Had a really nice 2005 dyna, FXDXI fuel injected, not many around. I've actually never come across another one that was fuel injected. Bike was clean, never wrecked or dropped it but it developed a bad speed wobble. I chased the problem for almost 2 years, swapped out a few front end parts, motor mounts, front stabilizer, and a couple other suggested add on parts. I still had a bad wobble, took it to a couple shops with no luck. My buddy had some aftermarket shocks for the bike, removed the original shocks and found one shock was no good. After swapping to the new shocks the bike rode totally fine with no wobble. 1 bad rear shock was the issue the whole time, finding the problem was definitely the hardest part.
I got a 05 Dyna 😮 N mines GETTING a Busa FRONT end stretch arm with busa back wheel. N 106 STROKER N she's in the process of getting done. Turbo next baby🎉 engine is complete fresh
2002 fxdxt I've done it all. Neck bearings, ohlins rear shocks, rebuilt forks with progressive fork springs, with heavyweight oil, sputhe stabilizers, swapped tires out and had suspension step up by a professional and swapped out front discs that were a little warped. All of these helped bit by bit I could tell the difference each time. The bike handles great now and I'm always confident in it now.
If it's a stock Dyna, then a wobble at speed is likely caused by rear wheel misalignment. Speaking from experience. The top motor mount heim joint has to be adjusted to put the rear wheel at a perfect 90° to the frame. If your wheel is out of vertical alignment then adding solid motor mounts or stabilizers will not fix the problem. You must get the bike lifted and get the motor aligned correctly to the wheels. It's actually fairly easy to do if you have the tools. The wheel only has to be a few degrees off for it to be noticed. Especially at higher speeds. If your frame is at 0, your front wheel is at 90°, and your rear wheel is at 85° you will get a wobble that gets worse with speed. Slow speed wobbles are usually caused by worn or misaligned tires, wheels, steering joints, bushings, and suspension. People tend to quickly recommend expensive motor stabilizers and suspension upgrades for Dyna's, and those things do help control unwanted motor vibration, but in my experience, that top motor mount is almost always the cause of the Dyna speed wobble.
The swing arm is connected to the trans/motor, not the frame. That whole assembly is mounted by rubber motor mounts. Sputhe makes a great fix to prevent sway with their turn buckle design like the Buell's had
I have sputh front and rear.. after market suspension.. MUCH BETTER .. and like he said. Rides better with a passenger. But if I throw it into a decent corner at 90+ plus it still does it a bit. I partially blame softer tire compound I'm running. Since I'm in so cal.. and we have lots of twistys. But sputh deff helped. Along with stiffer suspension and tightening up steering neck.. they always come to loose
Exactly! By design, because the motor/trans/swingarm/rear wheel, as one unit, is not connected to the frame via hard mounted pivot points, as the earlier EVO FXRs were designed. Being that this entire sub assembly, is soft mounted to the frame via front, top, and rear engine mounts; this allows oscillation separate from the front wheel/frame. If the swingarm were hard mounted, via frame mounts, and not connected to the engine/trans ., this would hold the rear wheel in alignment with the front wheel. All metric bikes are designed this way.
yup worst design on the road, no other modern manufacturer connects the swing arm to the tranny for that reason and that reason alone it's dangerous and unsafe.
2011 street bob owner here, after having the se 110 tire shredder installed and hitting over 100mph many times.....happy to report it rides on rails.....so far 👍
As an ex Harley mechanic of 20 years here in the UK, now retired, I found that all Dynas except the FXDL had the speed wobble. So in my opinion the extended rake of the FXDL helped. If i remember correctly the FXDL had 37 degrees and the other models 34. Also I am talking about pre 2004 models, as I retired then.
My 06 FLHX street glide did that (in curves above 65mph & straight line above 75mph) even with rear stabilizer & new swing arm bushings. A lot of gear in the saddlebags or passenger helped a lot. Did a road glide fairing swap back during the early spring & that fixed the straight line wobble above 75mph altogether. Still get it in curves at 65 & above. I think it’s all from the swingarm mount being rubber isolated & doubling as a transmission mount
The swing arm is mounted to the transmission, so you’re getting the vibration from the motor and trans in the swing arm hence the swaying feeling in the rear
Vibration lol.. naw. The swing arm is mounted in the trans and motor combo.. correct. But the motor and trans are rubber mounted.. wich allows the entire motor to be leveraged by the swing arm. The swing arm is actually able to twist. Do to this design
Love the video and addressing this in a nice manor, every bike is different. Also riders weight and height make a difference in experience (as you mentioned). Personally run stabilisers on a '04 FXDXI. Funny thing is that I felt a big improvement when I went from a t-sport to a quarter fairing. Also dialling in the suspension changes how the bike handles dramatically. After a bigger change that I couldn't do at home I noticed that the mechanic changed my suspension settings which in turn totally ruined the handling. But as soon as you've dialed in a DX their so much fun!
Make sure your tire pressures are correct when mine are off I can feel the beginnings of the wobble coming out of corners and I have all those stabilizers and mounts.
I have a 02 FXDXT got it new, has 28k on it and I ride it like I stole it, has always been enjoyable to ride. Hoping I don't get into that scenario now that I'm 56, love riding not crashing. Stay safe my fellow riders, beware of the cages.👍✌
I had some nasty wobble on my 06 FXDBi when I bought it 3 years ago. The tires looked good, then I realized they were the original tires from 06 lol. Bike only had 7000 miles.. I had a shop put on new Dunlop tires that originally came on the bike and had them check the fall away of the front end. The neck bearing nut was not torqued to spec.. The bike rides like it's on rails now. I can press the bars back and forth and it straightens right up. Before it would just wobble when I would do that.. I do notice a slight rear-steer wobble in the back when going through twisty's. I'm definitely going to look into some stabilizers at the engine mounts
Had a '95 FXDL, rear wheel was supposed to be off to the left to counter the primary. Under load that alignment always makes for a weave on anything but flat, add a curve bumps and speed it's going to get hairy every time. Now have a '99 FXDL with everything properly aligned and in spec. Never weaves or wobbles. Solid rear wheel is the only thing that isn't stock on the chassis. Handling is a world apart from '95 to '99.
People also have to understand the motor mounts on a Dyna are rubber and a 2001 Dyna FXDX probably has old rubber motor mounts but the big bear motor mounts or chopper Hauss motor mounts are steel front and rear which entirely changes the ride they’re expensive definitely! They are the best on the market hands down!
I grabbed an old '97 FXD this year and I'm building it up, and do find it's a littlle loose in corners, so it's getting new motor mounts soon. From my understanding, a lot of the issue comes from guys who allow oil to soak their front motor mount during oil changes, and this weakens the rubber and that makes the rubber too soft to keep the motor/transmission/swingarm in line with the chassis during hard riding. Don't know, but I don't want to find myself sideways mid-corner, so new mounts seem like cheap insurance. If problems persist, I may need to step up to further measures like Sputhe stabilizers or a steering damper.
Well fortnine did a great video about it.. mostly its about bad frame or bad suspension and it hasnt to be with every bike but yes dyna are famous for it
I had a 2007 FXD and had the wobbles on curves going 90 +. mph and once I put on a set of mid level Progressive brand shocks on the back it stiffened it up and took care of the issue. I always heard it was the swing arm as well, who knows. I'm about to get a Softail Lowrider S in about a month so I anticipate no issue.
I know on my old dyna tire pressure was a HUGE factor on my wobble . When tires where set perfect it was fine, when they were down some it would cause the wobble. Now I have a wide glide which has more rake so it hasnt wobbled yet..
I felt a slight wobble once on my 2017 FXDLS. But I guess us Dyna guys aren't the only ones experiencing wobble. A couple of friends of mine who ride sport bikes said they too are occasionally prone to high speed wobble. One rides a Yamaha R6 and the other rides a Suzuki GSXR 600. I was surprised to hear that some sport bikes are also prone to wobble not just Harleys.
Crazy! I own a 2017 Dyna Lowrider S,, and same thing as you.. I have never (not one time) since I bought this bike brand new five years ago experienced the infamous Dyna wobble. Never! I just thought I was lucky🤷♂️ Supposedly the remedy of all remedies is to run a newer generation Big Bear Performance front engine mount. Problem over! They’re about $350 bucks to save your life. Cheers 🍻
2013 FLD Switchback. Only had the death wobble in high speed corners, never in a straight line. Replaced engine mounts, front and rear stabilizers, Legend rear suspension, and now it's 95% gone, and that's being conservative. I rarely feel it at all, not an issue for me anymore.
Original owner 09 FXDF. 2" fork extensions, added spring adjusters. 32k miles. And the old Bob is fine so far. I'm 67 and out of 5 HD's I've had since 73, this bike is "the best" I've riden, just sayin...
I have never had the wobble on my 2011. But my fxr….yup. Late model dynas are hard to beat. Also the drag specialties engine mounts tend to be a bit stiffer. So May be a cheap fix. Also make sure mounts are torqued properly and alignment (engine /frame/swing arm) is done 👌
How to fix dyna wobble: buy an FXR In all seriousness, good suspension fixed 99% of the wobble on my ‘99 dwg. Also, don’t put a steering stabilizer on street bikes. Most of the time, that’s just covering up bad riding habits. Light on the bars, grip with the legs
I just started getting the Dyna wobble in my 2016 Street Bob, it's happening more often now, so now I'm about to be going through it to try to get the wobble out
My worst wobbler was a 97 sporty. The tiniest bump at anything over 50mph was going to start a wobble. Found out the bike had a bent frame later on. I believe that caused it to wobble significantly more than other sportsters I've been on.
what no one has mentioned yet, is when replacing the front oem rubber engine mount, you have jack up the engine so all bolts can be assembled finger tight, you need washers and/or spacers between the mounts/engine/frame to get the same result as a solid fron engine mount to stop the wobble
My 03 had a wobble so I put stabilizers on the front and back and that took care of it for a while. Then I put on a fairing like yours and it seemed to come back so then I added a steering damper which helped but did not completely eliminate it.
i bought my fxdx new in 01. I could not go over 70 mph on mine . i complained so much that factory reps came to the dealership and spent days going over my bike . I can now pick up the pace a little but not that much . i only have 14 k on it . I didnt think it was a thing with others , just mine .
I have a 2004 fdx and I had the dead Wobble .. I put in new motor Mounts front and rear from big bear choppers and did the head set with new race shims.. and that solved the problem..
I have had many dirt bike and Harleys most of my life. My experience with wobble is it comes down to the front forks "rake and geometry" Never had a DYNA but have Ultra classic types of bikes that never had the death wobble. My dirt bikes front forks could be adjusted up or down on the triple tree and that would change the rake and geometry of the bike. The higher up the fork tubes sat in the triple tree the bike would turn on a dime but you would get a violent death wobble at high speeds but it would go away if you shifted your weight to the rear of the bike an keep a low profile. When the forks would be adjusted all the way down in the triple tree the bike would go perfectly straight at high speeds with no death wobble and it would feel like you are snow plowing when you tried to turn. Anyways, I bet if you lowered the rear end, and moved the front forks down in your triple tree that would more than likely solve the DYNS death wobble. Good Luck.
I tend to believe it's multiple issues that could cause it but one underlying root issue which is engine/transmission/back wheel alignment but multiple things can change that; weight on the back causes it to be harder to misalign under deceleration, worn motor mounts which cause the engine/transmission to misslign under force, suspension changes which changes swingarm angles. My Road King did it when I would decelerate on giant sweepers, but the bike wasn't designed for riding it like it was my Supermotards! Most touring bike guys never know their bikes death wobble. My 2014 Dyna does on high speed sweepers but not on tight single track curves. I plan on putting better motor mounts and having a professional align my engine and transmission. I did once ride an early Evo powered Dyna and it death wobbled at high speed going in a straight line and it spooked the frak out of me. I don't think it's an issue that's unrepairable and will probably sell a lot of Softails.
My FXDLS ‘17 didn’t do it until recently. I swapped out the motor mounts and it didn’t fix it. I was really dreading the amount hassle and money I would’ve had to poured into it to fix it. I ended up trading it in for the new ST anyways. It was really scary when it happened specially when you notice it getting worse as it goes. Sometimes you can handle it but I come from riding sport bikes and it was crazy sometimes…
Fun fact, rubbermount sportsters can have the same issue too. The following seems to cure it. Poly Motor mounts (or at least not worn out stock ones) Replacing dog bone cross mounts (they wear out more then you'd think) Make sure your frame is level or tipped slightly backward, NOT forward Good suspension definitely helps Lastly and this was the big one for me. TIRES TIRES TIRES. Chopped or just really worn tires really act up on the high speed corners. Pressure is important too but the Sportsters seem to be a little less affected by a few PSI. One last thing to consider. Really should sort the wobble out BEFORE adding a steering stabilizer. The steering stabilizer should be extra protection, not actually used to solve the problem. That masks it a bit and could lead to a really dangerous scenario if you have unchecked wobbles throughout and the dampner decided to fail or otherwise not stop the wobble for some reason.
Check your motor mounts. I had it bad on a 2011 SB. Turned out that the motor mount under the tank was loose. I torqued the bolts to spec and the problem was fixed completely.
@@FXDLSBrooklyn nope. The same bolts. The ones that connect to the head were really loose. Loctite and a torque wrench. That was 10k miles ago. No problems since.
BBC or chopper haus motor mount.. change the stock rear one ... new hardware arp preferably ... and tighten and loctite your top engine mount bolts .. and align your drivetrain and motor , wheels etc.. and you shouldn’t have any issues
Recently went from an 03 sporty to a 15 low rider and gotta say my sporty wobbled worse. It does feel like the low rider has some back end floaty movement every now and then, but I've had it at 95, on a curve, with uneven road/shitty roadwork and nothing near my sporty wobble thankfully.
I have the Big Bear Choppers front and rear motor mounts on my FXDX. It vibrates like a jack hammer but only has the Dyna wobble from time to time. Sometimes I can be doing 120 mph and not have it and sometimes it does it at 70 mph. Sometimes it don’t happen at all 🤷🏻♂️
My t sport wobbled at top speed but I sorted it by dailing in the top engine mount to align the wheels after fitting new lower mounts but still a small shimmy with the bags on for some reason
Started to happen to me in bumpy turns after I installed 15" Ness brake, 110/90 front tire and Thrashin bags. Not sure what it is exactly that contributed. I installed steering stabilizer. While not eliminating it totally, wobble is way less. It's not pretty but does the job. I thought about an isolator kit. But dyna engine is unbalanced. So making a mount semi rigid is not very smart thing to do.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the wind wobble at high speeds. On mine, it would wobble at like 90-110 but if I pushed forward on the bars, it would straighten it out. Then once I removed the hardshell bags, it completely stopped which may be because of some aerodynamic shit lol maybe try it out lean
Broken spoke, Steering bearing, swing arm faulty or worn bearings and worn or faulty motor mounts are the various culprits. If the motor mounts become too worn or break that is the guaranteed death/down in death wobble. The other causes can be ridden out if you have enough straight away.
I put new engine mounts and tru tracks on all my dynas , its not realy a handel bar death wobble , its more of a rear steer wobble due to the swingarm mounted to the tranny .
Nice bike but some of YOUR wobble could be the fairing needs some adjustment and/or your handlebars are up so high that they're disrupting the aerodynamics of the airflow from the fairing.
I have a 2010 wide glide with a screamin eagle stage 4 kit on it, and the drag clutch, progressive adjustables and lowered front fork powder coated black, I recently have ran into an issue... It sat for a good amount of time in the garage, about 6 months.. Then I went to start it, and the battery was bad.. So it wouldnt turn.. I then ordered the brand new battery, made sure it was charged up .. Installed it, and then went to start it and it turned turned turned but no fire.. After that happened I now have these codes p1001 p1004 . I tried switching the 2 relays like some say, and it did nothing... Any ideas?? I could use any help.. I really wanna get back on the road! :) I dont wanna pull the fuel pump unless someone thinks it may be that because it has those one time use bolts in there , and they are like 4.00 a piece :D
There's death wobbles/tank slappers which if I've ever gotten, that bike would be kicked to the curb.... then there's the dyna high speed wobble, which my bike has. It sucks because I've done a bunch to the suspension to try and get rid of it. 14.5 piggyback progressives, fork emulators, fork brace, front FXR motor mount, and an alloy art motor stabilizer. Gonna throw a GPR and the rear FXR motor mount and go from there. I would love if I could afford inverted forks and an upgraded swingarm.
Do you have a lift? Have you checked the motor alignment? If not then go get a magnetic digital level. Lift the bike and shim it with wood wedges or a scissor jack so that the frame is sitting at a perfect 0°. Stick the level on the rear rotor. If your rear wheel is at anything other than 90° while your frame is at 0 then you need to adjust the motor mounts to align the wheel. If it's off you will get a speed wobble that gets worse in the corners. To adjust the rear wheel you need to lift the bike, loosen the front motor mount, pull the tank, then adjust the heim joint that joins the motor to the top of the frame until your rear wheel is perfectly vertical.
Yes I have a 2001 Dyna t-sport super glide and I have a wobble in the front end I have new bearings in the in the in the triple trees are all new bearings and stuff so it's not the bearings I think it's happened when the guy repaired my front end cuz I have dampeners on my on my lower legs I'm trying to find out what the settings are for them because it didn't do it before I took it to this guy to work on the front end
I have sputh front and rear.. after market suspension.. MUCH BETTER .. and like he said. Rides better with a passenger. But if I throw it into a decent corner at 90+ plus it still does it a bit. I partially blame softer tire compound I'm running. Since I'm in so cal.. and we have lots of twistys. But sputh deff helped. Along with stiffer suspension and tightening up steering neck.. they always come to loose. 2015 fxdl
been riding since 1965, i'm old,had this happened on many bikes,some of it is guys don't understand fully THAT these machines are not like cars,any front end bumping,ticking the wheels on curbs any kind of front end damage at all,a lot of guys would never fix them,just send them down the line,un repaired,which is and could get someone killed,you align your car,truck,everything except the bike.first and foremost,most won't fix the bike and say,i'm not doing that,i'll just trade it in and get another one,AND THAT'S EXACTLY how people end up with some of these maladies,the bike has to be worth the repair,i've have two that were hogs and worth the fix,i took them down to the frame and send it off and had it aligned,that's right aligned,sometimes the neck gets twisted and she doesn't handle like she used to,found both of the ones i sent off were twisted,one ridiculously twisted,they have be zero dead nut straight or they will not go fast like you want,matter of fact,just testing it for the wobble has dropped many a man,read down in this column,some of these guys spent the money and got the bike fixed,for good,remember when buy used let the buyer beware,in this case very wary
How fast do you have to go? I've hit triple digits (allegedly) on a 2007 (but.... bookoos of disclaimers. I've got a 2007 that was my grandpas, he bought it brand new then, he and his buddies opened up the cylinders a few CCs, put in all the new cams and so on to match, they put on full kit for the level four screaming eagle package, and he got a very specific line of perelli tires that he says handles the "vibration" the best he ever found. So maybe this is what he meant, but... I know my Dina can do everything I've seen sports bikes doing down the 65 corridor under nashville and people are getting ignorant. Do all I know I've got stabilizers and things he's never mentioned.... and I always keep weight in a pack on my end so maybe that's it.... But man I wouldn't trade my Dina for anything... it can do so much.... but I've never experienced this and I keep coming across forums talking about it, but idk what it is at all and I do things I shouldn't do with a bike i love.) So idk. But I've found things that mention how Harleys have something in the engine that does a 180° twist in something something something that leads to vibration so idk. I'm also big. Fairly tall with an American body so i could be the extra weight
I drive a Goldwing, I keep good rubber on it at the proper tire pressure at all times. Never ever experienced a death wobble. Perhaps your choice of motorcycle has more to do with it..
I took a girl out ten times in various high-profile sports cars...barely got kissed. Took the same girl out one time on my Harley Davidson FXDWG...she stripped buck naked on the Ft Worth boat docks!!!! Harley did it's job. I married that girl. Can your Honda do that?👎
Dude change the fucken motor mounts to solid ones already, its not nerding out the swing arm has a design flaw. Wtf, why would you live with this when the mounts fix it?
Had a really nice 2005 dyna, FXDXI fuel injected, not many around. I've actually never come across another one that was fuel injected. Bike was clean, never wrecked or dropped it but it developed a bad speed wobble. I chased the problem for almost 2 years, swapped out a few front end parts, motor mounts, front stabilizer, and a couple other suggested add on parts. I still had a bad wobble, took it to a couple shops with no luck. My buddy had some aftermarket shocks for the bike, removed the original shocks and found one shock was no good. After swapping to the new shocks the bike rode totally fine with no wobble. 1 bad rear shock was the issue the whole time, finding the problem was definitely the hardest part.
I have an 04 that's fuel injected, can agree it's a great bike haven't done much too it yet
I can see how a bad rear shock could cause a bad wobble. In my experience I’ve only developed wobbles going down hill and in a turn or maneuvering.
I got a 05 Dyna 😮 N mines GETTING a Busa FRONT end stretch arm with busa back wheel. N 106 STROKER N she's in the process of getting done. Turbo next baby🎉 engine is complete fresh
Yes mate my fxdx has started to get a wobble at high speeds now and I have noticed one of the rear shocks has started leaking 😢
2002 fxdxt I've done it all. Neck bearings, ohlins rear shocks, rebuilt forks with progressive fork springs, with heavyweight oil, sputhe stabilizers, swapped tires out and had suspension step up by a professional and swapped out front discs that were a little warped. All of these helped bit by bit I could tell the difference each time. The bike handles great now and I'm always confident in it now.
@pierre Bornerot haha that ain't the half of it
If it's a stock Dyna, then a wobble at speed is likely caused by rear wheel misalignment. Speaking from experience. The top motor mount heim joint has to be adjusted to put the rear wheel at a perfect 90° to the frame. If your wheel is out of vertical alignment then adding solid motor mounts or stabilizers will not fix the problem. You must get the bike lifted and get the motor aligned correctly to the wheels. It's actually fairly easy to do if you have the tools. The wheel only has to be a few degrees off for it to be noticed. Especially at higher speeds. If your frame is at 0, your front wheel is at 90°, and your rear wheel is at 85° you will get a wobble that gets worse with speed.
Slow speed wobbles are usually caused by worn or misaligned tires, wheels, steering joints, bushings, and suspension.
People tend to quickly recommend expensive motor stabilizers and suspension upgrades for Dyna's, and those things do help control unwanted motor vibration, but in my experience, that top motor mount is almost always the cause of the Dyna speed wobble.
Would taller rear shocks help at all?
@@huhwut1245no
The swing arm is connected to the trans/motor, not the frame. That whole assembly is mounted by rubber motor mounts. Sputhe makes a great fix to prevent sway with their turn buckle design like the Buell's had
I have sputh front and rear.. after market suspension.. MUCH BETTER .. and like he said. Rides better with a passenger.
But if I throw it into a decent corner at 90+ plus it still does it a bit. I partially blame softer tire compound I'm running. Since I'm in so cal.. and we have lots of twistys. But sputh deff helped. Along with stiffer suspension and tightening up steering neck.. they always come to loose
Exactly! By design, because the motor/trans/swingarm/rear wheel, as one unit, is not connected to the frame via hard mounted pivot points, as the earlier EVO FXRs were designed.
Being that this entire sub assembly, is soft mounted to the frame via front, top, and rear engine mounts; this allows oscillation separate from the front wheel/frame.
If the swingarm were hard mounted, via frame mounts, and not connected to the engine/trans ., this would hold the rear wheel in alignment with the front wheel.
All metric bikes are designed this way.
yup worst design on the road, no other modern manufacturer connects the swing arm to the tranny for that reason and that reason alone it's dangerous and unsafe.
2011 street bob owner here, after having the se 110 tire shredder installed and hitting over 100mph many times.....happy to report it rides on rails.....so far 👍
Good stuff man
As an ex Harley mechanic of 20 years here in the UK, now retired, I found that all Dynas except the FXDL had the speed wobble. So in my opinion the extended rake of the FXDL helped. If i remember correctly the FXDL had 37 degrees and the other models 34. Also I am talking about pre 2004 models, as I retired then.
Yeah man, my FXDLS is the only one I've never had it on
My 06 FLHX street glide did that (in curves above 65mph & straight line above 75mph) even with rear stabilizer & new swing arm bushings. A lot of gear in the saddlebags or passenger helped a lot. Did a road glide fairing swap back during the early spring & that fixed the straight line wobble above 75mph altogether. Still get it in curves at 65 & above. I think it’s all from the swingarm mount being rubber isolated & doubling as a transmission mount
The swing arm is mounted to the transmission, so you’re getting the vibration from the motor and trans in the swing arm hence the swaying feeling in the rear
Vibration lol.. naw. The swing arm is mounted in the trans and motor combo.. correct. But the motor and trans are rubber mounted.. wich allows the entire motor to be leveraged by the swing arm. The swing arm is actually able to twist. Do to this design
Love the video and addressing this in a nice manor, every bike is different. Also riders weight and height make a difference in experience (as you mentioned). Personally run stabilisers on a '04 FXDXI. Funny thing is that I felt a big improvement when I went from a t-sport to a quarter fairing. Also dialling in the suspension changes how the bike handles dramatically. After a bigger change that I couldn't do at home I noticed that the mechanic changed my suspension settings which in turn totally ruined the handling.
But as soon as you've dialed in a DX their so much fun!
Make sure your tire pressures are correct when mine are off I can feel the beginnings of the wobble coming out of corners and I have all those stabilizers and mounts.
I have a 02 FXDXT got it new, has 28k on it and I ride it like I stole it, has always been enjoyable to ride. Hoping I don't get into that scenario now that I'm 56, love riding not crashing. Stay safe my fellow riders, beware of the cages.👍✌
That’s like the sketchiest part of that highway too lol. But low key the nicest part. My dude is flying
I had some nasty wobble on my 06 FXDBi when I bought it 3 years ago. The tires looked good, then I realized they were the original tires from 06 lol. Bike only had 7000 miles.. I had a shop put on new Dunlop tires that originally came on the bike and had them check the fall away of the front end. The neck bearing nut was not torqued to spec.. The bike rides like it's on rails now. I can press the bars back and forth and it straightens right up. Before it would just wobble when I would do that.. I do notice a slight rear-steer wobble in the back when going through twisty's. I'm definitely going to look into some stabilizers at the engine mounts
Had a '95 FXDL, rear wheel was supposed to be off to the left to counter the primary. Under load that alignment always makes for a weave on anything but flat, add a curve bumps and speed it's going to get hairy every time.
Now have a '99 FXDL with everything properly aligned and in spec. Never weaves or wobbles. Solid rear wheel is the only thing that isn't stock on the chassis.
Handling is a world apart from '95 to '99.
@@theodavies8754 yeah I’ve heard this before! Glad you got it dialed in
People also have to understand the motor mounts on a Dyna are rubber and a 2001 Dyna FXDX probably has old rubber motor mounts but the big bear motor mounts or chopper Hauss motor mounts are steel front and rear which entirely changes the ride they’re expensive definitely! They are the best on the market hands down!
Yeah I run that on my main bike, love it
I grabbed an old '97 FXD this year and I'm building it up, and do find it's a littlle loose in corners, so it's getting new motor mounts soon. From my understanding, a lot of the issue comes from guys who allow oil to soak their front motor mount during oil changes, and this weakens the rubber and that makes the rubber too soft to keep the motor/transmission/swingarm in line with the chassis during hard riding. Don't know, but I don't want to find myself sideways mid-corner, so new mounts seem like cheap insurance. If problems persist, I may need to step up to further measures like Sputhe stabilizers or a steering damper.
Well fortnine did a great video about it.. mostly its about bad frame or bad suspension and it hasnt to be with every bike but yes dyna are famous for it
I also have a 97 fxd. If I take a corner too fast, insta wobble! I put on a sputhe stabilizer kit.
I’m building a 98’ fxd, I notice the same thing. But working on making this evo move first lol.
I had a 2007 FXD and had the wobbles on curves going 90 +. mph and once I put on a set of mid level Progressive brand shocks on the back it stiffened it up and took care of the issue. I always heard it was the swing arm as well, who knows. I'm about to get a Softail Lowrider S in about a month so I anticipate no issue.
I know on my old dyna tire pressure was a HUGE factor on my wobble . When tires where set perfect it was fine, when they were down some it would cause the wobble. Now I have a wide glide which has more rake so it hasnt wobbled yet..
I felt a slight wobble once on my 2017 FXDLS. But I guess us Dyna guys aren't the only ones experiencing wobble. A couple of friends of mine who ride sport bikes said they too are occasionally prone to high speed wobble. One rides a Yamaha R6 and the other rides a Suzuki GSXR 600. I was surprised to hear that some sport bikes are also prone to wobble not just Harleys.
Never heard this happening on a sport bike
@@FXDLSBrooklyn happened to me on my 2013 zx6r 636 luckily I had a steering dampner and it did 3 wobbles then straightened up..... then blast off
@@FXDLSBrooklyn Me either. First, I ever heard of it. Maybe it wasn't the bike but rather the rider or the road?
th-cam.com/video/TFov6yoeH0E/w-d-xo.html
Sport bikes get a head wobble for a different reason than dynas do, it's called a tank slapper, it's not the rear wobbling like on a dyna.
Crazy! I own a 2017 Dyna Lowrider S,, and same thing as you.. I have never (not one time) since I bought this bike brand new five years ago experienced the infamous Dyna wobble. Never! I just thought I was lucky🤷♂️
Supposedly the remedy of all remedies is to run a newer generation Big Bear Performance front engine mount. Problem over!
They’re about $350 bucks to save your life.
Cheers 🍻
The FXDLS was built right
2013 FLD Switchback. Only had the death wobble in high speed corners, never in a straight line. Replaced engine mounts, front and rear stabilizers, Legend rear suspension, and now it's 95% gone, and that's being conservative. I rarely feel it at all, not an issue for me anymore.
Original owner 09 FXDF. 2" fork extensions, added spring adjusters. 32k miles. And the old Bob is fine so far. I'm 67 and out of 5 HD's I've had since 73, this bike is "the best" I've riden, just sayin...
That's what's up! Still have any of those bikes from 73?
@@FXDLSBrooklyn
No, as I got older, I traded the kickstarters for bro buttons....
2014 Dyna Wide Glide here. Ohlins suspension front and rear and i've never had wobble. I do have a head shake when my front tyre needs replacing.
Ohlins is the way to go, sounds like you've got a great setup. 👌🏼
I have never had the wobble on my 2011. But my fxr….yup. Late model dynas are hard to beat.
Also the drag specialties engine mounts tend to be a bit stiffer. So May be a cheap fix. Also make sure mounts are torqued properly and alignment (engine /frame/swing arm) is done 👌
How to fix dyna wobble: buy an FXR
In all seriousness, good suspension fixed 99% of the wobble on my ‘99 dwg. Also, don’t put a steering stabilizer on street bikes. Most of the time, that’s just covering up bad riding habits. Light on the bars, grip with the legs
Buy the sputhe engine stabilizer works wonders it’s because of the rubber mount inbetween the swingarm
Definitely on the list
I just started getting the Dyna wobble in my 2016 Street Bob, it's happening more often now, so now I'm about to be going through it to try to get the wobble out
My worst wobbler was a 97 sporty. The tiniest bump at anything over 50mph was going to start a wobble. Found out the bike had a bent frame later on. I believe that caused it to wobble significantly more than other sportsters I've been on.
New motor mounts and some stabilizers helped out a lot on my Dyna along with some Ohlins rear and front
what no one has mentioned yet, is when replacing the front oem rubber engine mount, you have jack up the engine so all bolts can be assembled finger tight, you need washers and/or spacers between the mounts/engine/frame to get the same result as a solid fron engine mount to stop the wobble
My 03 had a wobble so I put stabilizers on the front and back and that took care of it for a while. Then I put on a fairing like yours and it seemed to come back so then I added a steering damper which helped but did not completely eliminate it.
i bought my fxdx new in 01. I could not go over 70 mph on mine . i complained so much that factory reps came to the dealership and spent days going over my bike . I can now pick up the pace a little but not that much . i only have 14 k on it . I didnt think it was a thing with others , just mine .
Nah it's definitely a thing
I have a 2004 fdx and I had the dead Wobble .. I put in new motor Mounts front and rear from big bear choppers and did the head set with new race shims.. and that solved the problem..
I have had many dirt bike and Harleys most of my life. My experience with wobble is it comes down to the front forks "rake and geometry" Never had a DYNA but have Ultra classic types of bikes that never had the death wobble. My dirt bikes front forks could be adjusted up or down on the triple tree and that would change the rake and geometry of the bike. The higher up the fork tubes sat in the triple tree the bike would turn on a dime but you would get a violent death wobble at high speeds but it would go away if you shifted your weight to the rear of the bike an keep a low profile. When the forks would be adjusted all the way down in the triple tree the bike would go perfectly straight at high speeds with no death wobble and it would feel like you are snow plowing when you tried to turn. Anyways, I bet if you lowered the rear end, and moved the front forks down in your triple tree that would more than likely solve the DYNS death wobble. Good Luck.
I have a 2000 wide glide never had a problem traveling 80 all over the place. Only thing I've done is replace the mounts because they were shot.
Solid 🏁 ⚡️
I tend to believe it's multiple issues that could cause it but one underlying root issue which is engine/transmission/back wheel alignment but multiple things can change that; weight on the back causes it to be harder to misalign under deceleration, worn motor mounts which cause the engine/transmission to misslign under force, suspension changes which changes swingarm angles.
My Road King did it when I would decelerate on giant sweepers, but the bike wasn't designed for riding it like it was my Supermotards! Most touring bike guys never know their bikes death wobble. My 2014 Dyna does on high speed sweepers but not on tight single track curves. I plan on putting better motor mounts and having a professional align my engine and transmission.
I did once ride an early Evo powered Dyna and it death wobbled at high speed going in a straight line and it spooked the frak out of me.
I don't think it's an issue that's unrepairable and will probably sell a lot of Softails.
My FXDLS ‘17 didn’t do it until recently. I swapped out the motor mounts and it didn’t fix it. I was really dreading the amount hassle and money I would’ve had to poured into it to fix it. I ended up trading it in for the new ST anyways. It was really scary when it happened specially when you notice it getting worse as it goes. Sometimes you can handle it but I come from riding sport bikes and it was crazy sometimes…
Is this only a problem on the old dynas. I’m looking at getting an st.
Fun fact, rubbermount sportsters can have the same issue too.
The following seems to cure it.
Poly Motor mounts (or at least not worn out stock ones)
Replacing dog bone cross mounts (they wear out more then you'd think)
Make sure your frame is level or tipped slightly backward, NOT forward
Good suspension definitely helps
Lastly and this was the big one for me. TIRES TIRES TIRES. Chopped or just really worn tires really act up on the high speed corners. Pressure is important too but the Sportsters seem to be a little less affected by a few PSI.
One last thing to consider. Really should sort the wobble out BEFORE adding a steering stabilizer. The steering stabilizer should be extra protection, not actually used to solve the problem. That masks it a bit and could lead to a really dangerous scenario if you have unchecked wobbles throughout and the dampner decided to fail or otherwise not stop the wobble for some reason.
Check your motor mounts. I had it bad on a 2011 SB. Turned out that the motor mount under the tank was loose. I torqued the bolts to spec and the problem was fixed completely.
Without replacing them?
@@FXDLSBrooklyn nope. The same bolts. The ones that connect to the head were really loose. Loctite and a torque wrench. That was 10k miles ago. No problems since.
BBC or chopper haus motor mount.. change the stock rear one ... new hardware arp preferably ... and tighten and loctite your top engine mount bolts .. and align your drivetrain and motor , wheels etc.. and you shouldn’t have any issues
And a good set of legends on the rear with the floating bushings that also helps
Recently went from an 03 sporty to a 15 low rider and gotta say my sporty wobbled worse. It does feel like the low rider has some back end floaty movement every now and then, but I've had it at 95, on a curve, with uneven road/shitty roadwork and nothing near my sporty wobble thankfully.
I have the Big Bear Choppers front and rear motor mounts on my FXDX. It vibrates like a jack hammer but only has the Dyna wobble from time to time. Sometimes I can be doing 120 mph and not have it and sometimes it does it at 70 mph. Sometimes it don’t happen at all 🤷🏻♂️
My t sport wobbled at top speed but I sorted it by dailing in the top engine mount to align the wheels after fitting new lower mounts but still a small shimmy with the bags on for some reason
Yeah man, definitely need some motor mounts or stabilizers to solve that problem
Soft tail is where it’s at ! I didn’t want to get off the dyna but quickly didn’t miss it
Started to happen to me in bumpy turns after I installed 15" Ness brake, 110/90 front tire and Thrashin bags. Not sure what it is exactly that contributed. I installed steering stabilizer. While not eliminating it totally, wobble is way less. It's not pretty but does the job. I thought about an isolator kit. But dyna engine is unbalanced. So making a mount semi rigid is not very smart thing to do.
Yeah man - I would imagine motor mounts could help too
Best channel on youtube
I wonder if it has anything to do with the wind wobble at high speeds. On mine, it would wobble at like 90-110 but if I pushed forward on the bars, it would straighten it out. Then once I removed the hardshell bags, it completely stopped which may be because of some aerodynamic shit lol maybe try it out lean
My sportster wobbled a little bit when it had a windshield on it. I took it off, and It rides smooth as silk.. maybe something to look into..
My 16 fxdb hasn’t done it yet since I’ve had it new. My dads 16 wide glide does it on really windy days at high speed
Great video. All dynas are different. I would also say the earlier year dynas are wonky. Cant go wrong with most 2015-2017 dynas.
wide glides generally don't wobble, simple geometry... all of the extra rake.
Motor mount stabilizers are a god send
Truth
Try the big bear motor mount front and rear bro solid choic changes everything even if you just get the front motor mount it’s life changing
Yeah it's good stuff
Felt it yesterday on the corners, just kept the in throttle and rode it out. 09 fatbob
Broken spoke, Steering bearing, swing arm faulty or worn bearings and worn or faulty motor mounts are the various culprits. If the motor mounts become too worn or break that is the guaranteed death/down in death wobble. The other causes can be ridden out if you have enough straight away.
Good ole Harley engineering !
Yes.
I put new engine mounts and tru tracks on all my dynas , its not realy a handel bar death wobble , its more of a rear steer wobble due to the swingarm mounted to the tranny .
Nice bike but some of YOUR wobble could be the fairing needs some adjustment and/or your handlebars are up so high that they're disrupting the aerodynamics of the airflow from the fairing.
Both those things could definitely be factors for sure
Say what? You’re apes don’t affect it. Everyone one from my era has had apes. It’s usually something wrong with the suspension or alignment
I got a tricked out Dyna, 135 mph n shes RUNS STRAIGHT 😊 05 fuel injection 106 stroker n suspension is done. SHE RIPS 🎉
I have a 2010 wide glide with a screamin eagle stage 4 kit on it, and the drag clutch, progressive adjustables and lowered front fork powder coated black, I recently have ran into an issue... It sat for a good amount of time in the garage, about 6 months.. Then I went to start it, and the battery was bad.. So it wouldnt turn.. I then ordered the brand new battery, made sure it was charged up .. Installed it, and then went to start it and it turned turned turned but no fire.. After that happened I now have these codes p1001 p1004 . I tried switching the 2 relays like some say, and it did nothing... Any ideas?? I could use any help.. I really wanna get back on the road! :) I dont wanna pull the fuel pump unless someone thinks it may be that because it has those one time use bolts in there , and they are like 4.00 a piece :D
If not they have some amazing motor mounts that connect to the frame instead of some dumb rubber mount, Big Bear Peformance has some good mounts
I've heard that 08 and newer have less wobble issues, but I'm no expert.
I took my 07 lowrider up to around 100 mph & it got the wobble. I slowed down and it stopped. It has a windshield on it. It felt like a aro problem.
Yeah wind definitely plays a part
What about the wide glides ? do they do it. ?
Honestly I have no idea, not sure if that additional rake would make it worse or better
There's death wobbles/tank slappers which if I've ever gotten, that bike would be kicked to the curb.... then there's the dyna high speed wobble, which my bike has. It sucks because I've done a bunch to the suspension to try and get rid of it. 14.5 piggyback progressives, fork emulators, fork brace, front FXR motor mount, and an alloy art motor stabilizer. Gonna throw a GPR and the rear FXR motor mount and go from there. I would love if I could afford inverted forks and an upgraded swingarm.
Do you have a lift? Have you checked the motor alignment?
If not then go get a magnetic digital level. Lift the bike and shim it with wood wedges or a scissor jack so that the frame is sitting at a perfect 0°. Stick the level on the rear rotor. If your rear wheel is at anything other than 90° while your frame is at 0 then you need to adjust the motor mounts to align the wheel. If it's off you will get a speed wobble that gets worse in the corners. To adjust the rear wheel you need to lift the bike, loosen the front motor mount, pull the tank, then adjust the heim joint that joins the motor to the top of the frame until your rear wheel is perfectly vertical.
@@cop70s i don't have any wobbles in corners... it's only high speed 90+
This happened to me on my old sporter 2013 and my current fxlrs happened once!
I personally have never had it happen on my FXDB. My 1200c did it and it was terrifying
Yes I have a 2001 Dyna t-sport super glide and I have a wobble in the front end I have new bearings in the in the in the triple trees are all new bearings and stuff so it's not the bearings I think it's happened when the guy repaired my front end cuz I have dampeners on my on my lower legs I'm trying to find out what the settings are for them because it didn't do it before I took it to this guy to work on the front end
My 2005 FXDWG Does it and my bike is slammed about 85-90 it starts to wobble
Make sure you warm up the tires before hitting the highway
Truth
i had a 2006 lowrider never had any speed wobbles at all
I heard its caused by the way the engine is mounted to the frame
Truth
morning 🤣 4 PM
But after last night's party
Our club celebrated 12 years 🎉
The swing arm attaches with a rubber mount to the rear of the gearbox.Not to the frame Thats where the flex happens.
You are spot on!
I have sputh front and rear.. after market suspension.. MUCH BETTER .. and like he said. Rides better with a passenger.
But if I throw it into a decent corner at 90+ plus it still does it a bit. I partially blame softer tire compound I'm running. Since I'm in so cal.. and we have lots of twistys. But sputh deff helped. Along with stiffer suspension and tightening up steering neck.. they always come to loose.
2015 fxdl
Have def heard good things
when you get a job at the dealership, the wobble does not exist. you don’t talk about it like when your aunt got drunk.
Try taking the front shield off
been riding since 1965, i'm old,had this happened on many bikes,some of it is guys don't understand fully THAT these machines are not like cars,any front end bumping,ticking the wheels on curbs any kind of front end damage at all,a lot of guys would never fix them,just send them down the line,un repaired,which is and could get someone killed,you align your car,truck,everything except the bike.first and foremost,most won't fix the bike and say,i'm not doing that,i'll just trade it in and get another one,AND THAT'S EXACTLY how people end up with some of these maladies,the bike has to be worth the repair,i've have two that were hogs and worth the fix,i took them down to the frame and send it off and had it aligned,that's right aligned,sometimes the neck gets twisted and she doesn't handle like she used to,found both of the ones i sent off were twisted,one ridiculously twisted,they have be zero dead nut straight or they will not go fast like you want,matter of fact,just testing it for the wobble has dropped many a man,read down in this column,some of these guys spent the money and got the bike fixed,for good,remember when buy used let the buyer beware,in this case very wary
How fast do you have to go? I've hit triple digits (allegedly) on a 2007 (but.... bookoos of disclaimers. I've got a 2007 that was my grandpas, he bought it brand new then, he and his buddies opened up the cylinders a few CCs, put in all the new cams and so on to match, they put on full kit for the level four screaming eagle package, and he got a very specific line of perelli tires that he says handles the "vibration" the best he ever found. So maybe this is what he meant, but... I know my Dina can do everything I've seen sports bikes doing down the 65 corridor under nashville and people are getting ignorant.
Do all I know I've got stabilizers and things he's never mentioned.... and I always keep weight in a pack on my end so maybe that's it....
But man I wouldn't trade my Dina for anything... it can do so much.... but I've never experienced this and I keep coming across forums talking about it, but idk what it is at all and I do things I shouldn't do with a bike i love.)
So idk.
But I've found things that mention how Harleys have something in the engine that does a 180° twist in something something something that leads to vibration so idk.
I'm also big. Fairly tall with an American body so i could be the extra weight
Kevin from Big Bear Performance has addressed this issue in videos and is an expert on this issue.
Its hard for me to believe Harley Davidson would manufacture and sell bikes that could cause a catastrophic accident. Can you imagine the lawsuits?
As sketchy as the wobble is, I don't know if I have ever actually heard of anyone going down due to it.
My 2011 fxdb gave me the wobble and I quickly had true trac stabilizer installed at a show in Laughlin...never had it again
use a steering damper wont wobble even with a windshield could be a tire try it
Actually used to run one on this bike, might be time to throw it back on 🏁⚡️
In situations like this my advice is go buy a Triumph. Enjoy the road everyone.
My buddies dont believe me when i tell them my bike doesnt give me the death wobble
South BK here.
That H-D, doesn't stand for Harley - Davidson. Stands for 100$
Replace wheel bearings as it’s a sign that wheel bearings will soon fail.
aerodynamics, frame geometry, weight transfer, weather, people putting goofy shit on bikes.
Yeah I'm guilty of the latter
its a maintenance issue somewhere, you just need to find it... happens to all motorcycles
The journey continues
Step one:
Change front and rear shocks.
This bike has the rear changed to Ohlins, front is stock
It's the Rear Shock angle, See how the rear Shocks are leaning forward like that. I guarantee that is what's upsetting the Rear end.
I drive a Goldwing, I keep good rubber on it at the proper tire pressure at all times. Never ever experienced a death wobble. Perhaps your choice of motorcycle has more to do with it..
Oh 100% - I can't imagine a Goldwing doing this
I took a girl out ten times in various high-profile sports cars...barely got kissed. Took the same girl out one time on my Harley Davidson FXDWG...she stripped buck naked on the Ft Worth boat docks!!!! Harley did it's job. I married that girl.
Can your Honda do that?👎
Gotta 1998 FXDWG 70K+ so far no prob
and I ride it pretty hard for a stock Evo
I just go slow on my dyna if I wanna act too much I just ride my Ducati
Sounds like a problem
rake
Buy a Dyna and be a man…..or a Sheman
Dude change the fucken motor mounts to solid ones already, its not nerding out the swing arm has a design flaw. Wtf, why would you live with this when the mounts fix it?
Entire video of “maybe it’s this. Maybe it’s that.” Not helpful.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful - Just telling the situation as it is, and not throwing out answers that I don't have 😀
i really like that seat
Yeah that's the Unknown Industries step up