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[Hazer_52]

 ... nothing like having a floorboard touch down when your doing about 100mph .....

I would like to nominate FR8TRN for a  "Golden Gonads" award.        

I am just not at the 100 mph sweeper, ... floor board dragging, ... metal grinding comfort level with my bike yet.  
Does this put me at the "Golden Training Wheels"  level ??   [smiley=nixweiss.gif]

 

[Hazer_52]

On a serious note.

Does anyone think a larger riders weight, ( no insult intended ) contributes to the stability of a bikes handling ?

 I have read all the other post about what to check, add on, or adjust for the wobble issue and agree those items need to be addressed.

It is just that I am only 160 lbs and noticed the more weight on my bike, the more stable it seems to handle.
I realize a riders experience may contribute to this also,  but  was just wondering if the larger riders ( again, no insult intended )  were more apt to be the ones reporting being more stable ?

Just me thinking out loud I guess,  no real scientific study being performed though.  
 

[jeffj]

[highlight]It is just that I am only 160 lbs and noticed the more weight on my bike, the more stable it seems to handle.
I realize a riders experience may contribute to this also,  but  was just wondering if the larger riders ( again, no insult intended )  were more apt to be the ones reporting being more stable ?[/highlight]

I am about twice your size and my bike is loaded year round as I carry all my wet & cold weather gear in saddlebags.
I have experienced wobble at speeds in low 100's but I don't ride those speeds very often if at all.
(Heck just the other day I got pulled over for doing 74 in 70 mph zone, dang I would have thought they give you at least 5 mph over.) no ticket
But hey you may be on to something about weight and wobble. Tell you what come out to Iowa for a couple days and I will put some meat on your bones.

I will be interested in other members views on the weight vs. wobble  

[FR8TRN]

Mine was stable 2 up when I first got it, I'm about 240 and my wife is in the low 100's somewhere, she won't tell me exactly (a woman thing I guess).

You'd be surprised at how some of the folks on this board ride, look thru some of the other sections, these guys ride hard and put em away wet, quite a group, hate to see these things baby'd.  Touch'n down a board at 100 isn't the hard part, it's not freakin when it does.  Use to have an Intruder 1500, wife and I were headed west on 74 in NC following 2 Wings pullin trailers, we come around one real nice sweeper and both Wings started draggin, doing about 95, bout half way thru the turn I started draggin a board, was a first for me but I followed their cue and just kept in it, everything came out alright.  [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]

[Canuck]

Hey FR8TRN,
If you're coming to C.C. rally I would like to take the spot directly behind you on one of our rides so you can teach me to touch down the floorboard at 100mph and not freak-out [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif].  By the way, great looking bike!

Canuck

[SPIDERMAN]

Going downhill and to the right on a sweeping on-ramp I dragged the engine guard against the molded asphalt curb one time. Sparks everywhere behind me I guess, but all I was looking to do was [size=16]head out on the highway [/size](sorry couldn't resist that)

       Seriously though, if you think your bike handles better loaded down you might want to check what you're running for air pressure in your shocks. Also if you routinely drag a footboard (you weren't talking the old lady's boards were you Freight?) you might want to change out your shocks and go with the regular length air shocks vice the lowered ones which came on your bike. Bottom line is set your bike up so that it handles right for you and your riding style.

[cigarmike]

Ok, second opinion, rode on a run with some of the guys here, hit 100 a few times, and one stretch, I was at 110....no wobble, and wife didnt slap me upside the head either, but I did hear a loud 'weeeeeeeeeeeeee' coming from behind me out of her. uh oh......

maybe the times I feel any wobble, its the rain groves cut into some of our freeways....but wasnt an issue this trip. btw, Im one hamburger shy of 275,

[FR8TRN]

Hey FR8TRN,
If you're coming to C.C. rally I would like to take the spot directly behind you on one of our rides so you can teach me to touch down the floorboard at 100mph and not freak-out [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif].  By the way, great looking bike!

Canuck

Won't be makin CC, but I'll be down around Deals Gap next weekend if you'd like to ride on down, the Cherohala Skyway is a great place to do some high speed ridin.

[FR8TRN]

Also if you routinely drag a footboard (you weren't talking the old lady's boards were you Freight?) you might want to change out your shocks and go with the regular length air shocks vice the lowered ones which came on your bike. Bottom line is set your bike up so that it handles right for you and your riding style.

The '06's have the regular shocks on em, same ride height as a regular Ultra.

[TANK]

Weight shouldn't be the solution as I'm around 270 and I've still got the wobble in the range of 110+.. this is in a straight line.. very solid until there.. only difference is I'm running a ridestr8, metzlers, and 10.5" clearview shield. Before ridestr8, happened starting around 90..

[Big Al]

Weight shouldn't be the solution as I'm around 270 and I've still got the wobble in the range of 110+.. this is in a straight line.. very solid until there.. only difference is I'm running a ridestr8, metzlers, and 10.5" clearview shield. Before ridestr8, happened starting around 90..

I admit to 250 and on my run down to Hollister this pm I hit 105 on 101S with nothing other than the usual concrete highway 'wandering'. Definition and perception are a big part of this discussion.  I have found Dunlops 'wander' at slow speed (which translates to a seemed 'wobble' at high speed- EXCEPT the wobble is really self correcting...) It used to scare the $hit out of me (when I was young)... [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]

Baker dd6, Correct tire pressures, TruTrack- thats all....Seems exactly like Kaz' '99 FLHTCUI when its off the hack..(except for the power)

[magicl1]

Couple of weeks ago I was coming down out of our White Mountains (Arizona) and encountered strong winds all the way home.  I had to cut down on the speed but it still seemed odd that I was being pushed all over.  Figured I had too many "wings" to catch the cross winds.  Same thing happened with dirty air from the big rigs on the highway.  Seems I must use much more caution than when I rode my Heritage and was passing big wheelers.
I mentioned to a friend that I was thinking about taking the smoked air deflectors off to see if it made a difference.  On our ride to Laughlin last week there was no wind (just a few trucks on the interstate) and it seemed much better.  I have noticed a drift to the right but blamed it on the high crowns on our roads (heavy rains at times and the water has to go some place).  One thing I did notice is that the distance from the handle bars to the tank seemed uneven on either side of the tank while riding straight (hard to describe but I almost wanted to take a picture of it.  Sort of like how a bicycle handle bar stem could get cocked 1/4 inch to the left or right.)  Seemed funny but I just figured the bike was reacting to the slope on the highway.  On other roads, I do not seem to notice the drift as much.
Did have the bike up to 98 for a brief period.  Seem to waver a bit (little short of a wobble [smiley=confused5.gif]) and I backed off.

Brings back memories of riding a 550 Super Sport near Palm Springs through the White Water area (for those of you familiar with the area, that is where they have all the wind mills heading down through the pass)  The wind was so strong, we had to hide behind the back side of a gas station for 2 hours! [smiley=vrolijk27.gif] [smiley=vrolijk27.gif]

[GC_Super]

Couple of weeks ago I was coming down out of our White Mountains (Arizona) and encountered strong winds all the way home.  I had to cut down on the speed but it still seemed odd that I was being pushed all over.  Figured I had too many "wings" to catch the cross winds.  Same thing happened with dirty air from the big rigs on the highway.  Seems I must use much more caution than when I rode my Heritage and was passing big wheelers.
I mentioned to a friend that I was thinking about taking the smoked air deflectors off to see if it made a difference.  On our ride to Laughlin last week there was no wind (just a few trucks on the interstate) and it seemed much better.  I have noticed a drift to the right but blamed it on the high crowns on our roads (heavy rains at times and the water has to go some place).  One thing I did notice is that the distance from the handle bars to the tank seemed uneven on either side of the tank while riding straight (hard to describe but I almost wanted to take a picture of it.  Sort of like how a bicycle handle bar stem could get cocked 1/4 inch to the left or right.)  Seemed funny but I just figured the bike was reacting to the slope on the highway.  On other roads, I do not seem to notice the drift as much.
Did have the bike up to 98 for a brief period.  Seem to waver a bit (little short of a wobble [smiley=confused5.gif]) and I backed off.

Brings back memories of riding a 550 Super Sport near Palm Springs through the White Water area (for those of you familiar with the area, that is where they have all the wind mills heading down through the pass)  The wind was so strong, we had to hide behind the back side of a gas station for 2 hours! [smiley=vrolijk27.gif] [smiley=vrolijk27.gif]

Same thing here.  Wind seems to make everything much worse. This is not a good interstate bike with big rigs and RV's.  Never had this problem w/03 model. Wish I could get this bike to handle the same.
Magic, did you ever install the S-T pipe?

[UltraPolecat]

Interesting you put it that way as I was thinking the same about mine.  In clean air up to about 90 (as fast as my butt goes) it is rock solid and smooth.  Get mixed up with traffic and trucks it really gets a little squirrelly.  Not talking about the turbulance you expect, but more of a handling feel.

This is my first bagger so I may be a poor analyst, but all the bare bikes I have ridden were very different in traffic and wind.  

[Midnight Rider]

Having not ridden my SEUC yet, 'cause it ain't here, but having ridden other bikes with fairings in the past, to include crotch rockets, Wings, and a recent road test on a BMW R1200RT up to speeds of 100MPH on both interstate and a few curvey county roads in the area (don't tell the dealer   ),....could this problem of "wandering" be related to the fact that the HD fairing is mounted to the fork and not the frame?  Plus, it's not really the most aerodynamic shape I've ever seen either...it would be interesting to see a flow test in a wind tunnel to see what happens at various speeds.  Plus, I don't think HD is known for it's state of the art suspension system, so a bunch of this stuff combined could make things get a little froggy in certain conditions, and it would be inconsistant because of all the variables metioned in the thread, seems to me..if everything else is lined up, tight, etc.  Just thinking out loud here...