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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- There's a dangerous Harley problem out there with the handling on the chassis of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. A lot of this can be corrected with just simple and basic maintenance, but things are not always as they appear on the surface. There's a thing known as the Harley Wobble, it's a uncontrolled steering and wobble from the rear wheel or some uncontrolled bar shake. It's been blamed on the rubber mounting system in many cases but there a lot of other factors that can cause this. There's even aftermarket stabilizer kits to make the chassis more rigid. But first you have to rule out every single potential cause.
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Have you tried a stabilizer on your Harley for a problem that just couldn't be found?
and i put a new set of tires on and didnt take care of it
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.
Nope. Imho it's a band-aid masking something else fundamental going on.
@@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.
I love how Harley leaves the research and development up to the proud customer
The Harley Collective is large, and well informed. With the other bike brands, not so much.
Grumpy Troll Balls
When you live in the trenches.....and your bike quite possibly can get you killed,...then you'll look for the solution that is necessary
gotta stop by other channels instead of just listening to posers who like creating monetized videos.
@@vancedyer755
"well informed" blokes don't ride HOGs (except a few models) 😁
If you ever find yourself in a wobble put some drag on your rear brake before it gets too bad and you should straighten right up.
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
Do you have a video?
@@danfecke no, I'm afraid I don't have video of anything
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.
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 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.
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.
Thankfully we no longer have to repair transmissions on the side of the road or put two quart’s of oil at every gas station fill up.
@@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!
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 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 felt this wobble on Honda's and other bikes to. Suspencion, weight, frame, windshield, tires etc, it can be 1 or several.
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 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 love my panhead ,old,slow ,and still goes down the road like a arrow .
One more thing ,tires on my 64 are over 30 years old ,Goodyear eagles .
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.
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.
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
great video! explains an issue I was having with the tires on my RG when I bought it used. replaced the tires and the problems went away.
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
My "new" to me '98 DYNA FXD had the rear end weave. In my case it was old & tired front&rear isolators. New ones cleared up slop.
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!
Counter balancers are only on one or two maybe 3years of twincam
@@randymccalla9995 Actually, they're on all years of Twin Cam B engines in Softails - 2000 -2016.
@@randymccalla9995 I mean you even edited the comment and you're still wrong
Great info. Your approach to this is exactly how I would do it.
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.
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
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...
If you have a lowered Softail make sure both rear shocks are adjusted exactly the same length.
Good Video. I experienced a High Speed wobble once on my 2009 FLHTCU, a new set of tires cured it.
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! ☺️
Never had any problems with my Shovelheads... but they have a proper frame with no rubber in there.
Great advice, GF! It can be applied to ANY big crusier. 2008, 2000cc, Kawa Vulcan...new tires improved stability. 👍
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.
Great advice, yep my back tire air was low after a cold night so put 40 pounds in the back of my Road king and 36 up front and outstanding 👍🇺🇸
Great video, plenty of honest and valuable advice here, very very good!
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 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.
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!
All really great points on about old rubber. Handle BaR bushings can be a quick preference 😂❤
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.
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).
I have never experienced the wobble, but I did put a Sta-Bo swing arm on my 86 FLH, with my 120" motor. It handles like a dream.
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
Good tip on tire wear/age I never considered that aspect thanks.
Great information!
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.
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.
I know this is an older vid. Love your content.
Thank you! I really appreciate the support!
Another informative instalment. 👍
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.
Add descent shocks on a absurd expensive "cruiser" (showbike)... the have to come stock with good suspension.
You dont know jack...You gotta ride the wobble to talk about the wobble. Shocks ain't s..t.
@@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 !
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
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.... :)
As usual another awesome video with valuable information
Thanks for this great safety video dude, 💯💯💯👍👍👍
Last video on Harleys that I need to see. Sticking with the Big Four.
Salute
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..
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.
you are so right in fact not only does a stabilizer mask a potentially dangerous issue but it also would put extra stress on the actual problem
Great video! Thanks 👍👍
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.
What up Foo! Front end alignment. Loosen up triple tree stem nut. Leaving the upper pinch bolts on the top triple tree tight, loosen your bottom pinch bolts and axle nut. Squeeze the front brake, stand over the front of the bike and try pushing your front tire through the ground, doing this multiple times. Tighten from the stem nut down, not over tightening and using torque specs, you’ll be amazed with the difference. This is one of the most neglected services that should be done on your Harley. Also, replace front shocks fork oil with Harley’s Heavy duty fork oil. Throttle over bumps and throttle out of your apexes. Frame stabilizer’s are crap, your frame is supposed to flex. It’s false security and a gimmick which compromises the geometry of the bike.
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.
I bought a 2015 Roadking this summer and it had the original tires.
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.
2001 and 2016 touring frames are completely different.
@@georgewetzel4380 they are, but I still believe the top clamp also makes a difference.
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 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
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.
@@JCcanU wow, that's probably expensive
@@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.
@@kennethwise7108 I bet its only 4 years , in this area they turn bikes away that are from 2015.
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.
That stinkin wobble! Thankfully it’s never happened to me.
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!!!
th-cam.com/video/rAW8eM8A124/w-d-xo.html
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.
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.
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.
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 have a 2020 Street Glide mine will do the same and yes the dealer told me after checking it out there's nothing wrong just a touring bike thing
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 !!!!
@@brandot.7466 Will do thanks
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.
Changing my tires fixed the wobble I had in my 2012 electra glide
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.
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.
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
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. ✌
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.
I most adamantly agree about tires just never scrimp, that's between you and death. Best to run the same style and brand front and rear. Got a BMW. No maintenance done, had a 12-year-old Michelin on the front, and about 10-year-old Metzler rear. Just touching a painted line, or specially slowing, it was like black ice. Surprised I didn't lay it down. New tires and holy crap like a new bike. 120 and it's solid, and Any Corner even past 50°, no problem. A long history of bikes, 60 years, and first experiences, an old Harley, old ajs, and Honda superhawk. Now an r1100 s, and r1150r bmws... I like antiques which is what Harley and their design really is, the BMWs, it is more capable than my level of confidence. Push it hard and it always comes out.
Since about 2000 I've ridden a lot of Triumph triples, one of them especially, Speed Triple 955, ridden hard, but still nice bike even at 80,000 miles. It only had minimal oil changes really not maintained. It was played and stunted, but I'm telling you it's still Road straight and tight. I really don't understand how Harley can not address this deadly issue. It's like telling a tourist to walk through the jungle, no problem it's beautiful there.. 9 out of 10 tourists come back. But one of them is eating Alive by the deadly Harley wobble. I guess I've got to admit, the last three people I heard of dying on a bike we're all on Harleys. And they all were sober. Old crazy buddy years ago, also fatal on a rock wall, but that's why everyone called them crazy.. but alcohol was so high they couldn't figure out how he was even conscious to ride. But I've seen more fatals coming on to the scene, while riding in Asia. Frankly if you're coming under the scene and you see a couple of shoes laying here and there, that indicates fatality oftentimes. Always ride sober and expect they're trying to kill you.🙏🙏
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.
That happened to me, on the highway going about 80. or 90 on a 85' yamaha V-Max.
When I backed off the throttle, the condition went away! Ride Safe!!
My 09 SG was notorious for this but the true track bracket really fixed it.
Heh, that black bike at the end looks like mine after I set up camp, it’s only missing the extra saddlebags on the outside, the windshield bag, both tank bags, and the tent, of course 😅
I used to have front end wobble all the time: it was the tire, of course. Replaced front and rear and it completely went away. I was so bad that my local sheriff told me directly not to obey the posted speed limit and to keep it over 45 until I could afford new tires - 6 weeks later of course I let him do the burnout when we replaced them. Thank the deity of your choice for cool rural sheriffs.
I had wobble, torque steer, bar shake, and off center tire wear, all on the same bike. Crown of the road? Yeah, that's what Harley told me. I bought the bike from them and had it back to them three times for this issue. They also accused my riding skills and experience (I have been riding about 43 years). As it turns out an independent shop found that Harley had installed the front wheel spacers on the wrong side so the wheel was off center. Yes, everybody, including Harley, tells me that can't be done...well they did it. They had to shim the caliper WAY off to do it. Yes, this was done at Harley Davidson. Take it to an expert? I had stayed away from the Harley dealers for almost 25 years, then I bought that bike. I learned a very serious lesson: don't trust them, and question their expertise. The bike was dangerous and they said it was the crown of the road and/or my riding after inspecting the bike three times while the problem itself was caused by their own improper assembly. That bike is gone. I totaled it and bought a used CVO. Polyurethane? I highly recommend it for the cush drive, engine mounts, and swingarm. It's like a whole different bike. Shakes? Yeah, so? Buy a Honda if that's an issue. I much prefer good handling. Stabilizer? Fix the motorcycle, then a stabilizer is about want, not need.
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)
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"!
Had some I’ll handling on my 06 eglide. Checked everything over and decided to ditch the special “ Harley tires “ and put Michelin’s on it. What a difference.
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?
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
@gixxerfoo The line in the tire is a conducive compound to get rid of static while the bike rides down the road it's not a indicator of separation
That was a good one . Thanks
I’ve rode Harleys all my life, owned many still have two of them, I’ve never experienced this wobble or seen anyone wobbling. This is another gimmick to sell stuff.
Touring Harleys are a very heavy bike, with average suspension. As a stock bagger, please don't expect it to handle like Goldwing or a FJR in the twisties. And I'm not knocking Harleys. I went from a Goldwing to an Ultra Classic, and I love it!
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.
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.
Dyna death wobble is no joke!