The True-Track Swingann Pivot An chor is designed to remedy this condi tion. It consists of a box-shaped alumi num housing, a short steel linkage with a Heim joint on both ends, and a flat, wide bracket. The housing bolts to the bottom of the FL's transmission case, the bracket attaches to a crossover be tween the lower frame rails and the linkage connects the two. In essence, the True-Track is simply a third link-or "the missing link," as its manufacturer likes to put it-located close to the swingarm pivot. It still allows the entire rubbermounted drivetrain to move freely in a longitudinal plane but not side-to-side. We tried the True-Track on a 2000 H-D FL Classic and were pleasantly sur prised with the results. On the same bumpy curves that had the rear of the stock FL oscillating like a high-speed hula dancer, the bike tracked accurately and steadily with the True-Track installed. Even when going straight, the chassis seemed to react less noticeably to smaller road features such as pavement transi tions and off-camber surfaces. Obvious ly, this simple linkage won't turn a big Harley touring rig into a sportbike, but the reduction in wallowing it brings about is dramatic.
At $395, the True-Track isn't cheap, and tack on another $40 if you need to have a mechanic install it. But for riders who experience the occasional corner ing "moment" on their 1994-2005 FLs, the peace of mind the True-Track pro vides could qualify it as one of the best investments they've ever made.
