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Rolling resistance....

Sunnysideup

Sunnysideup

Junior Member
Was wondering what makes my bike so hard to push? Is it normal for motorcycles in general? I had a 1953 F100 Ford pickup that rolled twice as easy as my 675 pound Street bob.
 
Sunnysideup said:
Was wondering what makes my bike so hard to push? Is it normal for motorcycles in general? I had a 1953 F100 Ford pickup that rolled twice as easy as my 675 pound Street bob.
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Have you checked all the calipers to make sure they are retracting and not rubbing on the disc? Checked the air pressure? Does your model have a large rear tire? Any or all of these can make a bike hard to push, add bad wheel bearings and narrow handlebars and it can be a beast. Or in my case I'm just getting old.
 
Also, have you got a belt guard that is making contact with the belt and causing it to be hard to push. I assume that you are pushing it with the tranny in neutral and the clutch pulled in, right?

TQ
 
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I do have a problem then. Yes tranny in neutral, usually pull in the clutch as well. Handle bars/grips are wide apart 13 1/2 apes which I always have to retighten after pushing it because the handlebars slip/rotate forward due to the force I must push with. I'll start with the calipers. I am deligent about keeping up with my air pressure so I know that's not the problem.
 
Your apes aren't too high but it might just be the angle you are having to push at.
 
As Don mentioned, apes give a lot of leverage, and most apes I see are angled slightly forward. The force of pushing will tend to make them rotate. Both my Electra and Dyna's push relatively easily (given their weights). A too tight belt can cause extra resistance along with dragging brakes as mentioned. Try riding slow, and going into neutral. You should be able to feel the difference between coasting, and something dragging it down.
 
Breeze3at said:
As Don mentioned, apes give a lot of leverage, and most apes I see are angled slightly forward. The force of pushing will tend to make them rotate. Both my Electra and Dyna's push relatively easily (given their weights). A too tight belt can cause extra resistance along with dragging brakes as mentioned. Try riding slow, and going into neutral. You should be able to feel the difference between coasting, and something dragging it down.
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The slow riding thing then going into neutral is a good suggestion. I'll try that very first then go from there.
 
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