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[spydglide]

You don't always have to be travelling at excessive (above freeway speed limit) speed to get into a wobble.  Different conditions can set one up when you least expect it if the bike is prone to go into one.  That's been my experience anyway.  spyder

[JCZ]

Seriously!?  Not trying to offend anyone here, but I thought Harley's put the definition of Cruiser in the motorcycle dictionary; why drive them over interstate speeds in the first place?  Wouldn't that be like taking a '64 Chevy Impala Lowrider and trying to drive it fast as if it were a Dodge Viper?  There are companies that do make motorcycles that go right close to 200mph from the factory if pure speed is your thing (however those companies are not American).

No offense taken....least not by me.  However, your analagy is a little askew......."a 64 Chevy Impala Lowrider trying to drive it fast as if it were a Dodge Viper" would be more akin to a 64 panhead with a 74" (they didn't make the Lowrider yet) to a 2010 CVO Screamin Eagle Street Glide with 110"........huge difference if you ever rode both!

But.......just like four wheeled vehicles....some people naturally like to drive fast (the thrill of adventure) and some people just naturally like to go low and slow (lowriders).  I happened to have a Silverado pickup that's bagged and slammed and I drive it fast, too........just because I can.  But..............I still have the safe driver's discount on my insurance.

[Midnight Rider]

Seriously!?  Not trying to offend anyone here, but I thought Harley's put the definition of Cruiser in the motorcycle dictionary; why drive them over interstate speeds in the first place?  Wouldn't that be like taking a '64 Chevy Impala Lowrider and trying to drive it fast as if it were a Dodge Viper?  There are companies that do make motorcycles that go right close to 200mph from the factory if pure speed is your thing (however those companies are not American).

It's perfectly reasonable to expect something you paid 20K plus for to be stable and not make you crap your pants by taking it up to 100mph + for a few seconds.  And I wouldn't define a HD bagger as a "cruiser"...it's a touring bike by design, just like a Gold Wing, some BMW's, Star, etc, etc.  Technically speaking, a case could be made for NO vehicle to be able to go faster than 75mph, but that would go over like a turd in the punchbowl for most American consumers.

If the engine is able to get the bike up to 120mph, the rest of the bike should be designed to get there too.  Some of this wobble thing happens at speeds under 50mph...it can be fixed, but it's not something that should happen in the first place.

[spydglide]

It's perfectly reasonable to expect something you paid 20K plus for to be stable and not make you crap your pants by taking it up to 100mph + for a few seconds.  If the engine is able to get the bike up to 120mph, the rest of the bike should be designed to get there too.  Some of this wobble thing happens at speeds under 50mph...it can be fixed, but it's not something that should happen in the first place.

What makes this topic so intriguing is that not all Harleys have the issue.  So many factors can contribute to it or even be the cause of a wobble other than tightening the forks/fall away.  Hell, I've seen lots of racing bikes become unstable at speed and go into the death wobble.  That's why many install the fork shock stabilizer.  Trail, wind, tire pressure, weight distribution, on and on..... My SEEG is stable as a rock most times, yet, I've had it begin the wobble in certain situations and scare me wide awake in a instant.  You've got to treat ea. situation/bike differently and not generalize as it's like solving a puzzle ea. time.  spyder

[Half_Crazy]

It's perfectly reasonable to expect something you paid 20K plus for to be stable and not make you crap your pants by taking it up to 100mph + for a few seconds.  And I wouldn't define a HD bagger as a "cruiser"...it's a touring bike by design

Jump on Interstate 95 between North Carolina and Florida... minivans are cruising at 90-95 mph. Not the best road surface in the world, tire ruts, and lots of wind turbulence from tractor-trailers and campers. Just keeping up with traffic without feeling like you'll be run over would put you at what most would consider 'high speeds' in less than ideal conditions. Since this is exactly the environment a touring bike is supposed to be at home in (in fact, the very reason for 6-speed overdrive transmissions) it is perfectly reasonable to expect the bike to perform with confidence inspiring stability in that situation.

On a single-lane road, stuck behing slow traffic, you will of course want to pass. Your visibility ahead, distance to pass, or oncoming traffic may require that you 'get on with it' and it is not unreasonable that you could achieve 100 MPH. You may only be at that speed for a second (accelerating before and decelerating after)... but that is the type of situation that can expose any instability issues... especially if the bike is loaded down for a 6 day ride. It is perfectly reasonable to expect the bike to get this done without getting my heart rate up or making me pee a little bit.

It doesn't matter if the machine costs $10,000 or $40,000, riding a touring motorcycle under touring conditions should be uneventful, right?

[spydglide]

Jump on Interstate 95 between North Carolina and Florida... minivans are cruising at 90-95 mph. Not the best road surface in the world, tire ruts, and lots of wind turbulence from tractor-trailers and campers. Just keeping up with traffic without feeling like you'll be run over would put you at what most would consider 'high speeds' in less than ideal conditions. Since this is exactly the environment a touring bike is supposed to be at home in (in fact, the very reason for 6-speed overdrive transmissions) it is perfectly reasonable to expect the bike to perform with confidence inspiring stability in that situation.

Absolutely.  Great example HalfCrazy.  You don't have to be trying to keep up with Otis, Hub, and the Rocket Riders to reach unstable speeds.  har.  spyder

[Midnight Rider]

Very good point HC...those are exactly the situations that happen almost every time I'm on a trip.  When I'm loaded down for a week long journey, and with a very precious cargo sitting directly behind me who is depending on me to be on top of things, I'd prefer the bike not give me reason to pinch washers with my butthole.

[Half_Crazy]

I'd prefer the bike not give me reason to pinch washers with my butthole.

When I was a young lad I had a bike go into a severe tank-slapping headshake at 90 mph and spit me off. Now, when I start to feel headshake I get a flashback to that night so long ago... and let me tell ya, it scares me so bad you couldn't drive a toothpick up my azz with a hammer. My bike has to be stable like the freakin' Queen Mary... I can't do shaky. This is why I ride a bike with 67" of wheelbase and 33 degrees of rake out front.

[kraut]

If the engine is able to get the bike up to 120mph, the rest of the bike should be designed to get there too.  Some of this wobble thing happens at speeds under 50mph...it can be fixed, but it's not something that should happen in the first place.

that's it exactly. Btw, I looked up my old 2001 FLHRCI manual: it states riding the bike over 80 mph is possibly unsafe 

[Eagle Eye]

that's it exactly. BTW, I looked up my old 2001 FLHRCI manual: it states riding the bike over 80 mph is possibly unsafe 

Exactly Kraut...same in a cage.  As stated over and over, a cruiser should be stable, period.  If we wanted to be absolutely safe, we wouldn't leave the house. 

This past eight years, I've been riding Goldwings.  I put the Kury fork brace on the 1500 because of some low speed stability issues when under full load - mostly in parking lots.  It wasn't as pronounced in the 1800, so I never added one. Around 130 on Airline highway (South of Holister, CA) was the top speed for the 1800.  Aside from not wanting to take my eyes off the road for even a second at that speed and the pucker factor, stable as a rock.  Even my 1982 Suzuki GS750EZ could do 125 at over 20 years old - solid.  But only once. 

This past week on my way into the office at 5:30 AM, I happend upon a RK and we had a bit of a spirited run.  Not racing, just enjoying the ride.  One sweeper curve transition at I85 N onto I280 N (Sunnyvale, CA) the wobble started at about 80 mph mid-curve.  This is the first time it's happened since my last post above, where I'd adjusted air pressure in the tires.  By backing off the speed a tiny bit and relaxing my grip on the outside grip, it balanced out.  I only backed off to around 70 and it was fine. 

Fast Eddie:  I'm looking forward to your report on the Tru-track?  Consequently, it should not take aftermarket products to make the bike stable at any speed. At risk of stating the obvious and flogging that dead horse, MOCO needs to find the cure for this.  It's a serious issue and lives are at stake. 

My theory is; it is a flexing of the forks at a certain freqency, much like tuning forks. There is no fork brace, so they flex, but only when certain conditions present.  Sort of a witches brew...bad juju.

R/S
Ken2

[kraut]

... only when certain conditions present.  Sort of a witches brew...bad juju.

that's the most frightening part of "the wobble" - once you experienced it you will never feel really safe again 

[JCZ]

Exactly Kraut...same in a cage.  As stated over and over, a cruiser should be stable, period.  If we wanted to be absolutely safe, we wouldn't leave the house.  

This past eight years, I've been riding Goldwings.  I put the Kury fork brace on the 1500 because of some low speed stability issues when under full load - mostly in parking lots.  It wasn't as pronounced in the 1800, so I never added one. Around 130 on Airline highway (South of Holister, CA) was the top speed for the 1800.  Aside from not wanting to take my eyes off the road for even a second at that speed and the pucker factor, stable as a rock.  Even my 1982 Suzuki GS750EZ could do 125 at over 20 years old - solid.  But only once.  

This past week on my way into the office at 5:30 AM, I happend upon a RK and we had a bit of a spirited run.  Not racing, just enjoying the ride.  One sweeper curve transition at I85 N onto I280 N (Sunnyvale, CA) the wobble started at about 80 mph mid-curve.  This is the first time it's happened since my last post above, where I'd adjusted air pressure in the tires.  By backing off the speed a tiny bit and relaxing my grip on the outside grip, it balanced out.  I only backed off to around 70 and it was fine.  

Fast Eddie:  I'm looking forward to your report on the Tru-track?  Consequently, it should not take aftermarket products to make the bike stable at any speed. At risk of stating the obvious and flogging that dead horse, MOCO needs to find the cure for this.  It's a serious issue and lives are at stake.  

My theory is; it is a flexing of the forks at a certain freqency, much like tuning forks. There is no fork brace, so they flex, but only when certain conditions present.  Sort of a witches brew...bad juju.

R/S
Ken2

Just trying to understand the thinking.  In the past few years (at least as far as this forum goes) the large majority of these issues have been on the Road Glide models.  And, the "fix" seems to be to get the dealership to do the fall away and adjust (tighten) the neck bearings and problem is gone.  

If it were forks flexing, wouldn't it be happening to all baggers......or at least all models of baggers equally?  And if that's the case then how is it that tightening the fork bearings cures the problem for so many?

I have to think that it's bearing races that are not being seated correctly at the factory on all the bikes equally.  Some bikes (and I'm not sure why so many Road Glides) go out to the new owner within fall away specs at the time of leaving the factory however, after some time in service, the bearing races finally drop down in place and the neck bearings are then slightly "looser" thereby creating enough slop to allow the wobble.

Maybe we're saying the same thing just diffrent words.     We definately agree that it's a serious life/safety issue that the MoCo needs to get behind right away!

[Eagle Eye]

Maybe we're saying the same thing just diffrent words.     We definately agree that it's a serious life/safety issue that the MoCo needs to get behind right away!

Right JCZ...just trying to figure it out.  How about the frame braces being marketed.  It sounds like the entire frame is flexing, according to these products...  http://bitchinbaggers.com/products/bagger-brace/

[Midnight Rider]

With an '07 frame, the brace may help.  On some of the old style frames, the rear end wants to steer the bike in certain situations.  It's not consistant across all of them, but enough to sell a lot of those braces in various configurations.

[09S/E roadglide]

Mine has always done that low speed wabble. only once over 90 and I needed new tires. The neck bearing adjustment dosent solve the problem always. Im pretty sure its tire related. When I have new rubber on it and tire pressure is right its better almost gone. 5k miles its back.  just gotta remember its there and dont let go. Not right, It shouldnt do that under and circumstances but its there and that is my only bitch about the bike. (well big one anyhow  )