I have a stabilizer and air ride the biggest problem with Harleys as they get heavier and heavier is the springs are never the same with air it equalizes the springs and the rear and the springs in the front it makes a major difference between the front and rear air ride and the stabilizer off the transmission my bike has never wobbled
My 1999 Ultra has the urethane motor mounts and a stabilizer and it helped tremendously. I would not take it over 90mph. It handles pretty well on the sweepers and on the highway including creek roads. I'm just not going to push it too much even with Metzler's. I don't think the newer frames require a stabilizer.
@@johndsmith7785 my 01 came with air ride front and rear I changed the rear over to dirty air when the old shocks wore out. I can run my bike about 135 with the gear change in it
I have a friend who had a shovel head dresser that would wobble on the highway intermittently. It was a bad front wobble, you had to get off the throttle to get it to stop. To make a long story short, the pinch bolts on the lower tree for the fork tubes were loose. Not falling out loose, kinda just a little snug, and when you hit the right dip or bump in the road all hell would break loose. I'm talking scary. Haven't seen anything like this again and that was about 30 years ago, but now I get into the habit of looking at those bolts.
Panhead Dave here, I was the lead tech at Santa Barbara Harley Davidson through most of the 90s, I figured out how to make a set of "traction bars" that eliminated fore and aft movement of the driveline swingarm in the frame without affecting any of the articulation of the rubber mount system on the big twin harleys, I'm actually willing to share this
My friend has a 2005 Super Glide Dyna. He had a wobble. A number of things we did that helped eliminate that wobble: (1.) we added a Fork Brace from Arlen Ness which helped, (2.) we added engine stabilizers from Sputh; (3.) we put in new engine mounts; (4.) we replaced the neck and wheel bearings and made sure that the tires were well aligned. No more wobble: solid as a Gibraltar Rock The Sputh Stabilizers and Engine Mounts made the biggest difference.
Great info! Bought a 2002 RK classic a few years ago with 8k miles, all stock. First time out on the highway, death wobble at any speed over 55mph. Turned out to be spoke wheels out of round/ loose spokes. Had the wheels trued up, end of problem.
For years Wranglers have had a similar phenomenon called the "death wobble" that is likely caused by harmonic oscillations generated out of the suspension linkage. Never experienced it myself but it does seem to occur in vehicles that are out of spec from the original design (lifted, tire spacers, etc.) and it's probably the same thing here. Given that this bike is pretty heavy, I imagine there's a considerable amount of force on those corners. So I could see how a few loose spokes or a volume of missing tire pressure could set the system up for an oscillation event given the right trigger from a bump or pothole.
Great video Gixxerfoo! I notice the wobble in my 95 Electra Glide Classic under three conditions, freeway speeds, cross winds, and hard cornering. I may not need one, but I would rather have piece of mind, so I'm getting a stabilizer anyway. You make a great point about the rubber vs poly bushings. I had not considered that, but may just go with new rubber mounts now. By the way, if your bike is over 20 years old, even if they look good, you may need new mounts. UV destroys natural rubber over time, plus heat cycles from just normal riding. Better safe than sorry.
I know a guy who had a BSA 650 with a quick attack rear wheel and we pulled into a gas station and just as we got up to the gas pump half of his spokes broke and the wheel was crooked. Was a humongous weight of a Harley people are used to cast Wheels I do not require maintenance and when they go to spoke wheels they do not realize that spoke wheels require maintenance especially when they are carrying the load of a thousand pounds worth of motorcycle and Rider. In the old days when you had a chain you used to check your spokes when you did chain maintenance. Nowadays most Harley Riders are incapable of even adjusting a chain. Any old days they used to be able to fix a transmission on the side of the road.
@@freebehindbars8654 you Can't Blame A motorcycles 30-year-old transmission for breaking down from age. The fact that it could be dissembled with simple hand tools and repaired with parts from a hardware store says much about the fact that Simplicity rules. And even in the AMF days I didn't know anybody who put two quarts of oil in their bike every time they stopped to get gas. You used to have to have a knack to get a Kickstarter motorcycle to start now all you have to do is push a pussy button or have the credit card in your wallet when you sit on the motorcycle for it to start. Kick starting is an art and a skill that is gone by the wayside like knowing how to ride your motorcycle without traffic control and AVS and all of the other electronic age that's simply mask the crappy way that you ride a motorcycle if you wrote a motorcycle stupidly in the old days you would end up on your ass sliding down the road now the motorcycle compensates for your incompetence in its operation which I find to be truly sorry.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 kick start is cool but there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a starter. And the 2 quarts is an exaggerated joke, but the joke exists for a reason and thank God those days are over, because that was 40+ years ago and we still never hear the end of it. Add in the simple transmission that needs to be rebuilt periodically isn't necessarily a good thing, in fact I like knowing that I can go from 1 side of the country to the other and back again with no issues. All that said I fully agree with all the modern traction control BS. I get why it exists, but it's going to stunt people's riding capability
Being able to wrench and fix your own bike is what sets the "biker" apart from the "rider". Getting to know you mount and being the "expert" of your machine..... the older the ride the more care and maintenance required to keep it running... it thins the herd of those willing and able to maintain the lifestyle....
@@shenanigansofmannanan Well said! I was planning to say that the most dangerous part of a Harley today was the average rider; some middle-aged or older guy who hasn't got a clue about motorcycles beyond which 'accessories' they can bolt on to make them cooler in the eyes of their peers. Hint: folks like us ain't their peers and they have a long way to go before they reach that status. Ride safe friend!
Hi, GixxerFoo your topics are fantastic !!!! Thanks for all the great content.I have a 2021 street glide.At 12,500 miles I started with a low speed 40miles an hour handlebar wobble and poor handling, After checking all the things you mention and changing tires and front wheel bearings that did NOT solve the problem at my HD dealer $$$$$, .The 2 Harley dealer's said that All is fine. I took the bike bike to a mom and pop shop where they confirmed the neck was very lose and in need of a neck adjustment, POP'S took the time did it right and I'm golden. 2 different Harley dealers said the neck was fine.so be cautious of neck adjustments they need to be done more Frequently then the older HD touring bikes.
Your bike is still under warranty, so the bearings-if they were defective would be covered. Tires- no. Either one of those dealers should have found the neck play.
I like how the dealerships replace the wheel bearings and the front tire and then throw their hands up 🤷🏻♂️ noting that the problem is still there but oh well, they’ve changed some parts and made some money from you so there’s nothing more they can do!?!?? Yet, Pops good ‘ol fashioned customers first service took the time to thoroughly check over the problem as noted by the customer and then they correctly diagnosed and resolved the issue. 🎉🎉 At what point does the dealership that you went to who you paid good money to for them to not resolve your bikes issue become negligent in their actions?? The only way this attitude changes is by going to small claims court and suing dealerships for lack of professional services and charging you hundreds and the problem was resolved by another shop. Only then will the dealerships become more responsible in resolving the issue instead of making a quick buck and sending you on your way. And I add, the bike is in a very dangerous way to be on the road for yourself and other drivers due to the heightened potential for an accident.
I had a bar shake on my 09 ultra classic. After checking the front bearings a second time they had just the slightest barely noticeable slop when wiggling the wheel by hand. Changed bearings and been smooth as silk since even with no hands
I have a 2005 dyna. The swingarm is mounted at the back of the transmission, near the rear mount, which is rubber. There was all sorts of play at the back since new. I installed that Trutrak stabilizer.. made all the difference. Fixed what I consider a design flaw!
I definitely had a sway back and forth with factory “premium adjustable shocks”. I haven’t noticed the sway since I upgraded. Now I notice the front needing the same treatment.
I've noticed my front tire wears more on the left side than the right. I never thought it was road conditions. I suspected I ride left turns harder than right.A few years back, I experience a slight wobble in the turns. I replaced the rear rubbers, and the front as well. The rear ones were shot. This was at 90,000 miles.
Sound analysis. Great advice. Methodical. Work your way through the obvious before applying "remedies" I speak as someone who experienced an odd steering wobble at low speed. Turned out to be a misalignment of the rear (out by 1cm at the axle - doesn't sound much does it? Now multiply that by your rear wheel diameter - to see where that was facing...) add in a worn front tyre. Thanks for putting this together! ☺️
The "Harley wobble" is almost always due to several reasons. Improperly loaded, low tire pressure, improperly adjusted suspension, neglected and out of adjustment steering head bearings, broken engine mounts and swingarm bushings, loose or broken spokes, misaligned rear wheel. It's almost always one of those. Do NOT confuse the "Harley wobble" with the coast down wobble. It's a 2 wheel vehicle. There's going to be a instability point somewhere no matter what. Lack of rider skill is also a major contributing factor as well.
Why does it happen on brand new bikes then? There is inherent flex in the frames on newish touring bikes. Only way to adequately prevent it is to install a brace. I've tried everything on multiple new bikes and that is the only thing that stops it.
@@ricko9879 Just because it's a new bike doesn't mean it has a straight chassis, proper tire inflation, straight wheel alignment, true wheels if they're spokes, and proper suspension adjustment. Being a new bike just means it's a new bike. Nothing more.
I have a Sportglide and recently on a trip noticed changes in the handling. Looked at my tyres and the front after only 12000 kms had worn unevenly. Changed it straight away and the handling is great again. Tyres can be a big issue and it is super important to check, maintain and replace early. Great informative vid! 😎🇦🇺
I had a brand new Sportglide last year and this bike had “stick slip”. The frontfork doesnt work well and stays down when you push it at place. They put in new springs and better SKF seals….then the bike’s suspension is how it suppose to!!! It drove like a hobbyhorse
Keep up the great content. Your videos have been useful tidbits of info for the Harley’s I’ve owned. It’s nice to be able to absorb some relevant info without combing through the forums or manuals.
One correction, at least for pre-2017 Softails: there are NO rubber engine mounts or rubber engine mount dampeners. The engine is solidly mounted (hence the counterbalancers on the 2000 - 2016 Twin Cam engines), and forms part of the structural integrity of the chassis on those bikes. Cheers!
My GW had 35-45 wobble during Decelerating. Had Dunlop E3 for several years and just dealt with the wobble. Dunlop changed the tire tread groove pattern for E4. Changed to E4 and wobble disappeared. Nothing else done to bike. The tire tread pattern when contacting the ground in certain load situations induced that wobble on mine. Mine had that wobble since new. As tires worn in it progressively got worse. Look at the pattern of the side tread grooves. First on the left - space - right - space -left. And so forth as the tire contacts the ground. This left and right coupled with weight and each side wearing different due to crown of road is like the buffeting of wind on a flag. That’s my 2$ tip. Of course head bearings and other things can also exacerbate the wobble and you’re right they should be checked. Good Video.
I have an 09 ultra classic and the death wobble showed up a couple of times. Routine maintenance showed 26 psi in the front tire. Brought it up to spec and no more wobble.
I paid a Harley dealer to replace head bearings on my fxd. . Developed very slight decel jiggle at 45. They couldn't figure it out. I just found the front tire at 18 psi. Im taking it for a ride tomorrow.
Great info...Since i have made the switch from Metric to HD....Tire wear...Air pressure...and checking the spokes periodicaly...Very important on a HD...
I have helped with several bikes that had that problem. With touring models the swingarm rubbers are a good place to start. (They look like miniature aircraft engine mounts!). Dyna engine/swingarm mounts blow my mind! On my Suzuki SV1000S the Michelin tires I run have the strange lines as they wear and yes, I feel them. Strange thing is they change places with every hard ride with plenty of tread depth left. It has a stock shimmy damper and never has exhibited the wobble no matter what. Fresh tires, good bearings, good alignment and tire pressures are very important for any bike. Loose steering stem bearings can be a problem too. Not sure what fixed the HDs but getting back to basic maintenance is a good place to start.
My 07 Dyna had a scary high speed front end wobble, I chocked up the frame and got the lower rails absolutely horizontal with a good spirit level and then with the primary cover off, I got a spirit level across the primary gasket surfaces to check engine true vertical. It was out a fair bit so I adjusted the top engine mount adjuster to get the engine true vertical which solved the problem. I since had a rear rubber mount fail and the engine would go ker clunk over big bumps as it went up and came down hard. Lastly, I made my own true tracking device and the Dyna is handling sweet but the true vertical of engine was what made the most difference as the rear wheel mounts up to the engine / trans which wasn't true vertical
First start off with checking your front motor mount make sure that oil hasn't deteriorated it replace if needed there's also steel mesh ones on the market that are great next check the alignment if that's all good make sure your tire tread is intact both but rear is most important after that's done if you're still experiencing these problems I then recommend Alloy Arts stabilizer link. Thanks Gixxer Foo I forgot tire pressure that should be just common like checking your fluids
Tires are the most important thing on the bike to not mess around with like ya said, could be a matter of life or death, or at least a lot of pain and a messed up bike. Love your videos
Gixxer, been watching your videos for a long time now, they are excellent. I do have a huge issue with my 98 fatboy, I changed out tires when I got the bike and went with dunlop elites because the last person decided to go with a fatter rear which was hitting the belt and the front was original and cracked. I static balanced both wheels and went on my way. What I experiences is a handlebar shake and it kept getting worse until I decided to park it. It does not feel like a wobble but a handlebar shake and it is inconsistent at that. I did tire pressure, wheel bearings were at max 6 thousandths, jacked the bike up and checked the swing arm bushings by shaking back and forth nothing. I have to check neck bearings and maybe the swing arm bushings without shock load on them. I do not have hollow swing arm bolts so no way to measure accurate so I found close to center and measured both sides. Little irritated I put 3k miles on it so far and it's doing this as well as within and oil change the tank is about empty and what a nightmare to start her up, takes forever. This winter I will throw a carb at it with manifold and pull the jugs and see what happened. 135 psi on compression hot carb wide open both jugs. I was told it had a stage 2 hop up in it from previous owner. Would be great to pick you for info even if it cost me to assure next year is a better year. Thanks Gixxer and keep the great videos coming.
Good video! I bought a new set of tires some Avons that were made in Brazil a few years ago & it made my bike wobble. I got a refund & went back to my Dunlop Elite tires & problem solved. I have True-Trac stabilizers on both of my bikes & it’s money well spent. My truck had a vibration & it ended up being a tire that looked perfect with plenty of tread, but I got lucky & it was prorated & got a new tire. Thanks!
you are so right on age of tires. i have 2014 sportster for around town and the tires were original. upon inspection they were 8 1/2 years old. they only have 3500 miles on them and look perfect but like you said seemed real hard. i went ahead and replaced them. just prudent thing to do. i was not getting any problems in handling but ugggh. hey i got the money dont be foolish. good video man.
I noticed a wobble on my 07 FXD a couple years ago at higher speeds,I took it in for tires and fork service and bad motor mounts were found and seemed to be much better but have not had it up to the speeds where I noticed the wobble. I was trying to keep up with friends who wanted to ride around 90 in traffic where I was very uncomfortable being at but had it to 80 and no wobble.
I had a similar problem on my ‘21 Goldwing when using cruise control, around 35-55mph and l would let go of the bars (because it would vibrate my hands). The bars would start wobbling and get progressively worse. The problem ended up being the horrible factory Dunflop front tire. Dunflop is OEM for a lot of motorcycle manufacturers. Try a different brand and see what happens. I went with Michelin Commander III and the problem went away instantly.
What I'm doing to mitigate any wobble problems on my '00 RKC build that I'm doing right now is upgrading to spherical bearings on my swingarm, billet isolators, Legends Suspension front and rear, and of course new tires. I'm probably going to change out the front motor mount just for good measure. I'm hopin' it'll never wobble on me. What do you think, G.F.? Any other base I need to cover?
Had this problem (slight wobble) with OEM suspension. Just swap over to Legend and never look back. FYI, some riders (myself included) experience this issue with the use of bead balancers in the front; this DOES NOT work in baggers well, and only adds to the already insufficient suspension, thereby increasing the wobble. At least it did with me. Once I swapped in the Legend, not only did all these issues go away, but the bike began handling like is *should* have from the factory. One day, harley will provide a "sport" suspension rather than the soft touring specifications that are current OEM. Regardless of your riding style, the OEM suspension sucks and should be the first mod you do at the same time as Stage One (header, slip-ons, intake, tune).
Back when I was young and dumber, 1985ish... had a Honda V-65 Magna. It was fitted with H rated tires (130mph). When I would run this thing out as it would exceed 150mph. Around 130, it would go through a shake on the bars, but would smooth out after the transition and climb to 150mph. Now I suspect a few things. As tires wear, or get hard, the flex changes. What was a 130 mph rated tire when new, would be derated significantly over time and miles. Tires is one area I dont cut corners on when it comes to scooting. I always enjoy your updates.... :)
2013 Ultra Classic.. I have had it a few times at hwy speeds.. specially if riding behind a Tractor Trailer.. Bike was not loaded at anytime when I had to deal with the wobble with the rear walking a good amount.. The times it happened when I got home I went over the bike and checked tire pressure, shock pressure, ect.. Only 9000k on the bike.. never figured it out.. When I have the GF on the back, I never had the issue.. Now the bike is going to CSC for a trike conversion..
My ‘whobble’ was due to a front tire that had worn unevenly side to side. Did not like cornering. When I saw it, I was stunned. Don’t know what caused it. Maybe just a bad tire. Moral: Check your front tire for even wear. Thanks for another great video.
I have seen the Harley Wobble on 2 Electraglides. Both were overloaded and the rear shocks were at zero psi on stock air shocks. The best upgrade that can be done to a touring bike is to ditch the rear air shocks and get some decent progressive shocks.
@@randymccalla9995 No, you need riding experience AND technical knowledge. You have to understand the machine before you can locate the source. I solved one on a VN and even the official dealers could not find the problem. Experience...
@@corneilcorneil yeah I know what you mean I been riding motors since 1970.. I've had three honda 50s .A Yamaha 305. which by the way blows away any honda 350..Ive had two Honda 450 s one had a freakin front end wobble, ( no front fender) was the cause..My CB 750 F would wobble slightly on bad pavement, around 90 mph.. My 500 honda never had a wobble.. Then I was doing about 80 when my FLHTCU started the wobble of the century.. no motha freakin shocks would have done a damn It was the factory junk isolator mounts on the swingarm letting the rear tire steer Like I said you dont know Jack, and you can keep you shock sales thing the fuck away fool !
In my 32 years and 250,000 miles on Ultras, 2 EVO’s 2 TC’s, I’ve never had a wobble at speed. I did have bar shake, but it was a loose steering head bearing.
I've never had any trouble with the death wobble thank God...I did have split rubber mounts before on my road king, they still shake a ton until u get the bike moving. I try to ride the speed limit as much as possible. Definitely can feel when the tires are wore out. Hey man I know this has nothing to do with your video topic but I really appreciate your opinion. So I recently got an 04 road king with the 95" kit and the 525 cams. Are those fueling cams?. It pulls pretty damn good after 2400rpm....id like to get a cam that hits earlier torque...what's your opinion on a stronger torque cam for the 95" setup...it has a s.e. cam plate and pump in it too.
I only noticed the death wobble at speeds over 100 mph... I have felt some weird handling issues at lower speeds but totally manageable....2001 electra glide
have 05 ultraclassic, I've ridden miles on cruise control with both hands off the bars. had my motor stroked too a 103. had legends 12" front and back. took a corner freeway interchange, left to right. doing about 50. my rear tire started the backend wobble. this was this summer. one and only time i ever felt it.
As you point out, tire condition and wear patterns can affect stability. Roadway 'crown', paving material and conditions does cause unpredictable tire wear. Some tires wear-in better than others. Rain grooves or steel grate bridges are another experience! 🥺 Other issues that can and do affect ride & handling; 1. Tire pressure (especially front). 2. Tire alignment, front tire perfectly in-line with rear. 3. Steering head bearings. Lubed, not 2 tight, not too loose. 4. Wheel bearings. See notes on 3. 5. Swingarm bushings/bearings. 6. Shocks, inc bushings. 7. Load balance. Rider, passenger and cargo. 8. Handlebars. Some position the rider with a forward lean, putting more load on the forks/tire, like a sportbike. Many, if not most Harley riders prefer to sit straight up or back. Some higher bars cause ya to pull back/up and unweight the front end. Especially when wrestling with the wind. I've never had any kind of 'wobble' on my Roadking. I had only 1 I can remember in over 30yrs of riding the old 4spd swingarm frames after hitting a hole in the road. After riding the older chassis Harleys for so many years, the Roadking/FLT is simply amazing in it's handling and stability. One thing I did notice was that the older platforms would actually go fairly straight with hands off the bars. Not so with the FLT! I suspect the ''inverted rake'' of the steering head/forks have something to do with this. 🤔 I've had numerous full-tilt "tank-slappers'' on various high performance sportbikes under various situation.
I had a 2009 FLHT. It would occasionally feel unstable at 80 mph and in high speed long curves. Once I put legends Revo-As on the rear and Legends front fork cartridges, it was flawless in handling. I hate that I waited so long to do that suspension.
I did the same thing to my FLHTCU. Wow, what a difference the Revo A’s and the Legend front suspension made. No matter what bike I have, upgrading the suspension makes a huge difference. My GL1800 was the same when I upgraded to the Traxsion suspension.
Have multiple experiences. Couple: 2001 PoliceFLH DEATH wobble- turned out no air in front air suspension. Of course it caused me to nut & bolt the entire bike. 2014- FLH Ultra Classic: replaced rear w/Legends and front with Progressive cartridges. Can still get a wobble, but not scary. NEVER man handle the handlebars.. relax and it calms. I have had to drag to jam rear breaks to get 1 bike to stop bucking. Key for me is, relax. I usually use American Elite for fronts. No problems yet.
I had a wobble that showed up during a high speed pass when I pulled back into my lane the bike started a wobble that didn't go away till I slowed down. So, new wheel bearings, new tires, didn't fix it. Rebuilt the swing arm and replaced rear and front mounts. I also put...stiffy cups in the rear isolators. No wobble, no walking around in corners...and yes the urethane front mount was terrible.
I have a theory that one possible contribution (not the cause) is the very poorly designed top triple clamp that Harley used on all rubber mount touring bikes from 1980 to 2013. I had a 2001 RK and a 2016 RK and although I never experienced a wobble with either bike the 16 definitely handled much better. Like it was on rails. I could be wrong on this, but it's food for thought.
Had this (wobble) happen with my brand new, not overloaded 2006 Street glide. After massive “interaction” with Harley dealer, they replaced it. Second one, no problem
WELL DONE!! 👏 The two most neglected maintenance items on any Harley Davidson is... 1) Fork oil service. 2) Fall away procedure. Sadly, most people don't even know what a "fall away" procedure is. READ YOUR SERVICE MANUAL. This is the ONLY thing I don't "DIY" mostly because if I'm not completely satisfied with the results i take it right back to the Stealership and say... "it's still not right do it again". It's a time consuming process and requires a specific and calculated torque on the fork stem nut to get PERFECTLY adjusted. I've owned many Harley Davidsons in my lifetime and have passed well over 500,000 miles on these bikes, if the above mentioned services are not done your bike will handle like crap guaranteed. Dont waste your money on any gimmicky stabilizer crap.
I have friends here in Missouri they took the twinkie and added big cams and carbs, they also added turn buckles to the swingarm and frame its a stabilizer kit they said with out it the stock harley rubber mounts rip and wear out , they own a small shop . are Evo engines did not have this unless" like you said the fall away was way off or fork oil is bad" Fall ways is lift the bike front wheel see what way the front fork falls left or right they both should fall at the same tipping point . Only time I have ever got this wobble was over 130 mph any of my bikes Jap or Harley i let off and coast the bike back down , never hit the break or down shift or use the clutch coast it out. let off the fuel and hold on its a bumpy ride few seconds.
@@kennethwise7108 the parts are cheap 100 a hour labor . Im keeping my EVO I will keep fixing it, all harley has produced in the last 10 years is junk and they know it .
@@JCcanU exactly, the only problem is that if you're doing a long trip and have a mechanical problem you're pretty much hosed. All dealerships purge inventory +10 years.
I truly enjoy your channel. Please give consideration to putting a in a little research into improving your audio. It sounds like you are quite a distance from your microphone. Close miking or a combination of near & far will make a big difference in the quality of your presentations. Excellent content, and congrats on your success. ✌
Great video and the information was spot on. I had a bike 97 fatboy that the front tire would give me a wobble at 40 mph we changed the front tire and it would clear up. If you ride aggressive it to turns I notice sometimes I would get a wobble on my 2020 cvo street glide. It's due for the 5000 mil. Service I'm going to take to the dealership and see what they can find. I'll probably get it's a touring bike and that's what they do.
I had the same problem with my 2021 YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE that the dealer does the steering stem adjustment as its explained in the HD service manual!!!! after taking my bike to 2 different HD dealers that confirmed it was fine it was an independent shop that did the detailed adjustment wow what an inprovemint !!!!
I had a bad handlebar shake with my Honda VTX. It turned out to be a bad tire. We changed both tires with new tires and viola, no more shake. And the bad tires were only half way thru their life cycle had plenty of tread left
Yes Tyers. Camber wear. Especially a highway bike too. BIG FLAT SPOT IN CENTRE Then come into corners. , and who packs a dresser correctly ,not me , and the main one o want to say is spokes piss them off. Put mags if you flog you ride hard. I’ve seen a spoke wheel on a two year old bike move almost a 1/2” each way. But he did do burnouts lol. And old Tyers I dropped my girls nightster with 8 year old Tyers. Spun out from underneath me. Only 5000mls on it , and I have an 99 and 08 dresser. The rubber will be shot just by age. Both about 24,000 mls on them. The top stabiliser wear out quick a couple 32nds would start to steer you too. Love your work. And information.
Sir I need help with a stage 1 topic please. A few weeks at biketober fest Rinehart racing did a full stage1 up grade on my 2015 ultra. Before the upgrade I could cruise around the block in 3rd or 4th say 30 -40 mph no issues. Hit 5th gear drive 45mph no issues No after the stage 1 I can’t the bike will begin to buck so I have to rev up a few time I have been at the light and the rpm feel like dropping and engine starving for air and it will turn off. My mechanic says I need to drive the bike differently because of the stage 1 like rev the rpm or drop one gear say 3rd if I want to cruise at 30 -35 mph What os your opinion? Besides the full exhaust I got the big sucker air cleaner from Arlen ness and power Vision tune all done the Reinhardt Other than that the bike woke up and runs great! Thank you for you time.
Counteract balance beads fixed any front end wobble ive ever had. 2 Dynas and a FXR all had a wobble until i put beads in. The beads keep the tires/wheels in constant balance for life of the tire.
RaceTech Springs and Valves and Ohlins rear shocks and never a misstep or wobble in the sweepers at any speed. I have felt a hinge type of frame, rear tire to front tire, not quite a wobble, movement with stock suspension at spirited speeds in sweepers a couple times.
I've felt this on brand new bikes as 2013 road king not loaded at 9000miles when I bought it. Wouldn't wobble under load like with a passenger. New tires, tight spokes, new wheel bearings, Polyurethane bar bushings (big help with 16in bars) new upgraded suspension but still has the same wobble at nearly 40k mi. I'll replace the motor mount bushings and the swing arm bushings this spring just because it needs to be done. But I did put a stabilizer on it and the issues went away also handles so much better.
Yes I have only after I replaced front motor mount & aligned drivetrain & wheels straight & aligned it worked perfect ! It was a 1996 FLHT with a 120 merch motor in it before the stabilizer it would rear wheel steer by just whacking the throttle !
On my FXR I replace all the mounts every 2 years . I ran some soft Dunlop K 591 put about 4000 miles on it then rode it 500 miles to Kansas City & on the way back I went to the Davenport swap meet had about 200 miles to get home & those tires were so cupped out I worked my assoff to get home every crack or groove on the interstate my FXR was all over the place ! But they were a blast while they lasted !
if you get a used bike it could have been dropped or wrecked and the frame could be tweaked. i see a vid on a guy straightening a frame to show how they could fix issues like that. so i would check the frame alignment before getting a stabilizer myself. good vid
The handle bar shake happened on old (1970's) Kawasaki 900's but not until you were well over 100 mph. Of course, that's not a good time to find out about it :-0)
I own a XR1200 and I bumped up my redline up from 6900 to 7300 with my Power Commander. It now can hit 130. Most XRs went straight to the track. They switched from the belt to chain and the roadrace bikes hit 145mph. I never heard anybody having any handling problems at that speed.
Never had death wobble on anything in 48 yrs, till my 2006 f250 superduty.About 130,000 miles ,when the factory front end parts wore out. Good tires, sometimes by them self and / or , new front end( moog parts, don't waste time with Autozone, or cheap parts) cured it.
I got an old Japanese cruiser, ive had the wobble one time, I think the tires were low and that could have contributed to it. It happened at a low speed slowing down I gave it gas and it straightened out. Only time it's happened, scary.
Hd wobble is caused by the dual spring setup on the rear. It's almost impossible to make to springs with identical spring rates. They are all slightly different and only one side has an actual shock the other is for show.
When the new touring frame came out, with a two piece frame so the rear section could be easily changed to make the three wheelers, I predicted that would be a problem.
Greasing the steering, aka Neck bearings, at least once a year especially in hot weather and replacing swing arm bushings every 50k helps with the "Death Wobble"!
Harley has never admitted there is a problem, but it happened to me. the cleave blocks loosened to 20 ft lbs. I crashed hard in Arizona. After I got out of the hospital someone talked me into getting an attorney. I was the 65th lawsuit filed and by the time Harley paid me an undisclosed sum there were over 200. Some were like me some resulted in injuries some crippling and other were death. What we found was that the motor mount system was designed by Eric Buell for the original touring bikes and FXR models. In 1995 Harley extended the frame 2 inches and De-raked the front end. They continued to use the original system after the change. Eric Buell told Harly engineers that they needed to add a third Hiem joint. He warned them that this was going to happen. I used an ally art system for a while, and it worked fine but the real cure was Glidepro motor mount and cleave block bushings. the bike really settled down and vibrations was significantly reduced. Like I said Harley paid out a lot of undisclosed sums. this issue is real.
The real problem causing the wobble is the engine is out of alignment which causes the whole drive train to be slightly off. The front and back wheels don’t track the same causing the wobble in long sweeping turns. The cause is because out of the factory some shock mounts are slightly off. If you level the bike and measure the rear shock eyelets they will have up to a 1/4” difference which forces the rear wheel to be at a slight angle. The easiest remedy is to remove the solid engine stabilizer located at the front of the engine and put an adjustable hyme joint and adjust pulling motor until the rear shock eyelets measure the same on both sides. Ohlins Suspension has notified Harley Davidson of their findings of the shock mounts being off slightly but HD has ignored the issue. Ohlins fix is by making their shocks with adjustable eyelets to change the length of the the shocks to correct the drive train misalignment. The difference is they are correcting it at the rear and the adjustable engine stabilizer corrects it from the front end. Mine had the wobble since it was brand new yet my buddies didn’t have the issue. I did everything you mentioned until I saw this video from a frame shop that addressed the real issue. Once I aligned the motor with the adjustable hyme joint all my problems went away. My friend remedied his with the Ohlins suspension which Ohlins pre adjusted the eyelets for him based on how far his was out, his wobble too was remedied. These were both brand new bikes that HD refused to acknowledge had an issue. Check out the video attached. It fixed mine!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rAW8eM8A124.html
