How to Prevent the Speed Wobble 

I love Muttley. 😀😀😀

Off topic, but I just wanted to tell you, of all the motorcycle youtubers I’ve encountered, you’re the most skilled and your videos are proper classes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I hope this channel grows to be as large as it should be, everyone on a bike should know what you teach (and unlearn the misinformation others share).

I ran into the speed wobble a few days ago, but I remembered that don't panic and release the throttle gradually leaning forward, because the bike is meant to go forward and correct itself. It helped save my life at an intersection that was about to turn red.

You say you are learning/practicing english, but your english is excellent and you're a really good communicator, far better than a lot of native english instructors. You also show a deep understanding of the physics behind how motorcycles work and it's convincing. And please don't ever consider trying to correct your accent - I learnt to ride in London in my 20s, I'm 62 and I'm starting to realise there's a lot more to learn - and when I'm trying to remember it - it's your accent I hear in my head.

the load distribution picture lol

I was a motorcycle newbie with about 10 months of riding experience when I experienced my first speed wobble. Cost me my 2 front teeth, sadly. Thanks for this video, would really help a lot of new and experienced riders alike.

I spit coffee. Mama Susan says you have to censor "de*th", immediately says "sh*t" with no bleep. Brilliant! 😆😆😆

That wobble and weave Dunlop video is older than most of us I would guess and it covers pretty much the same points. Being around for so long you would think it would have been incorporated in standard license tests... but nope 😅 More reason to hammer the point home with videos like this 🤙

I had the tank slapper happen to me as I passed 298kph.Obviously I instantly accepted the potential fact that I was about to taste the very material in which the roadway was constructed of. My instant reaction was to keep my hands on the bars but not to fight the violence before me. What I had not realized until after I had realized that my shorts we warmer than i remembered, was that during the 3-5 seconds that seemed like 3-5 minutes I had not increased or decreased my throttle input. I don't know for certain if this is what caused the bike to correct itself or not . Either way ,I made it to 322kph before the Rev limmiter kicked in and I began my decent back into the realm of acceptable speed .Needless to say,I'll never do that again.

In 2011 I was on a 11000 mile cross country road trip. I was riding my VTX through Az on a dead straight 2-lane highway with no shoulder, and barbwire fence on either side. Was cruising along at around 75mph with a pickup (with tailgate down) about 100y ahead of me and a big rig ahead of him. The two of them disappeared over a rise in the road, and as I crested the rise I was confronted with a locked up big rig with smoke pouring off the rear wheels trying to make a left hand turn onto some tiny dirt road. The pickup was also locked up, and there was traffic in the oncoming lane parallel with the truck.. I applied my brakes and suddenly found myself in a severe death wobble (probably a full on tank slapper, but my adrenaline was spiked and I'm not sure if it was hitting or not). My options were try to hold it together while braking as fast as possible, head into oncoming traffic, attempt to thread the needle and likely hit one of the cars or go under the turning big rig, head off road and get wrapped in a barbed wire fence at speed, or let off the brakes and hit the back of the pickup with a very real decapitation by tailgate possibility. None of the techniques offered in this video were an option. Hold it together while braking as fast as possible is what I went for, as the wobble increased strongly. I was convinced I would high side or hit the back of the pickup and die as it felt close to jackknife with every wobble. I seem to remember tightening my knees against the tank, tightening my hand grip, and trying to loosen my arms and upper body while offering enough resistance to hopefully stop a jackknife. My internal monologue was screaming shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...., as I braked harder while trying to keep it on the road and upright. Somehow, I kept the bike upright and managed to stop about 5 inches behind the pickups tailgate. The severe wobble didn't let up until I was completely stopped. To this day it was the single most terrifying experience I've had on a motorcycle. I am very thankful that I was leaving such a large amount of space between me and the pickup. I put the bike into the shop to find a cause when I got to my destination. It turned out the new tire on the front, had torqued and developed a bulge after being installed improperly about 2k miles prior at a small shop in Wi. The dyna beads I was using for balancing collected in the bulge and exacerbated the issue imbalancing the tire further. The shop was able to correct the issue and save the tire, and it had no further problems. Let's just say that was the last time I used dyna beads for tire balancing...lol

Best bike riding advice on RU-vid! I've had two, still crapping myself tank slappers. One at about 200kmph on a GSXR 1100. Only right hand on the throttle and I somehow accelerated out of it. The second slow one was the scariest. On a FJR1200 lane splitting and I hit ripples in the tarmac. The initial slap was so hard I couldn't hold onto the handle bars and then my feet went flying off the pegs! All this while I'm lane splitting among early morning highway traffic. The bike gathered itself perfectly. Ohlin shocks saved me.

You have been one of my favourite channel but in time you have become my most informative and favorite channel. Congratulations and thank you Pls keep up your extraordinary work 👏👏👏

Worst one that ever happened to me was when I was 2-up, passenger wasn't holding on tightly enough and as I accelerated from a stop light her weight shifted back to the right hard, causing the bike to wheelie and lean right. It came down sideways and slapped full lock 3 or 4 times, I thought for sure we were going down. But she managed to cling on super tight and I stayed steady, relaxed and laid on the tank and we came out of it quickly. Learned a few lessons about 2-up.

Great video, thank you for making and sharing it with the rest of us! I only had a wobble once on my bike. Ironically, it happened when I was on my way to the service shop to change the worn out suspension for a brand new one. :) They replaced the rear shock (according to my weight) and put new springs (again, according to my weight) and oil in the front forks. The bike now rides like a charm.

Great informative video, I love your channel and content. Keep up the great work :))

Really love your channel. Fantastic videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I copped serious death wobbles at 90km/h when the Pirelli Sport Demon on the front arced up due to high road temps, fouled on the bolts holding the guard on and slowed the wheel during a slight lift due to bumps. This was enough to induce tank slappers and threw me off a very rare and much loved motorcycle.

A speed wobble with low frequency ( about 1 second fro side to side at 150 kph ) is also often caused by misaligned front and rear wheels and sometimes even due to a slightly bent front fork tube on one side due to light accident and staying unnoticed.

Thanks for your work, information and contribution of knowledge for riders. Your videos should get more 👍

Straight forward, logical and kept the bs tips for the end. Perfect video, subscribed.

Always helpful. Thanks so much!

As far as is known, misaligned, warped and out-of-roundness wheels, low or high tire pressure, loose steering wheel and a lot of weight on rear wheel are the most probable causes of death wobble. I 100% agree with the solutions sugested. Outstanding videos, thanks a lot.

The over correction idea makes the most sense to me as the cause at high speeds. Thanks.

You were very helpful, thank you so much for your efforts! This video was very helpful for me especially as a new biker who recently started learning and bought a super crazy bike ZX10R. Спасибо большое за столь полезное видео! Я как новичок байкер который сразу сел на ZX10R многому научился после этого видео 🙏👍

Я за год езды и тренеровок на мот вырос на вашем канале . Огромная вам благодарность! Всё упражнения применяю на практике. Сильноьповысил свой уровень вождения.

Best bike instruction vids on RU-vid.

Best way to get out of a tank slapper is to throttle off and push forward on the bars, never pull. one arm will always be stronger and makes it worse, i have been riding for 50 years and have had a few in that time, this is the best method i have tried

Whenever TANK SLAPS on me... I SLAPPED him Back ... HARDER ... !!!! 😫👋🏻 😅 Again a very great and informative video. Thank you bro ... Once again... !!! Lots of respect 🙏🏻 and love ❤ From INDIA ( northeast ).

Wow. What kind of a hole would report this as promoting dangerous activity?

Gr8 video. Ride safe, god bless you.

Makes a change to see a video that gives you some sensible advice as to what to actually *do* in the case of a d**th-wobble. So many yt videos tell you how to avoid it in the first place, but don't touch on how to get out of the shit if you do end up having to deal with it.

Have you done a video on beginner motorcycles, what one should look for and what to avoid? I love your lessons

Great explanation! Many thanks!

"...load distribution..." ~ lol! I just blew beer out my nose.

Muttley T-shirt was appropriate with your laugh when talking about manufacturers with only a marketing department. 😎

Avoid potholes while hitting the powerband.

My RC8R used to be a tank slapper machine. I love the bike, but imma have to get a newer bike when I start up aggressive riding again. I'll keep the 8R around as long as I can for fun though, it's a great bike. It had some drops and negligence on it when I got it.

If that accures to me, i usually shut the throttle and let her rolling. If that don't reduce the wobble, i use the rear brake smoothly. If that don't work either, i change to another part of the lane. Often the middle part of the lane is not worn out so much. I try to prevent bad parts of the road. Patchwork asphalt often is uneven and in worst case sometimes feels like cobblestone streets.

Outstanding episode

Thank you for this video ! Great channels …!

Great video brother 👍🏍️

Great video clips.

I dont have a motorcycle instructor or a motorcycle but you are right ur my favorite motorcycle instructor

Excellent wideo😜 howeever knot one menchion of inspechting fwont twire. Run your hand over your front tire and if you get lotta wobble you'll visually be able to see wear that is symmetrical all the way around. If the wear is deep on one side and up directly opposite it's higher...this too can cause death wobble that is equivalent to extreme front braking until your hips hit handle bars and stop the wobble.😅

There are two different things being illustrated in the clips, there. 'Wobble' is a low speed behaviour of the front castor, it is only the wheel flapping back and forward on account of the rake angle and the damping in the front steering. 'Weave', which is these days called 'high speed wobble' is what is dangerous, at high speeds, where the front and rear wheels step in opposite directions and the rear steers one way while the front steers the other, and they fight each other. To stop it, move your CoG forward and down (tuck in). Be wary if you sit up at high speeds because it can induce weave for the reverse reason. Weave is a result of the front forks oscillating in compression. Stiffer springs and stiffer headstock reduces weave. It is not actually a wobble because the rear is wobbling equally and oppositely to the front, hence weave.

I went on a long trip years ago and experienced several speed wobbles, the first was my very first, I had so many wobbles during the trip I was able to experiment with methods to stop them, I found stomping on the rear brake always stopped them quickly.

Knock on wood I've only experienced that once. I was about 12 on a bicycle trying to see how fast I could go down hill. I don't know how fast it was, but definitely too fast for the bike.

cool explained 👍good video

Gently let off the throttle, lean over the tank, and gently apply the rear brake. Had a 78 KZ1000, so I had lots of practice at this before I fixed it. (By gusseting the top three frame tubes, under the tank, and installing a fork brace). It only happened between 87-90mph.

Yamaha wr 450 supermoto - front fender would cause wobble at top speed - trimming fender fixed it

I’ve been riding for about 12 years and somehow never experienced a speed wobble. I hope I have the sense to not panic if it ever happens

Thank you for your work! The most decent information about motorcycles 😊 От души! Успехов в развитии обоих каналов :)

Bumps that are high or at least deep then going up. That can also wobble your own bike or make it uncontrollable if you don't know how. It happened to me but since i know my motorcycle, i controlled just in time before i got to go in another lane. But speed wobbles are different than most accidents in the road.

i dont even own a bike,, but this video seems legit af

Been riding motorcycles for 54 years and I’ve never had an episode of head shake. I guess the closest I’ve come was on concrete with grooving cut into the surface. Even then it just wanted to go where I didn’t want it to go. I don’t know if my luck is due to me sitting well forward crowding the tank. Who knows, but I’d do not want to ever experience a nasty head shake at highway speeds.

Fun too watch your videos 🙂. Also learn a lot. Love ❤️ from India.

Had a few slappers in my time lol 😆 seriously 1 was banging lock to lock - in front of 2 cops closed the thtrottle & it steadily went away , they followed me to pick my mrs up & asked me what happened, i said i have no idea , it hadn't happened before- zx6r b1h with incorrect suspension setup was the cause , & it started under hard acceleration. Still got the bike 19 years old & going strong 💪

Just installed an ohlins damper can’t wait to try it!

I'm a new 'busa owner. Do I need to be concerned? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I laid a shit brick many moons ago whilst owning an original '92 Fireblade with 16'' Front wheel lol. I crested a rise in the road on my back wheel and when the front touched down I was ever so slightly leant over as the road was on a slight curve too. The front end went crazy. Very violent shaking of it's head. I just instinctively relaxed my grip on the bars (you will not hold it anyway, it's far too violent and it starts before you can think. Best to loosen up to keep contact with the flailing bars) and let it do it's thing until it settled down. All at about 100mph. Memoirs of an idiot. 🤣🤣

I borrowed my father-in-laws KTM 790 Adventure R and had my first Wobbles on it by just going fast on a straight line, the bike has a steering damper from the factory, but seems to be very prone to have steering instability. He did mention that he put the rear spring preload at the minimum so he can reach the seat better, dont know if that could be helping...

I have owned a muscle bike (runs on things like olive oil and apple pie) which started to shake at exactly 31 km/h when I took my hands of the handle bar to straightn my back after a climb. Anyway, as a cyclist I sometimes find very usefull information in videos about motorbikes.

Thanks for posting. Also you might want to post on R*MBL* if YT can't figure out that your promoting safe driving. Cheers!

the best as usual! Please move to Canada! :) you could be in right place!

Many years ago I had a Kawasaki Z1A 900. One day I found that it consistently broke into a speed wobble at around 190kph. Every time that happened I would apply the rear brake and the wobble ceased instantly. It turned out to be a ½ turn loose in the steering bearings. I believe the wobble stopped because applying the rear brake sagged the rear end slightly increasing rake and trail. But perhaps it was only because I changed one factor....

With someone in the comments replied about questions regarding steering dampers. Are they effective?

I was really waiting for the part "wheeli your bike out of wobble"

Thanks For Sharing, i Love Mutley. 😃

I've done 100mph a couple of times on my Enfield continental gt 650,breaking of any kind starts it slapping due to its single disc front brake,you have to ease of then brake,just a warning for interceptor/conti owners out there.

Do steering dampeners that some manufactures install as standard equipment prevent steering wobble/wheel oscillation? Also, among the myriad of reasons for what induces wheel oscillation, is it possible that the wheel is needing balancing and maybe on a dynamic balancing machine (as opposed to static balancing method usually implemented at bike shops)? Thanks! Love your content and your clear, logical explanations!

Благодарю, информативно. Ещё вариант руки выставить вперёд, ограничивая раскачку руля.

just put a steering damper it helps alot

My 1981 CB900F would wobble some between 100 - 120 . With a passenger not so much. It would run up at 140 on a good 2 am freeway.

it s about slightly accelerating to unload the front and not about a full wheelie

I'm designing a mopet whit variing wiegt distribution and load types becose is going to be a cargo mopet I'm going to instal dampeners

Excellent tutorial👌

This exact thing happened to Gixxer Brah in May 2021.

The Harleys general fix is neck bearing adjustment.

If you you let your bike sit for extended periods do the tires get flat spots on them? Can that cause handling issues?

Thanks

I love Your B roll videos XD

Don't assume it can only happen at high speed. I had one on at 40kmph, while riding with my girlfriend. Bike weight= 140kg. My weight +girlfriend's weight= 130kg. I hit the side of a road at a very small angle, while trying to get on it. The bike started wobbling, which started getting progressively violent. I tried to reduce speed(and maybe wrestle it. ) It got violent like a bull, and I had to finally let go. We may have hit the ground at 20-30kmph max.

I got into one so bad it ended up launching me over the bars did a complete flip and landed first on my feet and then down on my ass just like a one of those stunt ski jumpers at the Olympics 50-55 mph When it started .my front wheel locked up going over a large painted area on the road to start it. Soon as it stopped sliding across the paint it started hoping

@moto control практический вопрос можно? про шимми (медленньій неопасньій воблинг) ямахи трейсер ходят легендьі. Я, и не только я, перепробовали уже все. Помогают различьіе вмешательства, причем каждому разньіе. Лично у меня один нюанс. Когда сзади пассажирка, мот едет свои 230 даже без намека на шимми. Когда я сам, в зависимости от агрессивности газа, шимми приходит от 170 до 190 практически каждьій раз. Куда крутить прелоадьі, чтоб проверить версию лишних 50 кг сзади? По идее, распускать пружину аморта. Но все же? Есть опьіт?

To prevent the wobble accelerate. Or do not by a crotch rocket. Frokes are raked in to far.

a lot of info makes it confusing to surmise the cause of the 3 bikes i have that do it constantly, but i know one was a leaky oil seal on left fork,. the other the right fork, but the third one, dont know. I have 4 other bikes that dont do it. the other 3 do it every time i ride them

What do u think about stearing damper bri

From my experience...tyre wear is huge. I can easy reach 250 + with new tyres no stress. Worn tyres I start shaking at 160. (Commute bike so not a biggy, just love new tyres for a thrill.

I wobbled on my motorcycle by going over a pit on the expressway when I was a beginner with just 2 and a half months of overall experience. It wasn't that much because it wasn't because of my speed so I was able to manage it somehow.

I must admit y'alls price is y'alls price. But got damn y'all do excellent work with all the makings of your parts and accessories for all your projects and even to your customers projects simply because I actually see an extension length that I want for my Bike after paying attention to how you measure these things which is a great job overall 🏍 💪🏽💪🏽💯💯

This was part of life in the 16in front wheel days.

Had a tank slapper in my second month riding, very glad I didn't have anything to eat that day

Hi folks, -- for all the wolblers: The V-Max of my friend had this amusing feature as a standard! Amusing for me, because he could not stand the acceleration of my DUC with half the horsepower/torque than he, - although his dealer tried different things. In german we have a saying: "Der kann vor Kraft nicht mehr laufen"! Prost Mahlzeit from the woods!

Спасибо за контент

Hi new subscriber here 😎

Yeah, i once had this speed wobble at 120 km/h. Due to a to low air pressure in the rear tire. Must be some funny person who inflated the tire. there was no leak at all! I lowered myself by laying on the tank and slowly redusced speed. Very scary!

So this is basically a turbulance for land vehicles?

@2:37. Very nice! 💙😎

Seriously wtf is wrong with RU-vid smh

I just crashed 2 weeks ago because of my front suspension (it's my 1st motorcycle so i didn't realise how bad it was). I'm very lucky i have nothing, i crashed at 90mph, and the bike is OK too, less than 1000€ worth of repair.

thanks pavel, i will put kosatka at dfferent location.