2014 dyna FXDL 103ci 585 cams Trask Tuned Kept my composure If this ever happens to you , do your best to Not panic and keep your composure and you might just have a chance to survive 😂
Had the same thing happen with a shopping cart at the grocery store. Man those front wheels were slapping like crazy. Never did I think an ill placed bag of cat food would have such an effect on the handling.
Yeah, those wobbles happen often when taking a turn with the weight badly distributed. Hard to navigate through the alleys sometimes, especially in a hurry.
@@Anoalekontrieger this shit happens all the time on sport bikes bro... look it up. its lack of maintenance and wrong adjustment of steering stem bearings, plus lowering kits ect throw out the geometry
@@Anoalekontrieger With Sport Bikes it is most common with poor maintenance/tire pressure, excessive speed (like REAL excessive), and having the front end come down at an inappropriate angle. High speed wheelies or even just a twitchy throttle hand being the culprit with the latter. A lot of sport bikes and all moto GP bikes have steering dampers which help alleviate this issue.
Had this once on my R6, going about 80mph in the fast lane. Absolutely horrifying feeling when it starts, and then it ends and you just keep casually riding away like you didn't just watch your life flash before your eyes.
Thats nothing. Last night I had a death wobble while taking a piss at 2:00 in the morning. There was urine everywhere, all over the toilet seat, the floor, and I even got some on the ceiling. It was horrifying.
Only dealt with “Death Wobble” once after hitting a pot hole going about 60mph. Felt my life flash before my eyes but luckily just held it straight as much as possible. Pulled over and had to take a breather for a few minutes. I was 136lbs, on a Harley Davidson Sportster 48 so it would of been bad. Just ride careful Ladies and Gents!
It’s my understanding, from many conversations with very experienced bike builders and machinists, that the wobble comes from improper steering stem bearing clearance. Too much clearance allows for an eccentric motion above the bearing. This gets multiplied down the length of the forks to the wheel axles and produces an exaggerated wobble. I’ve never had the death wobble happen to me so I’m just putting this out there to maybe hear a different idea.
@@AppaTheOne he hit the metal reflector on the white center line, all i know is when people do wheelies, wobble can happen because front wheel not spinning at the same speed as rear and once the bike on two wheels front wheel gets cought up and needs time to spin to what the rear wheel spin
not an expert but, i believe its related to fairings too. bikes without fairings and soft-bad-poorly set suspensions can easily (with a small bump on road etc) get crazy on high speeds. whenever i go high speed with my supermoto (+140kmh) i feel the bike is less stable and prone to tank slapping.
@@AppaTheOne think it is actually grooved so it makes a sound if u pass out and wander into the other lane. It looks like that same kind of machined marks on the road anyways when he crossed.
If it happens in a sweeping turn, do your best to try to tighten up your turn, by pulling back a little harder on the handlebar on the outside of the turn. EASE OFF on the throttle and gently start applying more and more rear brake if necessary. Don't do anything dramatic, gently as possible. Don't wait till it gets wobbling too bad. The rear brake pressure is basically like dragging an anchor to straighten out the rest of the bike. All this has saved me a bunch of times.
Wont applying the brake causes the weight to shifted forward and causes more wobble? Also wouldnt accelerating force the bike to stay upright and thus make the bike more stable? Idk if this can be applied to the scenario that you gave, but on a straight road, braking seems to make things worse. I could be wrong tho.
@@gerardorockerman69 No! You do not want to hit the brakes in that situation and you most definitely do not want to tighten up on those handlebars and try to muscle out of it! Those are the 2 most common mistakes riders unfamiliar with tank slappers make. Hitting the brakes or trying to muscle out of it will send a rider to the asphalt real fast. This rider handled the situation like a boss because he got off the throttle, stayed loose on the handlebars with a good grip and just let physics straighten things out for him.
@@mysticrider76 I think he pulled the brake but just in a very soft little touch (tried not to make a shock/panick braking). But overall he did let the bike lead and slowed down the speed 👌
Did the same thing on a sportster 1200 having a quick test of its power, but at 110mph it got the wobbles, and like you I instinctively rolled back the throttle gradually and it settled down. I guess cruisers are meant to cruise on only, but everyone has those moments of curiosity and says ‘let’s see what this baby can do!’ It’s a lesson learned anyway.
You can ride them pretty hard. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KOk7PSkHJsw.html Just consider investing in a better suspension like Ohlins, Wilbers, etc…as the stock one is garbage for faster riding, upgrade the brakes and brake cables & choose the best sport tires and let them be mounted professionally with lead balancing and all.
Yeah its been super windy here in Texas and this past weekend I was out riding my Nightster and idk what caused it, I was going somewhere between 85-95, took a slight turn and she started getting squirrely in the middle of the lean. Idk if the wind played any factor in it at all but it didnt really freak me out as much as it shouldve. I just slowly eased off the accelerator and shifted my weight opposite the lean and rode it through lmao didnt even dawn on me until afterwards what happened
The bike- Triumph T595 (new) The rider- excited new owner The mph- full gogo 4th gear The culprit- bridge connections The result- horrific tank slapimous rapid repeatus. 100% evil demon & bike integration. The way out- weight back, more power, lighten the front. Long term effects- uncontrollable sphincter cramps do to a prolonged pucker experience.
I had experienced the same once with my cruiser , scared the crap out of me , never rode fast since then , I take it as a valuable lesson and in a way glad it happened. Ride safe boys.
@@calebhightower6676 If he doesnt answer you soon then I'll answer your question. If i remember correctly, I was going above 50 miles an hour and almost went into the opposite direction and incoming vehicles. What made it even worse was I was riding in the rain and it sucked. But I'm here, I made it home, safe and sound. Please take heed and DO NOT REPEAT our mistakes. It's true, you can get yourself killed.
@@someweeb3650 physics…I think…. Every action results in equal opposite reaction… i think the center-reflective-markers(raised-turtles); started the wobble…and rumble strip helped reset it…. Like spinning a tire, while holding the axel, or gyroscope….. I think….
I totaled a bike about a year ago after getting a death wobble "I was speeding" and just watching this gave me pucker factor, lmao. Good job keeping it under control 👌
I recovered from a death wobble on a Sportster much more severe than that. The handlebars where literally going from lock to lock on an 6 lane wide fwy in National City near San Diego at 65-70mph. Bike was throwing itself side to side completely outside my control. I had just bought the bike and was driving it home. At the time I was 19 and in the Navy. Didn't even know there was such a phenomena. I remember that moment like it was yesterday, it was 1974. It is still difficult to believe that at that speed you can recover when the bike is doing "impossible" things. Actually, "I" didn't recover, all I did was let off and hang on. I was just along for the ride and physics lesson. When you buy a used bike, check the tire pressures before you drive off.
YOU did EXACTLY what you’re supposed to do to recover actually. Let off and hang on. Congratulations, you didn’t know it but you’ve always been and excellent rider. Navy vet here too. You saying “19 in the Navy” took me straight back.
Customer: Hey HD I experience a death wobble at 120 mph on my low rider any suggestion on how to fix this problem? HD customer service: Don't do 120 mph on the low rider. If you want that speed we suggest a japanese or european sportbike.
I’ve done 160km/hr on my Deluxe many, many times and never had a wobble. My guess is that his bike has a Dyna frame. They were notorious for the wobble
Always grip your bars like your holding eggs, don't stiffen arms, lean forward, steady on gas, or give it some more. I heard the rubber mounts on the motors can cause wobble too, get the mount stabilizers.
Have you ever tried a V-ROD Jaime? You better know more than yap. Yeah Japanese bikes are way to go but, dude you would never have this issue on a V-ROD.
Glad you're OK! I remember when I found out what a "speed wobble" was. It was around 95mph on a Yamaha Virago. I had never even heard of them. They are nerve wrecking.
Lol, my VT750 was my 4th bike. Never had an issue on that Virago (suspension wise, it demanded a valve adjustment every 5k tho). Then again, how you managed to get it up to 95mph to begin with when the gauge caps out at 80 is pretty intense.
@@aeriagloris4211 All I did was slowing start easing off the throttle. I honestly could not tell you if there is a special way to avoid the tire kissing back down while turned and causing a crash. I really do not know if I did it the best way. It only happened to me once and I truly believe blind @ luck or divine intervention played a huge part. I wish I could tell you there is a technique for saving it but the truth is - I don't know how I didn't crash, just thankful I didn't 🙏
Hi everyone ! I crashed my bike twice, and it now speed wobbles. Only when I'm around 100 mph. It consistently speed wobbles cause the forks might be busted or bent slightly. That being said. Consider this if you speed wobble, push the forks down 👇 while letting off the throttle slightly, you only need to slow down in order for the correction to happen. Meaning. Letting off the throttle will stop the wobble and adding extra pressure by pushing the bars down will keep you in a straight line. If you are turning and get the wobbles then God help you 😬 I'm glad you killed it and remained calm! I hope this helps in the future ! Ive been doing it basically daily cause I'm broke and moving into a new place. But. I. Have. To. Ride. Every day.
Truth is lots of things can cause them from design to just a burst of crosswind against a fork mounted windshield, loose steering bearings, out of balance dual rear shocks, and the list goes on and on. Glad you came out of it, it's a real pucker up buttercup moment for sure. I got it once doing around 90mph (on a 85mph highway) after a piece of metal came out from under a semi and hit my front tire. Whole front tire was going flat and the bead of the rim was actually bent (lucky I didn't lose a toe or something). Anyway I managed to wobble it over to the side of the interstate and basically just let go of the handlebars completely, and was holding the seat and just hammering the rear brake as hard as I could without sliding. I managed to stop it upright but it was not fun at all. Fortunate that it took about 30 seconds for the front tire to go flat, had it blown there is no holding it upright then.
That's happened to me years back on my Honda CB750 Custom! It was probably the closest to death I've ever felt! That was 1985! Nothing that bad since💯thanks fir the share👍💯
for those wondering his crossing of the lane was what caused the wobble to induce. if you look in the latter half of the video the quality in road between the outside lanes and the center strip is great + it looks like center lane is a small divet + painted surface was all enough to induce weird physics as he crossed at speed. Not his fault. This is normally not enough to do it but you never know.
Of course it’s his fault ! He’s riding it too quickly for the type of bike it is. He crossed a lane completely unnecessarily. He destabilised the bike, he is in charge of controlling, by riding like a moron.
yah yah yah yah everything that happens to a bi-wheeler is there fault but at the same time who hasn't just crossed lanes at speed. I mean just do five under the speed limit with a suit of armor on at all times.
Well done -- he noticed the beginning of it so immediately began reducing speed and even moved onto the shoulder to let it settle. Good driving and understanding of his machine
I think holding on to it rather than what some people would try (correcting / over correcting or braking) saved you and the bike from doom... Good recovery...
Wild. 35,000+ miles I've put on my Dyna (super similar build as the Dyna in this video). I rode the brakes off my bike too. 120+ mph regularly, scraped pegs to the point of replacement multiple times, and just hooned the hell out of it in general, and I've never had a death wobble. Mega scary. Great recovery.
Because you ride experienced, and Im sure hold a loose grip on the bars. People who squeeze em as hard as they can have this happen. Never had an issue on my Z900 either and it didn't come with a damper or stabilizer.
I surprised at this. I'm surprised a Harley would even do 120 mph. Even more surprised that half the bike didn't fall off getting to that speed. And I am STUNNED that the worst thing that happened was the little wobble. HD...when you buy one, you know exactly what you're getting.
I had this happen to me on my Buddy’s BRAND NEW Kawasaki H2 Mach IV Triple 750cc 2 stroke about 1974. I opened that thing up and was approaching 130 (according to the speedometer) when it started wobbling. Thankfully I had the wherewithal to just let off the throttle (I was only 18 or 19). And it smoothed right out. It did reaffirm my relationship with my creator though!
I've owned only two Harley's in my life, and that's probably all I'll ever own. Never had this happen, not even close. Keep an eye on your tyre pressures, make sure your wheel and head stem bearings are maintained, your forks have correct levels and types of fluids, and that'll probably solve a lot of these issues. Having said that, if you own a Dyna or Tourer, get your hands on what's called a "TruTrak" system, designed and made in Australia. These little beauties should've come standard on all non-Softails up to the new generation of HD's.
This used to happen on my supermoto on the freeway. I chased after the "problem" for a few months after getting a brand new bike. It ended up being my holding the grips too tight and pulling back on the bars. Once I learned to just relax and guide the bike rather than squeeze for dear life, it went away completely. Not saying that this is the same thing, just had an experience with this and this was my fix!
Good observation. I always tell new riders don't hold the grip tight, press your legs to the gas tanks and use them to help steer, don't try to manhandle it.
At that speed your legs don’t do any steering. Counter steering and leaning is the only way the bike changes direction. Your legs are useful to hold on to the bike and makes changes in body position while you maintain light grip on the handlebars
Having this happen on a motorcycle at those speeds, really increased the pucker factor. Anyone got some spare underwear. This reminds me of an old Jeep my dad had. He used it to plow snow, so he shoe horned a 283 V8 under the hood with a three speed stick. What would happen is the idler arm bearing would wear out. I think it was due to all the extra weight up front. Every once in a while the Jeep would start to shimmy violently. The only way to stop the shaking was to hit the gas or get the Jeep to near complete stop. I was 18 and out on the highway with the Jeep doing 55, when the Jeep began to shake madly. It felt like the Jeep was going to fly apart. I hit the brakes and damn near got run over by a cement mixer. When these wobbles occur. You not only have to worry about getting the bike under control. But you have to worry about getting run over at the same time.
I bet that got your heart pumping! My father did the same thing but unfortunately hit gravel at the same time and he did about a 90 mph slide. Many skin graft surgeries later the scars are still very visible and about 20% of his body. Those injuries were incurred through a leather bike jacket, Levi blue jeans and auto grease covered work boots. This happened in his mid 20s and he’s almost 60 now and doesn’t ride anymore. Be safe out there!
@@greglinski2208 Okay d**k, this is perfect for story time. Hes sharing a valuable experience that could save someone from doing something dangerous on a bike. Have you ever been in a motorcycle accident? You know how bad road rash hurts?
wasn't biking while I fell but skateboarding... my hoody was torn, my sweatshirt was perfectly fine but my t-shirt was torn... both on the same spot 😀 fell at 50kph. no protective gear 😛
I had a tank slapper once on a 2004 Honda CBR600f4i. I was riding at night with a large group. We were going about 130mph on an empty highway. I hit a chuck of debris in the road, which suddenly turned the wheel all the way to the stop instantly. The front forks were oscillating against the stops so fast, it was a blur, and I had zero directional control. I just let go and rode it out. It stopped after about 3 seconds. One of the scariest experiences of my life.
Nice job on recovering. I remember having a bike that did this a few times. Scared the hell out of me. You really know when you're exceeding your bikes limits
Nice recovery, can't wheelie to resettle front end at 120 unless you have 250 hp. Very well done, you didn't brake hard and go full tank slapper like many people do. I remind myself at low speeds you can lift the front end and resettle, but not when the road stripes become solid at 120.
I had that happen multiple times with an old ninja 750 I had, mostly at lower speeds but once at about 130. Fortunately the lower crankcase cracked while I was tightening a sensor, causing me to get rid of the death trap on 2 wheels. I’ll definitely be more careful about selecting a better bike in the future
@@sentientdogma1206 Look up Harley Death Wobble, its a well documented issue with the bikes. It's to do with the dual rear shock set up coupled with a fairly flexible chassis. Given that no two springs can ever be the same, the stretch and bounce back potential of either side of the rear shocks is slightly different, resulting in an inbalance. This in itself won't kill you, but Harley doesn't help the issue by being archaic and not integrating the engine into the chassis to make it more rigid and using rubber mounting points, thus making the chassis more flexible. This coupled with the dual rear shocks result in oscillations at higher speed. This isn't Harley's fault technically, its more on morons to try to be speed demons and use Harley's for a capability they are not designed for. It's why all modern sports bikes tend to integrate the engine into the chassis for rigidity and tend to use a single spring design to stop imbalances. Lessens the danger of tank slappers.
@@shawnshackleford1871 Thats why I said "lessens the danger of Tank Slappers" Modern Bikes have them too, you just have to do a lot more to have one. Some older Harley's would death wobble at highway speeds after a slight imbalance, which is just criminal.
Yall lean forward, shifting your body weight will move the center of gravity and stop the bike from wobbles, accelerating or decelerating can worsten it if done too quicky
This reminds me of a deadly accident on 301 back in 2021 on my way to Delaware to pickup a subwoofer enclosure from Maryland. Saw 2 Harley riders crusing, then they got passed by a red Toyota corola and one of the harlery riders decided to chase the corora for cutting infront of them from the sidewalk and ends up crashing after this same handle bar wobble . He was air lifted but died at the hospital. I told the cops a different story but told his wife and elders son exactly what happened. Every time I see a Harley, it immediately reminds me of the accident as if it was yesterday.
I would of pulled over and called my wife to take me home so I could change my shorts. I've never experienced that before (I ride an Indian) but it looks scarier than hell. Props to you for handling it so well.
Those harmonic oscillations can be caused by any number of things. Looks like this one started just as you crossed the centerline, so if there's a crown in that roadway, that little bit of lift and descent could have started it. It also looks like you have a considerable arm between the lower clamp and the top of the screen so an aerodynamic change could have started it just as well.
Check out how dynas are setup, this is because the tires start tracking seperate lines, our swing arms are mounted direct to the transmission instead of the frame, the rubber motor mounts let the swing arm move left to right.
@@SteveRazgriz9057 FortNine shows how it happens, and he shows some footage of a guy clearing dying once he lands underneath his Harley going down the freeway with a short sleeve shirt and no gloves. It was like a faces of death video.
Standard Dyna behavior. The the motor is rubber mounted and the frame section around the motor is "noodlely" and flexes way too easily causing an oscillation.
Absolute novice question, I've got no business on two wheels so I'm just asking out of curiosity. Could you downshift and wheelie out of a death wobble? Or is it like trying to cartwheel while falling down the stairs?
You are probably not focusing on downshifting and just trying not to make the wobble worse, it would take an insane amount of focus in order to brake to the right speed where when you down shift you wont shoot the rpms up too high, and then to dumb the clutch and gas it to pop the front end up enough to be in a wheelie all while trying to stop wobbling would be worse tha. Just trying to counteract the wobble all together
Naw that’s what happens when you try to ride a poorly designed motorcycle beyond the speed it was made for. That and he’s also gripping the bars hard. When accelerating hard or riding at high speed you barely want to touch the bars.
I agree. It applies to anything really, line repairs etc. Just need to hit them at more of an angle otherwise one of the wheels will track, or you'll get this.
@@mohammedhegdah the way he cranks his wrist down. That’s what started it, the fact he loosened up the grip right away is what saved him. In the sportbike world we usually twist the throttle with just the fingertips to stabilize the bike. Full grip and a lowered elbow gives poor control and can cause the bike to become unstable as we see here.
I had to 1980 sportster in the 1975 super glide never again I have on a 1970Triumph 0:46 650 tiger since 1980 so I have been riding the bike for 43 years. I love it.
Have a Harley Davidson conduct a proper fall away procedure. Often overlooked, I've got well over 600,000 miles on my ass and have several owned HD's. You wont have any more problems guaranteed. If it still wobbles take it back to the dealership and tell them you aren't happy with the fall away and that you want it redone. If they give you a hard time speak to a manager. If the manager doesn't want to help you take it up with Corporate HD.
@@paky8374 this I don't understand. my LR is 1500 cc and at 140 km/h its no longer comfortable. 150 would really be pushing it and I doubt it would go much higher. Have you done a lot of mods to your 1200?
@@shizuokaBLUES just stage one. The comfort zone is 120/130 kmh, but It's the true...198 kmh. Push down your head and use a lower handlebar and a windshield and for sure you gain a few km / h.
@@paky8374 funny I used to have a Honda Nighthawk 750S that had just a few basic mods and I could do 200 or 220 without much effort or discomfort. But this Harley 1500cc bike scares the hell out of me at 140! So your message surprises me. You always had a Harley ?
I had the same thing happened to me. I found that turning the throttle off made it much worse, so I left the throttle as it was and gradually pulled the front and rear brakes on. That did the trick of stopping the wobble.
SPUTHE STABILIZER front and rear. If all alignment procedure is correct, as well as general maintenance items, these stabilizers will cure the high speed wobble. Our Dynas run consistently well over 120 with no issues whatsoever. As stable as my GSXR Suzuki's. Good luck. TOMBSTONE.
Relax kids it's his worn rubber motor mounts Harley mounted the swingarm to the transmission not the frame and the whole thing is on rubber mounts. Thats why it's the dyna wobble.
I had a Honda 250 Superdream , not a powerful or fast bike but very heavy and comfortable to ride. Foolishly I often took my gloves off as I approached my works carpark and would steer by leaning the bike, but what it did demonstrate to me is that the handle bars would react and wobble over things like road joint imperfections, drain covers and speed bumps, but quickly self correct without my input, which appears to be supported by experienced riders who endorse a gentle grip of the bars and sensible speeds. Both cars and bikes will give you feedback handling clues and sounds as to what is happening. Road marking and the reflectors can be evil especially in the wet, or even dry conditions as shown in this video.
I have a 90 Ultra running a S&S 111, last week I was running 85-90 and passed a semi; his dirty air gave it a wicked tank slapper (I was hitting the center and fog line) luckily I pulled out. You know it's bad when traffic backs off.
I had that problem on a 750 Yamaha maxim after installing a windshield on it. I immediately took it off and solved the problem but I’ve had it on a honda 900 custom with no accessories. It’s a scary situation when you’re cruising along at triple digits and try to slow down only to find your handlebars slapping the sides of your tank violently. I just brake hard and pray never to take any bike back on the road that has a habit of death wobbling.
I take my Harley out daily. And on weekends when I’m not working I’m riding 2-300 miles each day.. we ride scenic routes. I just bought mine in may with 604 miles and am at 9500 + miles.. so I’m not sure what Harley riders you are referring to?.. but I ride mine😂
@@pwinters72 Im talking about the Harleys with no suspension, no fenders, no decent brakes, no gauges, straight pipes, tiny seats, tiny mirrors, one gallon gas tanks . . . your basic show bike.
@@bryansmith4856 yeah I’m not a fan of the show bikes either. The garage kept, keep the miles low riders… get a bike and ride! That’s a lifestyle my friend. Thank you for your clarification
It seems as though the front end is getting light and becoming influenced by drag on the handle bars. You might be able to reduce this by adding weight to the front forks/fender, or reducing the drag on the front end of the bike (reduce cross-section). Also consider some sort of steering damper like the sport bikes use.
I’ve seen this caused by windscreens . Another time we had a customer on an old Triumph. He said it would wobble. After observing him ride we determined that it was caused by his leather jacket . He would unzip his jacket and ride with it open. The flapping of the jacket caused the wobble
a tank-slapper can happen to most any bike unless you have (or add) an adjustable hydraulic steering damper. I once had oscillation on a Honda 350 twin, but never on my BMW 1100 or Honda VFR. some real no-nos are putting extra weight high and rearward on the bike. grip the tank with your knees and loosen your grip on the bars to help dampen the wobble. they are always scary when they start.
That lil wobble while unerving is small potatoes to the wobbles I've had @ 160+. I never crashed though cause I do not fight it. I let the bike sort itself and rapidly reduce speed without front brakes
It is kinda dumb BUT, should be able to. And I'm a Harley rider but my bike does weird stuff sometimes too. It's really annoying. I'm thinking about trading it in on a new Harley but the bike in this video seems pretty new so I wonder if the new Harley's have this problem as well.
Had a Ford pickup truck that would do that every time I hit a bump in the road, overpass, railroad tracks, small pothole.. Took it to the dealer numerous times and they kept saying "there's nothing wrong with truck". So I took the head mechanic for a ride in the truck and showed him. They never could find the problem, even though later I found out it was happening quite often with Ford trucks. They end up giving me a new truck..
I once had a '94 900ss slapping back and forth off the steering stops. Guy behind me said, "every time the front wheel touched the ground, it let off a little blue puff of burning rubber." Very scary - lol!
I’ve seen major death wobble one time on a jacked up Dodge pickup with fat tires (you know the routine) doing about 75 or so ahead of me. Front wheels started shaking like crazy.
