I always make sure that any load in the saddlebags is weighing aprox the same so there is no inbalance there and make sure that anything in the tourpack does not shift while taking a turn. Can you imagine 2 or 3 kilo's there shifting from left to right? 😱😱 Countersteering helps a lot in preventing the 'wobble'. Installed a stabi link and better front suspension. I have a set of Centramatic wheel stabilizers coming. I have the feeling that will help too with avoiding any imbalance to the bike. And al the things you mentioned 😀👍 Edit 10 months later: Rear airshocks are being replaced with made to fit rear shocks.🥳
Thanks for the video, well covered the problem, did experience the wobble once or twice on my 1990 FXRS but I was pushing too hard into corners, sorted without crashing by rolling off the throttle and a bit firmer hold on the bars, I think it was aggravated by having a fork mounted windscreen that I had for winter riding , also tyre pressure was critical , needs to be kept spot on for good handling, thanks again, cheers John. 🌞🏍
When Eric Buell designed the rubber mount frame in the late 70's when he worked at HD he told them that it required additional link point that they eliminated when they went to produce the bike, that's what the aftermarket fixes do, add the link that they eliminated from Buell's original design.
250,000 miles in the saddle on Harley-Davidson motorcycles and after watching this, I am so grateful I never experienced this engineering (or lack there of) induced death wobble. I logged 80,000 miles on an 05 FLHTCI, and it was one of my favorite motorcycles of all time - often (over) loaded plus passenger, and I still regret having sold it. Why people continue to overpay for inferior engineering is beyond me, suffice to say that nothing feels as good as a Harley-Davison motorcycle when you a traveling in a straight line. It's when it comes time to turn or stop that the wheels come off the wagon so to speak. I made the switch to BMWs 5 years ago, and after 125,000 miles I can safely say there is simply no comparison with respect to performance & handling in my my opinion. They too have their issues, and similar to HD, so much of this is manageable provided you perform regular maintenance. I like this channel - the young man who hosts it wise beyond his years, and, if you are lucky enough to have a relationship with someone like him (they're out there) it's likely the best insurance against the dreaded Harley death wobble? At least that's my thinking.
I have seriously considered BMWs each time before I buy a Harley. My decision-making test: Assuming I have the BMW I love and the Harley I love in the garage, which key fob am I grabbing? So far, it is still the damn Harley! So comfortable for my style of riding: Left foot up on a highway peg, leaning back, music on and just chillin’. BMW riding position always crushes my balls! No thank you. I count the hours I am riding more than the miles I am making. Be well.
Had the wobble on my 2018 CVO limited.identified under warranty. It was positively dangerous. Caught it on some of my TH-cam videos and also replicated by HD Tech. In the end after a year of bitching the Dealer advised that the HD service factory guy suggested to fit the True Track. I said fine but you are paying for it given it’s a well known HD issue and under warranty. HD said they could not given it’s not a HD part. In the end I just had to fix the bike and I fitted the True Track and it did indeed solve the problem. In terms of HD not stepping up to fix their problem, after 25 years and 6 Harley’s I’m know am a Indian owner and could not be happier. Screw you HD you’ve lost another loyal customer forever.
Yup, Indian Roadmaster next for me as HD is completely screwing my buddy who just bought a 2022 Softtail Low Rider S, many times when shifting from 1st to 2nd it will just pop back into 1st, and take 5 times or so before 2nd will take. Harley says they can't reproduce it. So he's effed. Meanwhile HD loses 2 customers for the price of one.
I've found the BEST way to get rid of the "Harley Death Wobble" is to "get rid of the Harley" and buy any other brand of motorcycle! I've also noticed that when you search for "motorcycles for sale" you will find a LOT of Harley's for sale! And very few ads for any other brand of motorcycles! That indicates to me that there are a LOT of people who are trying to "Unload" (or get Rid Of) their Harley Davidson's! But not many people are trying to "sell" (i.e., unload) their Honda's, Yamaha's, Kawasaki's, BMW's, Triumphs, and Indian motorcycles! Harley has been well known for its "Death Wobble" for decades on many of their model motorcycles, and yet, people are still buying them! And then trying to "Unload" them on some other unsuspecting victim! IF Harley Davidson REALLY CARED about their customers, you'd think they would TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and FIX THE PROBLEM before someone else gets killed by the "Harley Death Wobble!"
I have a 96 Dyna Super Glide. I've removed my mounts and filled them with polyurethane and installed Dyna-Trak stabilisers. By far the best mods I've ever done to my bike. I push my bike to the limits and never had an issue.
I've never owned nor plan to own a Harley, but your videos are so informative that I just keep watching them. Your channel should be mandatory for every Harley owner.
I was a pro road racer many years ago :) The worst wobble bike I ever raced was the 1985 Suzuki GSXR750, I have ridden many motorcycles and had them wobble but never like the GSXR. I checked many things to find out why and used your suggestions but I when I adjusted the rear chain I found it looked off. On most motorcycles there is alignment lines on the swing arm to make sure the rear wheel is straight and aligned with the front and I had it aligned properly but saw the rear sprocket was off. I taped a perfect square and with a measuring tape I aligned the rear wheel. After tightening I noticed that I was 4 lines out, almost a 1/2 out. From that day forward I aligned every motorcycle since. My 2003 FXD was out just a little bit and never had a wobble on my FXD. I have 80,000 klm on the bike and this winter I am going to check my rubber mounts as per your suggestion, why play with the devil…:)
A buddy of mine got it at high speed cornering on his Ultra. We left late from the start of a season ending poker run out of Butte Montana. We decided to see how many riders we could pass by time we got to the first stop.There are some badass corners on that stretch of interstate. My bike showed it topped out at 118, and my buddy said his speedo read 120. In the corners I noticed he would drop way back. My 02 Fatboy like me loves corners. I put forward controls on it not long after buying it, and I run a 2-1 Screaming Eagle race pipe, no disks. The only thing I drag is the heel tab on my kickstand. My friend told me he was getting a lot of wobble when he hit the corners too fast. The best part was we passed the lead bike in about 50 miles, and waited a bit for everyone else to get to Clancy. I am so glad I bought that Fatboy, installing a 6 speed in it now.
I’m glad you are addressing the wobble problems. The heart of the issue is much deeper than you can imagine. I have owned three Harley touring models and I never used a bolt on device to get my bike going without the wobble.
Depth of the problem is none of these bikes are properly aligned upon manufacture nor are they checked for proper alignment upon set up at the dealerships. Close but no cigar. Checking alignment and adjustment upon set up and periodic maintenance should be done. Stabilizers help but are a bandaid fix without proper alignment.
I went into a high speed Harley wobble on my Dyna, going around a long hiway curve. It got so bad I hit gravel shoulder and was headed for the weeds. I accepted I was a gonner, so hit my throttle wide open. The bike corrected and allowed me to get to a safe stop. The semi driver I passed saw the entire thing and gave me open mouthed thumbs up as he went by. You advise "Don't panic" is key.
I just looked up the part and ill be ordering it as soon as I can. Thanks. I had a good scare once and a few close calls. Never heard of this til now and I'm glad I did.
As a Harley technician the issue is people normally don’t maintain there neck bearings and have them properly adjusted and lubed. Also a lot of those cases where people go down and try to sue they find bad tires lack of maintenance etc. keep your bike in check don’t put bandaids on your bikes
Had heard of the "death eobble" but never experienced it until I took a long sweeping turn at 95 on a '15 Wide Glide. Came out of the turn past the white line - on the wrong side of the road. Have no idea how I kept it shiny side up. Absolute most terrifying experience in 40 years of riding Harleys. Thanks for explaining this and for the excellent prevention tips. As for me, I'm riding a little more sensibly.
I agree with you, most of it is maintenance, tires, shocks, motor mounts. Keep good tires properly inflated, if you still have air ride keep proper pressure and replace motor mounts when they get worn. The best way to get out of the wobble is let up on throttle some and lean a bit forward to put a little more weight on the front tire, the wobble will stop.
Another big no no to cause High speed wobble is an under rated side wall rating for the weight of your bike. we must have the right weight rating for each bike
I have experienced it on my 2000 FXDWG. But always in a curve never on the straight. If there is a dip or bump on a curve it might show up, not every time. I never noticed it coming from the rear wheel, it always shows up in the handle bars. It will cause the bike to try to turn wider than I intended. With each movement of the bars on a right hand curve it will get closer to the center line of the road which could put you off into on coming traffic if you are not ready. Instead of fighting the wobble, I just push hard on the right handle grip to force the bike to stay in my intended line through the curve. I am just now replacing all the spokes since some were seized and could not be tightened. That was an interesting project. LOL I had a local shop true the rims for me but I saved $150 in labor by removing the old spokes and lacing in the new ones. That shop manual has paid for itself 100 times over. Another video I watched suspected it was because no two rear springs and shocks will have the exact same strength and rebound rate. So if one is slightly stronger than the other, you get some inconsistency in the rear suspension All the info you shared is great stuff. Tighten everything to factory specs and there should not be a wobble bad enough to throw you down.
I fixed my death wobble problem by purchasing a Japanese motorcycle. It also seems to have resolved my issues with reliability, oil leaks, low power, and expensive replacement parts that don't last.
You can say that all you want but I’ve ridden metrics. They are nothing like a Harley and I’ll take Harley problems. Metrics are trash copies but…..Just Buy a Indian and all your problems are solved. No reason to ever buy a metric when Indian is on the market.
My 2001 Road King did it when brand new, and still does it now sometimes (58K miles). Replaced the front fork innards with Progressive cartridges and rear shocks with Progressive 440 HD shocks this year. Still does it.
The title says it ALL! "INFAMOUS HARLEY DEATH WOBBLE!" And yet, I have had supporters of Harley Davidson motorcycles tell me that: "it's NOT the 'HARLEY Death Wobble', it's the 'Motorcycle Death Wobble' and it happens on all brands of motorcycles!" REALLY? I have owned a lot of motorcycles (only ONE Harley - and that was enough to convince me that I don't want a Harley), and I have NEVER had a problem with ANY of my "Non-Harley" motorcycles giving me a "Death Wobble!" And yet, it's KNOWN WORLD-WIDE among most all bikers as the "HARLEY DEATH WOBBLE!" And to my knowledge, it has NEVER been called the "Honda Death Wobble" or the "Triumph Death Wobble" or the "Yamaha Death Wobble!" The only thing it has EVER been called is the "HARLEY Death Wobble!" Because it only happens primarily on Harley's! And that FACT is another reason WHY I do NOT want a Harley!
In defence of H-D, the wobble is not a thing related to a particular brand. The wobble is deeply linked to the geometry of the bike. Geometry involved: - Wheelbase - Trail A longer frame is more prone to flexing (vertical and transversal axes) and twisting (longitudinal axis), but H-Ds frames are tough as a rock, so we should discard this. Also, a longer wheelbase is more stable (harder to turn in other words). The ratio of wheelbase/trial is moderate in these bikes. A sport bike with its short wheelbase and short trail is more prone to a wobble, and that's because a shorter trail offers less resistance to lateral forces in the front wheel, whether they be pilot directed (steering input) or road induced (a surface groove, bump or pothole can create a disturbance/force in the front frame). The Harley wobble is a way of bashing the MoCo and serves no one. It serves no one because it makes riders ignorant of the geometry and dynamics of bikes as a whole, falsely believing that they're safer riding any other bike than a H-D. In regards of maintenance issues, such as tire inflation, the bearings of the steering head, etc, that can lead to a wobble, they're owner related and no brand is to blamed for what a rider decides to add or neglect to their bike. Having said thay, a proposed way of getting out of a wobble is to lean forward the upper body and relax the arms and hands. After all, a wobble could begin and not be noticed at all, but the amplifying process takes place when the rider is too stiff in their arms and grabs the handlebar too tightly, not permitting the bike to self balance the forces at play. Hey, indeed no rider should be stressed or stiff while riding; proficient riding is achieved by being relaxed and alert. The handlebars are not to be grabbed, they're meant to steer the bike.
I have a 2012 Dyna purchased new, and a 2004 Road King from a family member who purchased it new. Both have the wobble, but it's different in each one. I have been through it all with the Dyna... spokes, head bearings, stabilizer kits, suspension upgrades and numerous brands of tires. Nothing eliminates it entirely, but experimenting with tire pressures netted the best results. The bike is just extremely sensitive to tire pressure, and if they are off it will wobble at highway speed over the slightest pavement joint. The road king tends to steer from the rear in corners, and is far worse when loaded or carrying a passenger. It also has the high speed wobble on the highway. I haven't started experimenting with that one much yet, but it also seemed to improve after retorquing all engine, frame and suspension fasteners. Getting away from that rock hard Harley branded Dunlop rubber showed improvement too. The funny thing is that I don't think Harley has ever actually fixed anything. My buddy's 2017 street glide and my uncle's 2019 Ultra Classic both have the high speed wobble.
Damn that's crazy, I had a buddy that built a 128 inch Dyna and the motor torque was causing the wobble since it was pulling the engine out of alignment in the mounts. It sounds like you're on the right track doing all the right things chasing that down. Harley made some improvements to the rubber mounting system, I wouldn't say it's perfect though as you've experienced on the new bikes.
For the earlier touring chassis I install the 02-08 swing arm, bore the trans case to .750 for the swing arm pivot. Ascertain drivetrain alignment and all engine mounts are in good condition and properly torqued. Check front end for fall away and general preventive maintenance. I've owned touring chassis bikes for the last 35 years. No issues with the beefier swing arm. Well worth the extra work.
It almost always happens 90mph+ and on concrete interstate, it doesn’t like crossing over the joint or crack. It gets violently crazy. Do not touch the brakes, lean over the tank, and ride it out.
Happened on my 2016 Sportster 48 when there was this little step and the road material changed, wobbled my handlebars like crazy from 0 to absolutely crazy it came out of nowhere, I just let go of the throttle.
Had A wobble 7months ago on my little sporty after changing the bars (tall 16") . Didn't go on for long and was only doing 70 mph. Pretty scary though . Thank you for giving us a pretty good explanation of what may cause it . gonna thoroughly check every point you made . Ride safe
Had it on my 08 Electra Glide. Did all your suggestions including the stabilizer link. In fact that made it worse. One thing worked and made it a different motorcycle. I put Michelin Commander tires on it. I couldn't believe it myself but never ran anything else after.
Tires make one heck of a difference, sometimes when nothing makes sense it's the dumbest simplest thing that corrects it. I've seen tire pressure correct that issue of all things, even right down to a bad tire. I mounted a brand new tire once and couldn't get it to balance, took it to a buddy on another balancer same thing. Ended up sending it back to the manufacturer and getting a replacement.
@@GixxerFoo Here's what I know: I had softer compound tires on my 07 Dyna, didn't last long but not much wobble. when it did wobble it was gentle, controllable. I swapped to Michelin Commanders hearing they get good mileage, probably harder compound. Tires are only thing changed on my bike, I ride same roads same way but get wobble much easier now, can't push bike so hard. Maybe I will try that stabilizer link after checking pressure and alignment.
I once had this happen to me on a Honda CX500 of all things you, know, the water cooled shaft driven V twin. Now early in my biking career I had an accident on a bike, kept me off work for 3 months. My dad took the keys off me and told me to get trained properly then I can have them back. My local police station was doing a course, so I was trained by the police instructors. Anyway to get back to the wobble, it came right out of blue at around 75MPH on a perfectly straight, good road surface. Remembering what I was taught I slid back to the middle of the seat, gripped the tank hard with my legs, laid as flat as possible, and rolled off the throttle SLOWLY (although it may be an instinctive thing, never apply the brakes.) I won the wrestling match and saved both me and the bike. I never did find out what caused it and it never happened again. I felt really pleased with myself all the way home but when I stopped, the reality sunk in. I was a young married man with a 3 month old son. Shortly after, I gave up the world of two wheels.
i was a police motor cop for 3 years. i had two very scary tankslappers on two different roadkings. one at 90mph on a curve, the other one on a straight away at 100mph.
OKC PD had Road Kings for a while, those guys wanted their Kawasakis back. They ran interstates and the Harley just didn't have the power the old Kawasaki 1000's had.
My sons 06 Sportster, and my 2010 Dyna does the woble when you get over 70+. It's definitely a freaky feeling!!!! But we do just like you do, and have saved it every time. I definitely need to try the stabilizer mount! Thanks
I have 85k miles on my 2009 FLHTCU, and I have most definitely felt this multiple times. Each time just letting off on the bike (take a wider turn, let off on the throttle a little, etc), and then adjust the #$%^ pressure in the suspension (air suspension) and tires - every time I’ve had this I also hadn’t adjusted the suspension from my last trip to the current ride. There’s a huge difference between me riding solo and the 150 pounds extra when my wife and our gear for a week are loaded up. It wasn’t such an issue when I was fat (since I weighed enough to keep the rear compresses anyway), but it happens when I dramatically change the loading on the bike without adjusting the suspension to match it..
I put the chassis stabilizers on my Dyna a few years back both front and rear. Just another fix that should have been stock from the factory. However my Sportster already had the additional links there from the factory. My rubber Mount Sportster always tracked solid and straight.
Thanks Gixxer another awesome video. Man I feel for the guy in the first clip ouch. Trouble with living at the bottom of the world so hard to get reasonable prices for Harley parts and such a selection in your part of the world. It's been nearly two months and still waiting for parts for my RG after my accident. All the best from New Zealand
Hasn't happened to me on the 05 Road King but I've had it on an 87 FZR1000 at arrestable speeds. However I generally keep the RK below 80 on the highway. Make sure that alignment is spot on. In both horizontal and vertical axes. Nice video and great common sense advice.
I have been riding Harleys for over 50 years and I have never experienced this so called wobble. I knew a guy who killed himself in a wobble because he was to cheap to replace the worn out goose neck bearing. Also the swingarm bearing were shot. I warned him repeatedly and he ignored my warnings. The wobble caught him coming out of a corner and he was killed. Rain grooves can cause a wobble with any bike.
Totally agree with you man I have never experienced this on my 99 dyna and I ride it hard this guy doesn't know what he's talking about it is not a inherent problem in design it's a ownership problem and lack of proper maintenance Harley's are like cars if you want them to perform properly you have to properly maintain them and they will be trouble free to enjoy if a person doesn't want to put the time and maintenance in a Harley is not for that person my 99 with 90000+KLM in Canada has never had a mechanical issue and still runs as good as if it was brand new
Had this happen to me. New front tire mounted at harley shop. Electraglide dual disk, the axel mounting bracket x2 nuts, right side, one side was torqued, the other side not. At high speed, 147klm p/h front wheel went into a Gyro wobble...reduced speed fixed wobble, and at home while inspecting wtf, saw the issue. Solution, even if u trust a pro shop, check it anyway for peace of mind! Thanks for this Video...makes sense
I experienced the front fork wobble on my CB750 doing 115 mph in South Florida back in 76. Turned out the ball bearings in the steering stem were worn out. I bought a tapered bearing kit and solved that issue. Never have yet had the DW on my Harleys but I will be checking into the stabilizer for my 2018 Ultra Limited. Thanks for the great lesson.
Honda 4s are a totally different problem coz of the short rake front end, good normally but if you hit a rock or something different on the road they can go into a tank slapper real easy so i fixed mine when i hotted up the motor big heaps and fitted a triumph friction damper and as long as i turned it down at high speed i could go over a train track at 140 miles per hour and become air born and when i landed it kept on going dead straight with no wobles at all.
Got a 2001 Dyna FXDL, never had any problems. I always heard it was the rear wheel not being aligned with the frame that is the main cause. I periodically check it and make sure it's aligned perfect after I change the rear tire.
Negligent maintenance and proper ownership responsibility (tire pressure etc) is 99% of the problem. Adding the link is not going to fix worn parts. Glad you covered the obvious.
I had a '99 Twin Cam 88 Roadking that I bought new that I rode for about 90k miles. In 2010 I upgraded to a new EG Limited with the new frame and the 103. I wouldn't say the older touring frame and TC88 had a "wobble", I describe it was that the bike didn't turn right as well as it turned left, at the time I just attributed it to the bike having more weight on its left side, heavy primary case hanging out. My even older Evo Heritage softtail was a real floorboard scrapper.
I have experienced this on a 2010 Electra Glide and it happened at maybe 65 - 70mph in a tight curve. I believe the problem was largely tire pressure as I had a problem with the beads not seated well on my old crusty alloy wheels. Last week I road the same road at the same (or higher) speed and no problem despite lean. For me tire pressure - 40psi front and back - was the key. I am sure there is more can be done to tighten everything up though. Good video. Scary subject to discuss.
i have a 05 road king and have had that experience too many times. ive had to push hard and back off on the throttle. people ive road with thought i was crazy. wtf. thank god you prove my story. amen
It's no joke, it does happen! Get you a stabilizer on there and it should stiffen up that chassis, it won't change your comfort running down the road either. Just makes the chassis more rigid which is what they need.
Thank you for explaining. I just rebuilt a 07 sportster and have been testing and riding it around, and noticed a light shake when riding, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from
Had it happen a couple times over the years on my 2008 Ultra Classic going into a curve. Just pinned the throttle until I straightened up. Yeah, Harley redesigned the frame the following year......Imagine that!
Agree with you.... Ive never experienced it with my dyna's, but others I know who have had the wobble experience, solved the problem with new tires. Due to the fact that many factors could be responsible for it, its hard to determine causation if you change more than one thing at a time. My sport bike friends experience high speed wobble all the time!
80mph on a long sweeping turn on my dyna, bike started dancing one of the scariest feelings. I lost some confidence after that on how hard I can push the dyna... Thanks for the video. The FXR don’t really have this issue, the swing arm pivots off the frame.
I finally experienced it at about 110mph on my sportster. Absolutely terrifying. Took a good look at the bike. Couldn't find anything wrong with it till I got to the front tire. Had some slight cupping in the center of my Dunlop d401. Replaced the d401s with a set of American elites. Wow! A world of difference. Was a toss up between the American Elites and the Avon cobra chromes.
Wobble isn't limited to Harley-Davidson and rubber mounted engines, I've owned a number of metrics and Harleys in my time. I haven't experienced the infamous "Harley wobble" on any of my Harleys(knock on wood), I have, however, experienced a high speed wobble on a Honda Magna I owned many years ago and I have the road rash scars to prove it.
Was your Magna a V45 or V65? I ran 65000 miles on my V45 with no wobble except when i coasted with no hands on the grips (i was testing the stability at a low speed)
The first clip you shared was fricken scary. The guy spun his bike to the ground . It seems that even if you haven't experienced such wobble adding the stabilizer would be a very good idea.
The guy in that clip got lucky how he went down, that could of been a lot worse than what it was. A stabilizer really firms up the chassis and makes it much more rigid.
As a Tech that works on all makes and models, I've had people ask me about this. On one bike, a Road King, his mounts were shot. Add the fact that the tires were a cheap brand. Installing new mounts and tires took care of it. I have been looking into this for years. The rubber mounts are what i was looking into first. I admit that i have been side tracked with other things, but i have been back at it. The one biggest piece of advice i can give is keep up the maintenance on those mounts. 2 watch how you load the bike!!. I've seen bikes way over loaded. Check your load weights for the bike and the tires. Tires are coming from everywhere today and some are just junk. I had a cheap Duro tire on the fount of my bike. I bought it to get home from a run after my Tire had sustained some debris damage. At low speeds when i let go of the handlebars ( 35 mph ) i noticed it. I assumed it was being caused by wind buffeting. I never liked the feel of that tire and replaced it with a nice Dunlop and it disappeared. What actually drives me nuts is I'm looking at fixing something Harley Davidson should have taken care of long ago. I have some ideas as i would like to take care of it at the mounts. Until then the best way to mitigate it is to keep good tires on it, replace the mounts at regular intervals and install the track braces. Stay safe and if i get better results or a great fix, I'll let you know.
That's awesome! You are absolutely correct, the mounts and the loading of the bike are big part of the issue. A lot of people are buying those Shinko tires today, they are really inexpensive tires. They are supposedly made using Kenda tooling, I haven't run them myself but I've heard a lot of mixed results about them. I don't think I would try running them on a heavy touring bike loaded down though.
I have an 03 Road King that had that problem. Several things I noticed. 1. The front motor mount that came from the factory deteriorates when exposed to oil. Several years later, HD corrected on the latest models, but you know HD, they don't recall motorcycles. Even though they put the mount right under the oil filter. The fix is easy. Just order a replacement from HD. The replacement mounts don't deteriorate. 2. The swing arm is rubber mounted and flexes. There are two ways I know of the address this. The best performing one is a Stiffey bushing from Rivera Primo. You remove the side plates , slip them over the swing arm bolts and button it back up. pretty easy. The worst side effect is it essentially makes the rear portion of the engine solid-mounted. It caused my license plate to vibrate off. Several other things almost did, but I caught them in time. The second best thing is to do the same thing with polyurethane bushing by Sta-Bo. They transmit a little bit of vibration, but not too bad. Along with a isolation link from Progressive and a new front motor mount, the Sta-bo bushings keep my bike is pretty stable.
2018 Road King here...I've never felt a wobble and I have pushed it through some corners-scraped floor boards but no wobble. I am concerned now though. Maybe I will look into the stabilizer links...that crash was terrifying...
The late models have done really well in terms of stability. Older touring models with the unrevised rubber mounts and the old style air suspension had issues. Thay air suspension caused some problems as it aged.
Thanks for the info on this issue. I had the wobble happened on my 07 RoadKing. It happened due to rear wheel spokes loosening up. Was on way home from Myrtle Beach Bike week and had a passenger. Felt it and just didn't feel right. Was able to get it in for repair before catastrophe happened. Had to replace wheel. No more spoke wheels for me.
Its best not to fight a speed wobble. I went into one once, going around a highway curve way too fast, I hit the gravel shoulder and thought i was done. I simply came onto the throttle and the bike straightened out and corrected. Im still here and the semi drive that witnessed the hole thing was shocked 👍
I got that wobble on my 2010 ultra at about 110 mph and added the true track system. No more wobble and the bike feels a lot better on those sweeping turns. Added it to my 2015 RG fltruse and wouldn’t ride without one now. Added note….when hitting the throttle hard while going straight ahead, instead of the rear wanting to kick out, it just squats and goes. Great vids, watch them all the time 👍
i have American, Japanese, and British bikes. I have noticed on all bikes going into turns at high speed and holding the curve any chassis will start to wobble. Even a Goldwing with air suspension has made me have to go change dippers coming out of a long sweeper curve.
I added am Alloy Art read engine brace. Took out a lot of the wobble issue. However I still have it at around 100 MPH mark. I will check out the brace you mentioned.
My buddies Yamaha R6 has wobbled on him quite a few times. I experienced it once on my 2017 Low Rider S. It' was pretty damn scary to say the least. The Dynas are more prone to the problem because the swingarm is mounted to the motor not the frame.
Another great topic you are always spot on!!!!!!!. We are 30 in our M club all FLH from 2002 to 2019 wobble is always been a topic for us, we will try a stabilizer. Thanks again!!!!!
Harley downplays this problem and I know someone who crashed his tour Glide while riding in a straight line on the highway, his wife lost her life in the crash. This is an extremely serious issue, and the Motor factory had to know it existed but still sold these bikes to their customers.
I'm a retired motor cop with a metropolitan police. We rode different models; mostly Harley's, mostly FLHP's back in the day. The only wobbles and weaves I had were with the Harleys, all were on straight and level stretches of Interstate at high speed. One "extra" bike would began to "weave" every time at 50 mph and could never be used (I still remember the piece of crap's inventory number... 2950x (x for extra... a loaner when your regular bike was in the shop... after the 3-year contract, this bike was turned in with no miles on it since no one ever rode the death trap). The fix is adding a bit of rack to the front wheel. "Nice" to see that H-D is still denying their bikes are deathtraps... they were doing that 25-years ago. They would send reps to the Department and tell us that our radios and other equipment was causing the problems. Lying bastards!
Had my '85 FLH well up over 120mph in a straight line and not a shimmy, was in a right hand curve at about 50mph and went to throttle out which caused rear steer. Before you start analyzing what else was wrong with the bike, all new rubber mount components including swing arm mounts, less than 200 miles on Dunlop's Harley tires properly inflated, about 500 miles on wheel bearings and steering head bearings and empty saddlebags. My '63 FL which is all solid mount is solid as a rock in curves. That rubber mount sent me off into the corn. Rebuilt the bike and added a "True Track" linkage and is now solid as my '63. Wouldn't ride any rubber mount without one. Thank the angels that I'm still here to tell the story.
I have experience the wobble many of times...like you said don't panic but hold your left hand up off of the the grip that seems to help come out of that wobble....great videos keep it up
Very informative video but you need to recommend every motorcycle rider watch the old school Dunlap wobble and we've video. For me a dramatic improvement was changing out the motor mounts for high performance mounts which was very inexpensive for the safety. Simply changing out the triple trees from the narrow glide front end to a wide glide front end . Made a world of difference on my 95 Dyna and only took about 2 hours including packing the headset bearings correctly. Just make sure you get the axle,wheel spacers , Rotor spacers that go with it.
That's the part a lot of people miss is getting the proper wheel spacers when they go to a wider front end. Harley chassis used to be very narrow, I am so glad they finally widened it a bit in the later years.
My first bike was a 97 sportster that wobbled on every little bump past 50mph. I found out later the frame was bent from a previous owner. Never had a tank slapper but mild to moderate wobbles I found that clutch + 2 or 3 light taps on my rear break was the fastest way to smooth things over. I was still a newbie so never had issues when corning because I went around them at "half the speed of a snail" according the friend who rode with me back then.
my '09 Electra Glide Classic would wobble when I was tour-loaded, at speed and rounding a twisty aggressively. It was scarry and my solution was progressive 944 shocks, progressive mono-tube front forks and the progressive touring link. Together this almost completely eliminated the issue but not completely. Then I saw a video on trailer wobble when the load was improperly centred (too much load aft the rear axel. The solution finally was moving the tour pak into the solo position - problem solved and it was a great ride. I also have a very strict maintenance process that I follow as a result of being an ex helicopter pilot and that is; when I change my tires I also change the cush-drive, wheel bearings and brake pads, without fail - a little over kill perhaps but, better alive than banged up or dead!
Excellent maintenance goes a long way! Loading is very important too, sounds like you've got a really fine riding bike now with the suspension work you've done!
@@GixxerFoo I've sold it and now ride a 2016 Roadie Ultra. It has the 944 shocks and Fork upgrade but the Touring link doesn't fit and I've also moved the tour pak into the solo position - thankfully I never ride with a passenger so the solo position works perfectly and the bike is near perfect but, there is still a small potential for a mini-wobble if I've entered a corner aggressively, loaded and ride over a bump mid-turn but nothing that has caused me any concern. But, the 2009 was scary until I got it all figured out.
Have heard of this wobble but neither of my bikes are rubber mounted never experienced it. But I liked you suggestions on tyres and general maintenance. Enjoyed the video.
I have a 1990 Ultra w/S&S111 and at about 85-90mph I had a death wobble. Touching both lines in my lane. Traffic was backing off, I found letting off the throttle and dragging the rear brakes lightly, will stop it. I have duplicated wobbles several times and I can always stop it with this method.
07 Road King and the solid bushing insert from V Twin Manufacturing helped with the rear wishy washy feeling. It's a $40 set of solid bushing that go inside the rubbers in the rear swingarm. Not a total fix but helped with some of the wishy washy.
Was that like a polyurethane bushing that replaces the factory rubber? That would help with making the chassis more rigid, did it change the quality of the ride running down the road any?
@@GixxerFoo Nah it was a solid steel bushing that fits inside the rubber and the swingarm shaft goes through it. It helped plenty with the rear side to side spongy feeling. Like when you dodge a dead critter in the road it made it feel more positive and controlled.
I love the look of those years, they are really narrow with the 21" inch front wheel. They carried that style over in the 72, they tended to wobble too. Spokes and keeping those tight are big on those bikes, fork brace really helps with rigidity.
I've experienced a wobble that progressively was getting worse while on a roadtrip on my 2012 heritage. It turned out to be an old front tire. It looked great on the outside but was decaying on the inside. Got it taken care of at the next bike shop I came across. But yeah... I've told folks in the past that the rubber mounting system with the swing arm in the transmission case can be the culprit too. Great topic.
Great post! I've seen tires that look brand new, and twist into a pretzel once they were taken off the rim. Internal belts can break, but the tire will look just fine.
I use to get those wobbles on the highway once in a while! Not a good feeling to feel your rear end wobble and I was riding a brand new road glide so I have to say it was Harley to blame must be by design!
Good video! I had a wobble on my 2000 1500 Kawasaki Vulcan and a decade later on my 2009 FLHTCU Harley. The wobble on the Kaw was worse and neither one resulted in a crash. I gripped the hand grips with all my might to prevent the handle bars from moving while letting off of the throttle. It was intense but I survived without a wreck.
Norton used to connect their swinging arm to the gearbox (isoelastic mounted engine ) they didn't wobble so as you say don't blame the rubber mounted engine , There are so many reasons why this wobble could appear .
@@harleyguzz4301 maybe my reply was too brief, 14 years of riding my Norton never wobbled. Harley has, the two are entirely different machines and of course I am a different rider, My Norton was not unreliable, but the Harley has long legs, my Harley with its poor handling and breaking, Loves to go, in less than two years we have explored a great deal of California and a bit of Mexico,
The high speed Harley wobble boils down to like you said lack of maintenance rubber parts wear out . The list of causes I have personally serviced causing head shake or high speed wobble are neck bearing tension/ lubrication if you have adjustable bearings not all Harley do. Worn motor mounts are frequent and a service item at 15,000 wheel balance , swing arm bushings are a big one even on softails . Wheel bearings, and a big one not many take the time to check and adjust is drive train alignment laterally and vertically that makes a Harley track nice and true
I experienced this wobble the first day I brought the 2012 Street Bob home. I started at about 55mph. Granted it was five years old already. But I checked tire pressure when I got it home and it was about 5 psi low. For the most part it went away. But then I experienced it a few weeks later. So I started to look around the motorcycle. I found that one fork tube was about a 1/2 inch taller than the other in the fork mounts. I adjusted each tube within a few thousands of each other. I also checked tightness of the front axle to spec. Needed a little tightening. Then I loosen both forks to make sure the wheel was perpendicular from the handlebars. I let the tubes loose in the top fork mounts to relieve any twisted tension on the forks. Then I tightened all the mounts with the top of each fork within a couple of thousands from top bracket. I could now ride up to 80mph without a problem.
Got 14 stglide gotthe wobble all the time.now i ride hard i understand put stable bar on check tires all the time.need to check kneck again.but the pushin on the bars always helps
Most of the time the wobble can be eliminated with a drive train alignment. we do this every day, all day. Any time you have a rubber mounted drive train, it needs the occasional alignment. Stabilizer links secure an out of aligned drive train, it might feel alright for a short time, but the poor handling will return. You should have you rubber mounted Harley professionally aligned before you upgrade your suspension. That way you get the full benefit of your new suspension. Good video! Plenty of good information.
Couple years ago, I bought an 07 SuperGlide (2400 miles)that rode fine until my wife got on the back(140lbs) We didn't get up to 15 mph and experienced the "death wobble" The faster we went, the worse it got. Kinda freaked me out. I thought the back tire was gonna fly off or something. Turns out, the front forks were out of alignment
I got a glide pro system which is a set of heavy rubber pucks and a lot bigger shaft to go through your pivot arm. It works great along with a beefier front motor mount it’s awesome. I have a 08 Roadking and am very happy with this setup, it’s a little expensive @ around $460.00 but it’s worth it.
@@GixxerFoo I put the glide pro on a Roadking and because a few of the reviews of the tru track said that they broke, that’s why I went with the glide pro . It may have something to do with the touring verses the dyna in weight plus the rider.
Those older air ride systems did not age well at all, they do cause a lot of issues. A great option is to just change that old air ride out to a set of shocks from Progressive Suspension. They have some great options that aren't a minimum of a grand too.
@@GixxerFoo oh totally! best thing I did was putting progressive on my RK. it's a totally new bike, specially here in europe where we don't have many straight lines ahah
I used to get speed wobbles on my 97 sportster when I got to about 80 mph and it has taught me to not fight it and ease my grip until it settles. Scary shit but it teaches you that the things you think you should be doing are not what you should be doing in that situation.
The worst part about it is when it happens you gotta make some quick decisions, not the best time to figure it out ever but that's the only time you have.
For the Dynas, best fix is to run Sputhe front/stabilizers with OEM motor mounts (not drag or other brands), replace top stabilizer link with a quality heim(PTFE lined) joint link and make sure to do a proper alignment of the motor. Also tighten steering stem bearings extra 1/8 turn and/or run a GPR steering stabilizer as well. This is all considering your bearings/mounts are in good condition or new All the other type motor mounts have some issues of their own, wether it’s causing more vibration or even making the motor sit too close to the frame and eventually the front of the motor or your exhaust will hit the frame
Have you experienced the wobble on your Harley, or even a high speed wobble on any motorcycle?
I always make sure that any load in the saddlebags is weighing aprox the same so there is no inbalance there and make sure that anything in the tourpack does not shift while taking a turn. Can you imagine 2 or 3 kilo's there shifting from left to right? 😱😱
Countersteering helps a lot in preventing the 'wobble'. Installed a stabi link and better front suspension. I have a set of Centramatic wheel stabilizers coming. I have the feeling that will help too with avoiding any imbalance to the bike. And al the things you mentioned 😀👍
Edit 10 months later: Rear airshocks are being replaced with made to fit rear shocks.🥳
Thanks for the video, well covered the problem, did experience the wobble once or twice on my 1990 FXRS but I was pushing too hard into corners, sorted without crashing by rolling off the throttle and a bit firmer hold on the bars, I think it was aggravated by having a fork mounted windscreen that I had for winter riding , also tyre pressure was critical , needs to be kept spot on for good handling, thanks again, cheers John. 🌞🏍
When Eric Buell designed the rubber mount frame in the late 70's when he worked at HD he told them that it required additional link point that they eliminated when they went to produce the bike, that's what the aftermarket fixes do, add the link that they eliminated from Buell's original design.
For Me Only a Couple of Decades ago on Dirt bikes. Not in last Decade as the Set up and Quality of my Motorcycles has been High..
Had a 84 1100 suzuki that would wobbles badly at 135 mph by Time I got it slowed to 50 mph I was so tired I was ready to jump off.
250,000 miles in the saddle on Harley-Davidson motorcycles and after watching this, I am so grateful I never experienced this engineering (or lack there of) induced death wobble. I logged 80,000 miles on an 05 FLHTCI, and it was one of my favorite motorcycles of all time - often (over) loaded plus passenger, and I still regret having sold it.
Why people continue to overpay for inferior engineering is beyond me, suffice to say that nothing feels as good as a Harley-Davison motorcycle when you a traveling in a straight line. It's when it comes time to turn or stop that the wheels come off the wagon so to speak.
I made the switch to BMWs 5 years ago, and after 125,000 miles I can safely say there is simply no comparison with respect to performance & handling in my my opinion. They too have their issues, and similar to HD, so much of this is manageable provided you perform regular maintenance. I like this channel - the young man who hosts it wise beyond his years, and, if you are lucky enough to have a relationship with someone like him (they're out there) it's likely the best insurance against the dreaded Harley death wobble? At least that's my thinking.
Yeah BMW design is way ahead of Harleys designs but two completely different rides.
I have seriously considered BMWs each time before I buy a Harley. My decision-making test: Assuming I have the BMW I love and the Harley I love in the garage, which key fob am I grabbing?
So far, it is still the damn Harley!
So comfortable for my style of riding: Left foot up on a highway peg, leaning back, music on and just chillin’.
BMW riding position always crushes my balls! No thank you.
I count the hours I am riding more than the miles I am making.
Be well.
Had the wobble on my 2018 CVO limited.identified under warranty. It was positively dangerous. Caught it on some of my TH-cam videos and also replicated by HD Tech. In the end after a year of bitching the Dealer advised that the HD service factory guy suggested to fit the True Track. I said fine but you are paying for it given it’s a well known HD issue and under warranty. HD said they could not given it’s not a HD part. In the end I just had to fix the bike and I fitted the True Track and it did indeed solve the problem. In terms of HD not stepping up to fix their problem, after 25 years and 6 Harley’s I’m know am a Indian owner and could not be happier. Screw you HD you’ve lost another loyal customer forever.
I hear you brother, I have a 2010 Road Kill Will be getting rid of that thing as soon as it’s paid off. Never will consider another HD again!
Yup, Indian Roadmaster next for me as HD is completely screwing my buddy who just bought a 2022 Softtail Low Rider S, many times when shifting from 1st to 2nd it will just pop back into 1st, and take 5 times or so before 2nd will take. Harley says they can't reproduce it. So he's effed. Meanwhile HD loses 2 customers for the price of one.
They're not Indians.@@thebigzippo
@@montanaokie What's not Indians?
I've found the BEST way to get rid of the "Harley Death Wobble" is to "get rid of the Harley" and buy any other brand of motorcycle!
I've also noticed that when you search for "motorcycles for sale" you will find a LOT of Harley's for sale! And very few ads for any other brand of motorcycles!
That indicates to me that there are a LOT of people who are trying to "Unload" (or get Rid Of) their Harley Davidson's! But not many people are trying to "sell" (i.e., unload) their Honda's, Yamaha's, Kawasaki's, BMW's, Triumphs, and Indian motorcycles!
Harley has been well known for its "Death Wobble" for decades on many of their model motorcycles, and yet, people are still buying them! And then trying to "Unload" them on some other unsuspecting victim! IF Harley Davidson REALLY CARED about their customers, you'd think they would TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and FIX THE PROBLEM before someone else gets killed by the "Harley Death Wobble!"
I keep staring at your chemical shelf on the wall. I think you need a middle support bracket or a thicker shelf. :)
😂😂😂
Lol. Totally! I was thinking.... how funny it would be to see it cone crashing down. .
He's not a Carpenter, He's a motorcycle Mechanic.
Let him live his life lol
I was waiting for the shelf to collapse
Finally! A coherent description of the problem and a straightforward cause & effect checklist. Many thanks for posting this.
I have a 96 Dyna Super Glide. I've removed my mounts and filled them with polyurethane and installed Dyna-Trak stabilisers.
By far the best mods I've ever done to my bike. I push my bike to the limits and never had an issue.
Is tru trak the same as what you said?
I've never owned nor plan to own a Harley, but your videos are so informative that I just keep watching them. Your channel should be mandatory for every Harley owner.
Exactly.. Harley-davidsons are junk
@@PANTHEON71 l have been riding since 1978 finally got a Harley 4 year ago. An will not go back. Love it.😎
@@fatboy9583 to reach their own.. I'll save my money and ride this Honda Valkyrie And be just fine. Plus I don't need a trailer or truck
I have oned them all .Harleys the best
Set your pressure you will never have a wobble. And you feel cooler on a Harley.
@@PANTHEON71 never broke down on any of my Harleys.Had one with 78000 mile when I sold it to my brother. Still going.
I was a pro road racer many years ago :) The worst wobble bike I ever raced was the 1985 Suzuki GSXR750, I have ridden many motorcycles and had them wobble but never like the GSXR. I checked many things to find out why and used your suggestions but I when I adjusted the rear chain I found it looked off. On most motorcycles there is alignment lines on the swing arm to make sure the rear wheel is straight and aligned with the front and I had it aligned properly but saw the rear sprocket was off. I taped a perfect square and with a measuring tape I aligned the rear wheel. After tightening I noticed that I was 4 lines out, almost a 1/2 out. From that day forward I aligned every motorcycle since. My 2003 FXD was out just a little bit and never had a wobble on my FXD. I have 80,000 klm on the bike and this winter I am going to check my rubber mounts as per your suggestion, why play with the devil…:)
More knowledge of this issue in nine and a half minutes than I've been able to find in months
That's awesome! I am happy it helped!
More knowledge than all HD dealers together. How bad is that?
I know a couple of guys that spent thousands of dollars trying to fix that. Everyone thought it was a front end problem including myself
@@ericschaffer9228 I fixed that problem with a bike replacement... Kawa and Honda.
lololololol......amatuer bullshit.
A buddy of mine got it at high speed cornering on his Ultra. We left late from the start of a season ending poker run out of Butte Montana. We decided to see how many riders we could pass by time we got to the first stop.There are some badass corners on that stretch of interstate. My bike showed it topped out at 118, and my buddy said his speedo read 120. In the corners I noticed he would drop way back. My 02 Fatboy like me loves corners. I put forward controls on it not long after buying it, and I run a 2-1 Screaming Eagle race pipe, no disks. The only thing I drag is the heel tab on my kickstand. My friend told me he was getting a lot of wobble when he hit the corners too fast. The best part was we passed the lead bike in about 50 miles, and waited a bit for everyone else to get to Clancy. I am so glad I bought that Fatboy, installing a 6 speed in it now.
I’m glad you are addressing the wobble problems. The heart of the issue is much deeper than you can imagine. I have owned three Harley touring models and I never used a bolt on device to get my bike going without the wobble.
Depth of the problem is none of these bikes are properly aligned upon manufacture nor are they checked for proper alignment upon set up at the dealerships. Close but no cigar. Checking alignment and adjustment upon set up and periodic maintenance should be done. Stabilizers help but are a bandaid fix without proper alignment.
Wheel alignment is a lot less important than people think. @@kevinshort5468
… What exactly are you referring to when you say “proper alignment “?
I went into a high speed Harley wobble on my Dyna, going around a long hiway curve. It got so bad I hit gravel shoulder and was headed for the weeds. I accepted I was a gonner, so hit my throttle wide open. The bike corrected and allowed me to get to a safe stop. The semi driver I passed saw the entire thing and gave me open mouthed thumbs up as he went by. You advise "Don't panic" is key.
like the red baron once said, when your plane starts to go down, the first thing you do is set your watch
So accelerating didn't make it worse?
I just looked up the part and ill be ordering it as soon as I can. Thanks. I had a good scare once and a few close calls. Never heard of this til now and I'm glad I did.
As a Harley technician the issue is people normally don’t maintain there neck bearings and have them properly adjusted and lubed. Also a lot of those cases where people go down and try to sue they find bad tires lack of maintenance etc. keep your bike in check don’t put bandaids on your bikes
This is true, especially if you live in a very hot climate the grease will ooze out-happened to me
Had heard of the "death eobble" but never experienced it until I took a long sweeping turn at 95 on a '15 Wide Glide. Came out of the turn past the white line - on the wrong side of the road. Have no idea how I kept it shiny side up. Absolute most terrifying experience in 40 years of riding Harleys. Thanks for explaining this and for the excellent prevention tips. As for me, I'm riding a little more sensibly.
I agree with you, most of it is maintenance, tires, shocks, motor mounts. Keep good tires properly inflated, if you still have air ride keep proper pressure and replace motor mounts when they get worn.
The best way to get out of the wobble is let up on throttle some and lean a bit forward to put a little more weight on the front tire, the wobble will stop.
That's the best plan, sometimes it just happens so fast and it can be tough to stop.
Another big no no to cause High speed wobble is an under rated side wall rating for the weight of your bike. we must have the right weight rating for each bike
I have experienced it on my 2000 FXDWG. But always in a curve never on the straight.
If there is a dip or bump on a curve it might show up, not every time. I never noticed it coming from the rear wheel, it always shows up in the handle bars. It will cause the bike to try to turn wider than I intended. With each movement of the bars on a right hand curve it will get closer to the center line of the road which could put you off into on coming traffic if you are not ready. Instead of fighting the wobble, I just push hard on the right handle grip to force the bike to stay in my intended line through the curve.
I am just now replacing all the spokes since some were seized and could not be tightened. That was an interesting project. LOL I had a local shop true the rims for me but I saved $150 in labor by removing the old spokes and lacing in the new ones. That shop manual has paid for itself 100 times over.
Another video I watched suspected it was because no two rear springs and shocks will have the exact same strength and rebound rate. So if one is slightly stronger than the other, you get some inconsistency in the rear suspension
All the info you shared is great stuff. Tighten everything to factory specs and there should not be a wobble bad enough to throw you down.
I fixed my death wobble problem by purchasing a Japanese motorcycle. It also seems to have resolved my issues with reliability, oil leaks, low power, and expensive replacement parts that don't last.
Well that's one sure fire way to solve the Harley issues!
Yuck Fou
You can say that all you want but I’ve ridden metrics. They are nothing like a Harley and I’ll take Harley problems. Metrics are trash copies but…..Just Buy a Indian and all your problems are solved. No reason to ever buy a metric when Indian is on the market.
I still have an FXRS, but my touring bike is an Indian now. Stiff frame, Fox shock, I never new a big bike could be so stable.
I feel like this is Harley Hate Speech! Where's my lawyer? 😂
My 2001 Road King did it when brand new, and still does it now sometimes (58K miles).
Replaced the front fork innards with Progressive cartridges and rear shocks with Progressive 440 HD shocks this year.
Still does it.
It can be super hard to track down those issues, stabilizers really help make that chassis more rigid.
Aka JUNK!
The title says it ALL!
"INFAMOUS HARLEY DEATH WOBBLE!"
And yet, I have had supporters of Harley Davidson motorcycles tell me that: "it's NOT the 'HARLEY Death Wobble', it's the 'Motorcycle Death Wobble' and it happens on all brands of motorcycles!"
REALLY? I have owned a lot of motorcycles (only ONE Harley - and that was enough to convince me that I don't want a Harley), and I have NEVER had a problem with ANY of my "Non-Harley" motorcycles giving me a "Death Wobble!"
And yet, it's KNOWN WORLD-WIDE among most all bikers as the "HARLEY DEATH WOBBLE!" And to my knowledge, it has NEVER been called the "Honda Death Wobble" or the "Triumph Death Wobble" or the "Yamaha Death Wobble!" The only thing it has EVER been called is the "HARLEY Death Wobble!" Because it only happens primarily on Harley's! And that FACT is another reason WHY I do NOT want a Harley!
The Harley does have an issue on 2009 and earlier touring models that never existed.
In defence of H-D, the wobble is not a thing related to a particular brand. The wobble is deeply linked to the geometry of the bike.
Geometry involved:
- Wheelbase
- Trail
A longer frame is more prone to flexing (vertical and transversal axes) and twisting (longitudinal axis), but H-Ds frames are tough as a rock, so we should discard this. Also, a longer wheelbase is more stable (harder to turn in other words). The ratio of wheelbase/trial is moderate in these bikes. A sport bike with its short wheelbase and short trail is more prone to a wobble, and that's because a shorter trail offers less resistance to lateral forces in the front wheel, whether they be pilot directed (steering input) or road induced (a surface groove, bump or pothole can create a disturbance/force in the front frame).
The Harley wobble is a way of bashing the MoCo and serves no one. It serves no one because it makes riders ignorant of the geometry and dynamics of bikes as a whole, falsely believing that they're safer riding any other bike than a H-D. In regards of maintenance issues, such as tire inflation, the bearings of the steering head, etc, that can lead to a wobble, they're owner related and no brand is to blamed for what a rider decides to add or neglect to their bike.
Having said thay, a proposed way of getting out of a wobble is to lean forward the upper body and relax the arms and hands. After all, a wobble could begin and not be noticed at all, but the amplifying process takes place when the rider is too stiff in their arms and grabs the handlebar too tightly, not permitting the bike to self balance the forces at play. Hey, indeed no rider should be stressed or stiff while riding; proficient riding is achieved by being relaxed and alert. The handlebars are not to be grabbed, they're meant to steer the bike.
Just bought the Sputhe Stabilizer…can’t wait to install!
It will make your chassis a lot more rigid and improve your handling quite a bit!
I have a 2012 Dyna purchased new, and a 2004 Road King from a family member who purchased it new. Both have the wobble, but it's different in each one. I have been through it all with the Dyna... spokes, head bearings, stabilizer kits, suspension upgrades and numerous brands of tires. Nothing eliminates it entirely, but experimenting with tire pressures netted the best results. The bike is just extremely sensitive to tire pressure, and if they are off it will wobble at highway speed over the slightest pavement joint. The road king tends to steer from the rear in corners, and is far worse when loaded or carrying a passenger. It also has the high speed wobble on the highway. I haven't started experimenting with that one much yet, but it also seemed to improve after retorquing all engine, frame and suspension fasteners. Getting away from that rock hard Harley branded Dunlop rubber showed improvement too. The funny thing is that I don't think Harley has ever actually fixed anything. My buddy's 2017 street glide and my uncle's 2019 Ultra Classic both have the high speed wobble.
Damn that's crazy, I had a buddy that built a 128 inch Dyna and the motor torque was causing the wobble since it was pulling the engine out of alignment in the mounts. It sounds like you're on the right track doing all the right things chasing that down. Harley made some improvements to the rubber mounting system, I wouldn't say it's perfect though as you've experienced on the new bikes.
Thats f..up :\ Sell this piece of sh... or change it on Softail.
For the earlier touring chassis I install the 02-08 swing arm, bore the trans case to .750 for the swing arm pivot. Ascertain drivetrain alignment and all engine mounts are in good condition and properly torqued. Check front end for fall away and general preventive maintenance. I've owned touring chassis bikes for the last 35 years. No issues with the beefier swing arm. Well worth the extra work.
That's some serious work but I bet handles really well afterwards!
It almost always happens 90mph+ and on concrete interstate, it doesn’t like crossing over the joint or crack. It gets violently crazy. Do not touch the brakes, lean over the tank, and ride it out.
Happened on my 2016 Sportster 48 when there was this little step and the road material changed, wobbled my handlebars like crazy from 0 to absolutely crazy it came out of nowhere, I just let go of the throttle.
@@2stocke9x it’s a ridiculous feeling... it will definitely get your full attention 😳
@@2stocke9x was your bike custom at all?
Those 48's are tight handling too, l've got a 2017 and had it happen to me too.
@@ShowseeTravels Hey my 16 48 is bone stock except for a stage 1 kit and led‘s so I didn’t mess with the suspension or wheels any of that stuff...
Had A wobble 7months ago on my little sporty after changing the bars (tall 16") . Didn't go on for long and was only doing 70 mph. Pretty scary though . Thank you for giving us a pretty good explanation of what may cause it . gonna thoroughly check every point you made . Ride safe
Had it on my 08 Electra Glide. Did all your suggestions including the stabilizer link. In fact that made it worse. One thing worked and made it a different motorcycle. I put Michelin Commander tires on it. I couldn't believe it myself but never ran anything else after.
Tires make one heck of a difference, sometimes when nothing makes sense it's the dumbest simplest thing that corrects it. I've seen tire pressure correct that issue of all things, even right down to a bad tire. I mounted a brand new tire once and couldn't get it to balance, took it to a buddy on another balancer same thing. Ended up sending it back to the manufacturer and getting a replacement.
@@GixxerFoo Here's what I know: I had softer compound tires on my 07 Dyna, didn't last long but not much wobble. when it did wobble it was gentle, controllable. I swapped to Michelin Commanders hearing they get good mileage, probably harder compound. Tires are only thing changed on my bike, I ride same roads same way but get wobble much easier now, can't push bike so hard. Maybe I will try that stabilizer link after checking pressure and alignment.
I once had this happen to me on a Honda CX500 of all things you, know, the water cooled shaft driven V twin. Now early in my biking career I had an accident on a bike, kept me off work for 3 months. My dad took the keys off me and told me to get trained properly then I can have them back. My local police station was doing a course, so I was trained by the police instructors. Anyway to get back to the wobble, it came right out of blue at around 75MPH on a perfectly straight, good road surface. Remembering what I was taught I slid back to the middle of the seat, gripped the tank hard with my legs, laid as flat as possible, and rolled off the throttle SLOWLY (although it may be an instinctive thing, never apply the brakes.) I won the wrestling match and saved both me and the bike. I never did find out what caused it and it never happened again. I felt really pleased with myself all the way home but when I stopped, the reality sunk in. I was a young married man with a 3 month old son. Shortly after, I gave up the world of two wheels.
i was a police motor cop for 3 years. i had two very scary tankslappers on two different roadkings. one at 90mph on a curve, the other one on a straight away at 100mph.
OKC PD had Road Kings for a while, those guys wanted their Kawasakis back. They ran interstates and the Harley just didn't have the power the old Kawasaki 1000's had.
My sons 06 Sportster, and my 2010 Dyna does the woble when you get over 70+. It's definitely a freaky feeling!!!! But we do just like you do, and have saved it every time. I definitely need to try the stabilizer mount! Thanks
I have 85k miles on my 2009 FLHTCU, and I have most definitely felt this multiple times. Each time just letting off on the bike (take a wider turn, let off on the throttle a little, etc), and then adjust the #$%^ pressure in the suspension (air suspension) and tires - every time I’ve had this I also hadn’t adjusted the suspension from my last trip to the current ride. There’s a huge difference between me riding solo and the 150 pounds extra when my wife and our gear for a week are loaded up. It wasn’t such an issue when I was fat (since I weighed enough to keep the rear compresses anyway), but it happens when I dramatically change the loading on the bike without adjusting the suspension to match it..
That will for sure cause it to happen! Making suspension adjustments with loading is a must!
I put the chassis stabilizers on my Dyna a few years back both front and rear. Just another fix that should have been stock from the factory.
However my Sportster already had the additional links there from the factory. My rubber Mount Sportster always tracked solid and straight.
Thanks Gixxer another awesome video.
Man I feel for the guy in the first clip ouch.
Trouble with living at the bottom of the world so hard to get reasonable prices for Harley parts and such a selection in your part of the world.
It's been nearly two months and still waiting for parts for my RG after my accident.
All the best from New Zealand
Congrats Gixx! Your video/channel is blowing up! Well deserved. Keep going man!
Hasn't happened to me on the 05 Road King but I've had it on an 87 FZR1000 at arrestable speeds. However I generally keep the RK below 80 on the highway. Make sure that alignment is spot on. In both horizontal and vertical axes. Nice video and great common sense advice.
I love the arrestable speeds, I gotta remember that!
I have been riding Harleys for over 50 years and I have never experienced this so called wobble. I knew a guy who killed himself in a wobble because he was to cheap to replace the worn out goose neck bearing. Also the swingarm bearing were shot. I warned him repeatedly and he ignored my warnings. The wobble caught him coming out of a corner and he was killed. Rain grooves can cause a wobble with any bike.
Totally agree with you man I have never experienced this on my 99 dyna and I ride it hard this guy doesn't know what he's talking about it is not a inherent problem in design it's a ownership problem and lack of proper maintenance Harley's are like cars if you want them to perform properly you have to properly maintain them and they will be trouble free to enjoy if a person doesn't want to put the time and maintenance in a Harley is not for that person my 99 with 90000+KLM in Canada has never had a mechanical issue and still runs as good as if it was brand new
@@guycotterhill1822 220,000 on my 87 flhtc
@@andrewbassett2507 that's great mileage man riding myself 46 yrs all makes and models always touring bikes
Had this happen to me. New front tire mounted at harley shop. Electraglide dual disk, the axel mounting bracket x2 nuts, right side, one side was torqued, the other side not. At high speed, 147klm p/h front wheel went into a Gyro wobble...reduced speed fixed wobble, and at home while inspecting wtf, saw the issue. Solution, even if u trust a pro shop, check it anyway for peace of mind! Thanks for this Video...makes sense
I experienced the front fork wobble on my CB750 doing 115 mph in South Florida back in 76. Turned out the ball bearings in the steering stem were worn out. I bought a tapered bearing kit and solved that issue. Never have yet had the DW on my Harleys but I will be checking into the stabilizer for my 2018 Ultra Limited. Thanks for the great lesson.
Honda 4s are a totally different problem coz of the short rake front end, good normally but if you hit a rock or something different on the road they can go into a tank slapper real easy so i fixed mine when i hotted up the motor big heaps and fitted a triumph friction damper and as long as i turned it down at high speed i could go over a train track at 140 miles per hour and become air born and when i landed it kept on going dead straight with no wobles at all.
Got a 2001 Dyna FXDL, never had any problems. I always heard it was the rear wheel not being aligned with the frame that is the main cause. I periodically check it and make sure it's aligned perfect after I change the rear tire.
I've got a 2000 FXDL and never had any probs either. th-cam.com/video/Ds-VhkWNK3c/w-d-xo.html this is what it looks like now though.
Negligent maintenance and proper ownership responsibility (tire pressure etc) is 99% of the problem. Adding the link is not going to fix worn parts. Glad you covered the obvious.
I had a '99 Twin Cam 88 Roadking that I bought new that I rode for about 90k miles. In 2010 I upgraded to a new EG Limited with the new frame and the 103. I wouldn't say the older touring frame and TC88 had a "wobble", I describe it was that the bike didn't turn right as well as it turned left, at the time I just attributed it to the bike having more weight on its left side, heavy primary case hanging out. My even older Evo Heritage softtail was a real floorboard scrapper.
I have experienced this on a 2010 Electra Glide and it happened at maybe 65 - 70mph in a tight curve. I believe the problem was largely tire pressure as I had a problem with the beads not seated well on my old crusty alloy wheels. Last week I road the same road at the same (or higher) speed and no problem despite lean. For me tire pressure - 40psi front and back - was the key. I am sure there is more can be done to tighten everything up though. Good video. Scary subject to discuss.
i have a 05 road king and have had that experience too many times. ive had to push hard and back off on the throttle. people ive road with thought i was crazy. wtf. thank god you prove my story. amen
It's no joke, it does happen! Get you a stabilizer on there and it should stiffen up that chassis, it won't change your comfort running down the road either. Just makes the chassis more rigid which is what they need.
Man knock on wood..70k miles on my 05..hasn't happened yet..
@@russmode Better buy this true track before you will die. I would do it.
Thank you for explaining. I just rebuilt a 07 sportster and have been testing and riding it around, and noticed a light shake when riding, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from
Had it happen a couple times over the years on my 2008 Ultra Classic going into a curve. Just pinned the throttle until I straightened up. Yeah, Harley redesigned the frame the following year......Imagine that!
@Anthony Scott I just roll on the throttle until I get through the curve and it quits bucking, then proceed like normal.
Agree with you.... Ive never experienced it with my dyna's, but others I know who have had the wobble experience, solved the problem with new tires. Due to the fact that many factors could be responsible for it, its hard to determine causation if you change more than one thing at a time. My sport bike friends experience high speed wobble all the time!
Definitely not limited to Harleys.
80mph on a long sweeping turn on my dyna, bike started dancing one of the scariest feelings. I lost some confidence after that on how hard I can push the dyna...
Thanks for the video. The FXR don’t really have this issue, the swing arm pivots off the frame.
I finally experienced it at about 110mph on my sportster. Absolutely terrifying. Took a good look at the bike. Couldn't find anything wrong with it till I got to the front tire. Had some slight cupping in the center of my Dunlop d401. Replaced the d401s with a set of American elites. Wow! A world of difference. Was a toss up between the American Elites and the Avon cobra chromes.
Tires make a huge difference, some bikes just work better with different brands. Experienced that myself too!
The first thing I do to my HD’s is install a Tru Trac. It makes a world of difference. Worth every penny!
Where do you buy em from?
Wobble isn't limited to Harley-Davidson and rubber mounted engines, I've owned a number of metrics and Harleys in my time. I haven't experienced the infamous "Harley wobble" on any of my Harleys(knock on wood), I have, however, experienced a high speed wobble on a Honda Magna I owned many years ago and I have the road rash scars to prove it.
Was your Magna a V45 or V65? I ran 65000 miles on my V45 with no wobble except when i coasted with no hands on the grips (i was testing the stability at a low speed)
@@angusmcpherson My Honda Rebel 500 wobbles on decel when you take your hands off the bars.
Been there , rzv4 500 yammer ha , tank slapper , 140. But i dont k ow how i lived , stayed up
@@angusmcpherson Mine was a V30, I was doing about 120 when the wobble began and after lifting the wobble became more of a bounce.
My mgx21 has caught me a few times ,I’ve put extra weight on the bars ,so far so good
Great video! That crash in the beginning was horrible, so sad.
That's a worst case scenario, sometimes when they get to wobbling like that there's no saving it.
The first clip you shared was fricken scary. The guy spun his bike to the ground . It seems that even if you haven't experienced such wobble adding the stabilizer would be a very good idea.
The guy in that clip got lucky how he went down, that could of been a lot worse than what it was. A stabilizer really firms up the chassis and makes it much more rigid.
As a Tech that works on all makes and models, I've had people ask me about this. On one bike, a Road King, his mounts were shot. Add the fact that the tires were a cheap brand. Installing new mounts and tires took care of it. I have been looking into this for years. The rubber mounts are what i was looking into first. I admit that i have been side tracked with other things, but i have been back at it. The one biggest piece of advice i can give is keep up the maintenance on those mounts. 2 watch how you load the bike!!. I've seen bikes way over loaded. Check your load weights for the bike and the tires. Tires are coming from everywhere today and some are just junk. I had a cheap Duro tire on the fount of my bike. I bought it to get home from a run after my Tire had sustained some debris damage. At low speeds when i let go of the handlebars ( 35 mph ) i noticed it. I assumed it was being caused by wind buffeting. I never liked the feel of that tire and replaced it with a nice Dunlop and it disappeared. What actually drives me nuts is I'm looking at fixing something Harley Davidson should have taken care of long ago. I have some ideas as i would like to take care of it at the mounts. Until then the best way to mitigate it is to keep good tires on it, replace the mounts at regular intervals and install the track braces. Stay safe and if i get better results or a great fix, I'll let you know.
That's awesome! You are absolutely correct, the mounts and the loading of the bike are big part of the issue. A lot of people are buying those Shinko tires today, they are really inexpensive tires. They are supposedly made using Kenda tooling, I haven't run them myself but I've heard a lot of mixed results about them. I don't think I would try running them on a heavy touring bike loaded down though.
I have an 03 Road King that had that problem. Several things I noticed.
1. The front motor mount that came from the factory deteriorates when exposed to oil. Several years later, HD corrected on the latest models, but you know HD, they don't recall motorcycles. Even though they put the mount right under the oil filter. The fix is easy. Just order a replacement from HD. The replacement mounts don't deteriorate.
2. The swing arm is rubber mounted and flexes. There are two ways I know of the address this. The best performing one is a Stiffey bushing from Rivera Primo. You remove the side plates , slip them over the swing arm bolts and button it back up. pretty easy. The worst side effect is it essentially makes the rear portion of the engine solid-mounted. It caused my license plate to vibrate off. Several other things almost did, but I caught them in time.
The second best thing is to do the same thing with polyurethane bushing by Sta-Bo. They transmit a little bit of vibration, but not too bad. Along with a isolation link from Progressive and a new front motor mount, the Sta-bo bushings keep my bike is pretty stable.
The poly bushings help tremendously on those bikes, flex was the biggest issue they had under load for sure.
Had the wrong pressure on my front tire and couldn’t even go 90mph. It’s silly what the difference of 5 psi does.
Up down ?
- @@lawrencefranck9417- down is worse, sidewall collapses. weather is another factor for hot or cold readings.
@@lawrencefranck9417 up. It’s the worst. Couldn’t keep up with the bros. Dam near hazard.
I'm so glad you kept your arms and hands going. I never would have understood anything you said.
Lol sometimes it helps!
@@GixxerFoo it's all good.
I'm just messing.
I ride a BMW R1200c KNOCK ON WOOD I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE.
I've been hearing about this for a while. Great explanation
First I have heard of the Harley wobble. Thanks for the info.
2018 Road King here...I've never felt a wobble and I have pushed it through some corners-scraped floor boards but no wobble. I am concerned now though. Maybe I will look into the stabilizer links...that crash was terrifying...
The late models have done really well in terms of stability. Older touring models with the unrevised rubber mounts and the old style air suspension had issues. Thay air suspension caused some problems as it aged.
@@GixxerFoo So I am good to go? Thanks!
Thanks for the info on this issue. I had the wobble happened on my 07 RoadKing. It happened due to rear wheel spokes loosening up. Was on way home from Myrtle Beach Bike week and had a passenger. Felt it and just didn't feel right. Was able to get it in for repair before catastrophe happened. Had to replace wheel. No more spoke wheels for me.
Good job explaining it. I’ll be sure to have my spokes/bearings checked as I’m changing my tires this weekend.
That's a perfect time to go over it all, l always check my bearings when l change tire just to be safe.
Thanks!
Thank you for you support on the channel!! It's much appreciated!!
@@GixxerFoo Roger that gixer
Its best not to fight a speed wobble. I went into one once, going around a highway curve way too fast, I hit the gravel shoulder and thought i was done. I simply came onto the throttle and the bike straightened out and corrected. Im still here and the semi drive that witnessed the hole thing was shocked 👍
I got that wobble on my 2010 ultra at about 110 mph and added the true track system. No more wobble and the bike feels a lot better on those sweeping turns. Added it to my 2015 RG fltruse and wouldn’t ride without one now. Added note….when hitting the throttle hard while going straight ahead, instead of the rear wanting to kick out, it just squats and goes.
Great vids, watch them all the time 👍
i have American, Japanese, and British bikes. I have noticed on all bikes going into turns at high speed and holding the curve any chassis will start to wobble. Even a Goldwing with air suspension has made me have to go change dippers coming out of a long sweeper curve.
I added am Alloy Art read engine brace. Took out a lot of the wobble issue. However I still have it at around 100 MPH mark. I will check out the brace you mentioned.
My buddies Yamaha R6 has wobbled on him quite a few times. I experienced it once on my 2017 Low Rider S. It' was pretty damn scary to say the least. The Dynas are more prone to the problem because the swingarm is mounted to the motor not the frame.
Another great topic you are always spot on!!!!!!!. We are 30 in our M club all FLH from 2002 to 2019 wobble is always been a topic for us, we will try a stabilizer. Thanks again!!!!!
Harley downplays this problem and I know someone who crashed his tour Glide while riding in a straight line on the highway, his wife lost her life in the crash. This is an extremely serious issue, and the Motor factory had to know it existed but still sold these bikes to their customers.
I'm very sorry for it, this is terrible. Please read about airbag vests for motorcyclists.
I'm a retired motor cop with a metropolitan police. We rode different models; mostly Harley's, mostly FLHP's back in the day. The only wobbles and weaves I had were with the Harleys, all were on straight and level stretches of Interstate at high speed. One "extra" bike would began to "weave" every time at 50 mph and could never be used (I still remember the piece of crap's inventory number... 2950x (x for extra... a loaner when your regular bike was in the shop... after the 3-year contract, this bike was turned in with no miles on it since no one ever rode the death trap). The fix is adding a bit of rack to the front wheel. "Nice" to see that H-D is still denying their bikes are deathtraps... they were doing that 25-years ago. They would send reps to the Department and tell us that our radios and other equipment was causing the problems. Lying bastards!
Also uneven fork oil level from one side to the other
Had my '85 FLH well up over 120mph in a straight line and not a shimmy, was in a right hand curve at about 50mph and went to throttle out which caused rear steer. Before you start analyzing what else was wrong with the bike, all new rubber mount components including swing arm mounts, less than 200 miles on Dunlop's Harley tires properly inflated, about 500 miles on wheel bearings and steering head bearings and empty saddlebags. My '63 FL which is all solid mount is solid as a rock in curves. That rubber mount sent me off into the corn. Rebuilt the bike and added a "True Track" linkage and is now solid as my '63. Wouldn't ride any rubber mount without one. Thank the angels that I'm still here to tell the story.
Proper tyre pressure, condition and suspension setup are very important!
Yes! Suspension setup is critical, especially if you load your bike down. Even riding with a passenger changes the whole dynamic of suspension setup.
I have experience the wobble many of times...like you said don't panic but hold your left hand up off of the the grip that seems to help come out of that wobble....great videos keep it up
You didn't fix it after the first time
Very informative video but you need to recommend every motorcycle rider watch the old school Dunlap wobble and we've video. For me a dramatic improvement was changing out the motor mounts for high performance mounts which was very inexpensive for the safety. Simply changing out the triple trees from the narrow glide front end to a wide glide front end . Made a world of difference on my 95 Dyna and only took about 2 hours including packing the headset bearings correctly. Just make sure you get the axle,wheel spacers , Rotor spacers that go with it.
That's the part a lot of people miss is getting the proper wheel spacers when they go to a wider front end. Harley chassis used to be very narrow, I am so glad they finally widened it a bit in the later years.
My first bike was a 97 sportster that wobbled on every little bump past 50mph. I found out later the frame was bent from a previous owner. Never had a tank slapper but mild to moderate wobbles I found that clutch + 2 or 3 light taps on my rear break was the fastest way to smooth things over. I was still a newbie so never had issues when corning because I went around them at "half the speed of a snail" according the friend who rode with me back then.
my '09 Electra Glide Classic would wobble when I was tour-loaded, at speed and rounding a twisty aggressively. It was scarry and my solution was progressive 944 shocks, progressive mono-tube front forks and the progressive touring link. Together this almost completely eliminated the issue but not completely. Then I saw a video on trailer wobble when the load was improperly centred (too much load aft the rear axel. The solution finally was moving the tour pak into the solo position - problem solved and it was a great ride. I also have a very strict maintenance process that I follow as a result of being an ex helicopter pilot and that is; when I change my tires I also change the cush-drive, wheel bearings and brake pads, without fail - a little over kill perhaps but, better alive than banged up or dead!
Excellent maintenance goes a long way! Loading is very important too, sounds like you've got a really fine riding bike now with the suspension work you've done!
@@GixxerFoo I've sold it and now ride a 2016 Roadie Ultra. It has the 944 shocks and Fork upgrade but the Touring link doesn't fit and I've also moved the tour pak into the solo position - thankfully I never ride with a passenger so the solo position works perfectly and the bike is near perfect but, there is still a small potential for a mini-wobble if I've entered a corner aggressively, loaded and ride over a bump mid-turn but nothing that has caused me any concern. But, the 2009 was scary until I got it all figured out.
Have heard of this wobble but neither of my bikes are rubber mounted never experienced it.
But I liked you suggestions on tyres and general maintenance.
Enjoyed the video.
I have a 1990 Ultra w/S&S111 and at about 85-90mph I had a death wobble. Touching both lines in my lane. Traffic was backing off, I found letting off the throttle and dragging the rear brakes lightly, will stop it. I have duplicated wobbles several times and I can always stop it with this method.
07 Road King and the solid bushing insert from V Twin Manufacturing helped with the rear wishy washy feeling. It's a $40 set of solid bushing that go inside the rubbers in the rear swingarm. Not a total fix but helped with some of the wishy washy.
Was that like a polyurethane bushing that replaces the factory rubber? That would help with making the chassis more rigid, did it change the quality of the ride running down the road any?
@@GixxerFoo Nah it was a solid steel bushing that fits inside the rubber and the swingarm shaft goes through it. It helped plenty with the rear side to side spongy feeling. Like when you dodge a dead critter in the road it made it feel more positive and controlled.
@@GixxerFoo V-TWIN MANUFACTURING
Swingarm Bushing Kit - 44-2060
This is definitely prominent on sportsters. Mostly when I ride it aggressively. Luckily it stops when I slow down a little.
What year Sportster do you have?
@@GixxerFoo 2010 HD XL1200X Sportster
I love the look of those years, they are really narrow with the 21" inch front wheel. They carried that style over in the 72, they tended to wobble too. Spokes and keeping those tight are big on those bikes, fork brace really helps with rigidity.
I've experienced a wobble that progressively was getting worse while on a roadtrip on my 2012 heritage. It turned out to be an old front tire. It looked great on the outside but was decaying on the inside. Got it taken care of at the next bike shop I came across. But yeah... I've told folks in the past that the rubber mounting system with the swing arm in the transmission case can be the culprit too. Great topic.
Great post! I've seen tires that look brand new, and twist into a pretzel once they were taken off the rim. Internal belts can break, but the tire will look just fine.
I use to get those wobbles on the highway once in a while! Not a good feeling to feel your rear end wobble and I was riding a brand new road glide so I have to say it was Harley to blame must be by design!
Good video! I had a wobble on my 2000 1500 Kawasaki Vulcan and a decade later on my 2009 FLHTCU Harley. The wobble on the Kaw was worse and neither one resulted in a crash. I gripped the hand grips with all my might to prevent the handle bars from moving while letting off of the throttle. It was intense but I survived without a wreck.
Norton used to connect their swinging arm to the gearbox (isoelastic mounted engine ) they didn't wobble so as you say don't blame the rubber mounted engine , There are so many reasons why this wobble could appear .
My norton never wobbled,
That's what I said . mine doesn't i f set up properly
@@OSOFLHPhave you read the reply ? mine didn't wobble . if set up properly
@@harleyguzz4301 maybe my reply was too brief, 14 years of riding my Norton never wobbled.
Harley has, the two are entirely different machines and of course I am a different rider,
My Norton was not unreliable, but the Harley has long legs, my Harley with its poor handling and breaking,
Loves to go, in less than two years we have explored a great deal of California and a bit of Mexico,
@@OSOFLHP Yes mate , they were a bitch to set up properly but when set up they worked.
The high speed Harley wobble boils down to like you said lack of maintenance rubber parts wear out . The list of causes I have personally serviced causing head shake or high speed wobble are neck bearing tension/ lubrication if you have adjustable bearings not all Harley do. Worn motor mounts are frequent and a service item at 15,000 wheel balance , swing arm bushings are a big one even on softails . Wheel bearings, and a big one not many take the time to check and adjust is drive train alignment laterally and vertically that makes a Harley track nice and true
My bike did this from day one, so no worn out parts on it and i have come across a lot of blokes that had the same problem when breaking real hard.
I felt that wobble once on my 07 Dyna. Found out my rear tire was in need of replacing. To be honest, it was a very strange sensation.
That can be one cause.
I experienced this wobble the first day I brought the 2012 Street Bob home. I started at about 55mph. Granted it was five years old already. But I checked tire pressure when I got it home and it was about 5 psi low. For the most part it went away. But then I experienced it a few weeks later. So I started to look around the motorcycle. I found that one fork tube was about a 1/2 inch taller than the other in the fork mounts. I adjusted each tube within a few thousands of each other. I also checked tightness of the front axle to spec. Needed a little tightening. Then I loosen both forks to make sure the wheel was perpendicular from the handlebars. I let the tubes loose in the top fork mounts to relieve any twisted tension on the forks. Then I tightened all the mounts with the top of each fork within a couple of thousands from top bracket. I could now ride up to 80mph without a problem.
I've got 3 Harley's, get 7000 miles a year never had it. Check tire pressure every time out and run good tires professionals mount.
Got 14 stglide gotthe wobble all the time.now i ride hard i understand put stable bar on check tires all the time.need to check kneck again.but the pushin on the bars always helps
As the frame twists one way the engine, and swingarm twist another direction. The link is a good thing to get for piece of mind.
Most of the time the wobble can be eliminated with a drive train alignment. we do this every day, all day. Any time you have a rubber mounted drive train, it needs the occasional alignment. Stabilizer links secure an out of aligned drive train, it might feel alright for a short time, but the poor handling will return. You should have you rubber mounted Harley professionally aligned before you upgrade your suspension. That way you get the full benefit of your new suspension. Good video! Plenty of good information.
Couple years ago, I bought an 07 SuperGlide (2400 miles)that rode fine until my wife got on the back(140lbs)
We didn't get up to 15 mph and experienced the "death wobble"
The faster we went, the worse it got.
Kinda freaked me out. I thought the back tire was gonna fly off or something.
Turns out, the front forks were out of alignment
I got a glide pro system which is a set of heavy rubber pucks and a lot bigger shaft to go through your pivot arm. It works great along with a beefier front motor mount it’s awesome. I have a 08 Roadking and am very happy with this setup, it’s a little expensive @ around $460.00 but it’s worth it.
Some people never experience it, l had it happen on a 04 dyna. I went with the tru-track and never had an issue ever again.
@@GixxerFoo I put the glide pro on a Roadking and because a few of the reviews of the tru track said that they broke, that’s why I went with the glide pro . It may have something to do with the touring verses the dyna in weight plus the rider.
good video man! the older air suspension on some cruiser models also contributes to the wobble from my experience!
Those older air ride systems did not age well at all, they do cause a lot of issues. A great option is to just change that old air ride out to a set of shocks from Progressive Suspension. They have some great options that aren't a minimum of a grand too.
@@GixxerFoo oh totally! best thing I did was putting progressive on my RK. it's a totally new bike, specially here in europe where we don't have many straight lines ahah
I used to get speed wobbles on my 97 sportster when I got to about 80 mph and it has taught me to not fight it and ease my grip until it settles. Scary shit but it teaches you that the things you think you should be doing are not what you should be doing in that situation.
The worst part about it is when it happens you gotta make some quick decisions, not the best time to figure it out ever but that's the only time you have.
I use the tru trak and helps alot for 2 up fast corners on my 17 and transferred it to my 20 ultra!
For the Dynas, best fix is to run Sputhe front/stabilizers with OEM motor mounts (not drag or other brands), replace top stabilizer link with a quality heim(PTFE lined) joint link and make sure to do a proper alignment of the motor.
Also tighten steering stem bearings extra 1/8 turn and/or run a GPR steering stabilizer as well.
This is all considering your bearings/mounts are in good condition or new
All the other type motor mounts have some issues of their own, wether it’s causing more vibration or even making the motor sit too close to the frame and eventually the front of the motor or your exhaust will hit the frame