Teaching Old Harley Dressers To Backroad Dance

Not good! Like it or not, there are several things we need to talk about in this pic. 130 hp is hard on stuff in the first place, but using so-called "shockback" brackets to lower the bike is messing with leverage and stress points at the axle. The notion of plain old age and high (hard) mileage, plus the fact one of the issues with older swingarms is square tubing that can be crushed and cracked even if you torque things properly, adds up to metal fatigue in one of its worst forms.

Not good! Like it or not, there are several things we need to talk about in this pic. 130

Over the past couple issues we've been delving into the intricacies of the touring model chassis. We've discussed changes in the frame design and how to lower a new '07 and love it. Now we're hitting the larger segment by showing you how you can improve the handling on older FLs.

You might not know my friend Ron. He's got an older model dresser that has more motor than most can stand, namely an S&S 124 with over 130 (honest) hp at the back tire, and he's not afraid to use it! Ron rides it like he stole it, and since he's a mechanic, he knows how to fix what he breaks. Chances are good that you know someone like Ron (maybe even staring back at you from your bathroom mirror every morning), and there seems to be common thread amongst those who refuse to treat their Glides in geezer fashion. That common thread is the limitation of the chassis.

It's not like H-D isn't aware of this. Fact is, after a decade and a half of status quo, the Factory has done many good things to update this chassis over the last few years, namely the move to one-inch axles and beefier swingarms (both of which we're taking advantage of in this upgrade). For those with older dressers that feature neither, there are these options (and more) available as upgrades.

In Ron's case, it all started with a broken swingarm. Yes, you read that right-he snapped that hummer right in two! From there, a simple repair bloomed into the project you are about to read about. Hard-riding, high-powered baggers, especially older ones with some mean miles on them, become pretty much a process of finding the weak links. Whether it's starters, ring gears, tires, or swingarms, finding them is one thing and doing something about it is another.

One solution to metal fatigue, if it's not already too late, is this! Rather than the "lollipop" factory adjusters, which don't offer much meat to protect the tubing walls, consider upgrading to aftermarket adjusters like these. The additional material backing the walls of the tubing can help prevent stress in the axle area of any pre-'02 swingarm. These are available from V-Twin ('97 to '01); '80-'83 models are available from everyone (same as FXR). The only real difference between dresser and FXR from '84 is the thread pitch on the adjuster bolts.
One solution to metal fatigue, if it's not already too late, is this! Rather than the "lol
Regardless of which swingarm you choose to use on older dressers, one of the best things you can do for it is add upgraded pivot bearings, like these STA-BOs. Earlier arms benefit enormously from simple elimination of the factory clevebloc setup in favor of this more rigid arrangement. If the swingarm does not flex at the pivot and pass amplified tuning fork types of oscillations onto the rear wheel, handling improves. It's that basic! The neat thing is that STA-BO now offers a specific kit for just the type of stunt we're about to pull...
Regardless of which swingarm you choose to use on older dressers, one of the best things y
...namely to swap out the old swingarm for the newer ('02-'06) and vastly superior Factory version. As you can see, the bearings have some steps machined into them. What you might not see is that this kit therefore eliminates any need to machine the transmission case in order to swap the newer swingarm into the older chassis. Yet another stress point in high-powered baggers, the swingarm mounting holes are smaller on older models, and machining them enough to accept a bigger pivot bushing has been known to be just enough to cause them to crack. This is a much safer choice, and it's a pretty straightforward installation.
...namely to swap out the old swingarm for the newer ('02-'06) and vastly superior Factory