The 'Death Wobble'

These HD models affected with this "death wobble" characteristic seem to be ticking time bombs. Where is the recall notice? Shame on HD for not owning up to the issue and resolving it. SHAME...

Could be poor tire mounting? Front tire on bacK? bAck tire on front? They sell like 300 thousand of these per annum. Every week has a FrIday. Do the math.

My HD Road King is a 2014 "Rushmore" model. The Rushmore touring bikes have beefier forks and other improvements which eliminate wobbling at high speed. I can cruise along at 120-130 all day with no wobble. Very solid bike.

Road King said:

My HD Road King is a 2014 "Rushmore" model. The Rushmore touring bikes have beefier forks and other improvements which eliminate wobbling at high speed. I can cruise along at 120-130 all day with no wobble. Very solid bike.

Click to expand...

120-130 all day? I'm not surprised. Even back in the early 2000's I got first hand accounts that particular HD models didn't wobble. "Perfectly balanced" one fellow said.

A motorcycle is a pair of gyroscopes with a hinge in the middle.As a gyroscope slows down (deceleration) it will wobble and fall down.The more acute the hinge angle and the heavier the components,the more dramatic the end result.Goldwings rarely had decel wobble problems until the new sportier handling 1800 came along.Take your hands off the bars under 50kph and they will go into a tank slapper.Keep you stupid hands on the bars were they belong,and no wobble.Some owners have spent thousands on fork braces,etc etc etc.A lot of things can help fix the problem.Most Goldwing owners install new head bearings and overtighten them for their fix.All they are doing is making a steering damper.Worn tires,worn suspension pivot points,tire pressures.They all contribute.Best answer is....don't overide your bikes abilities and keep your hands where they belong,on the grips.

Speed wobbles are a part of motorcycling. If you aren't familiar, if the gyroscopic force of the front wheel is out of sync with the rear wheel you will get oscillation. In the FLH series there was an issue with the engine mounts and the way they interacted with the frame for rigidity. That problem has been addressed. All motorcycle manufacturers have had to address speed wobble on some models over the years. Suzuki discontinued their police bikes in the early 1980s after an officer was killed and other complained about it. However, you can make any bike go into a wobble given the right conditions. Know your bike, know at what speed it is most likely to wobble, and keep both hands on the bars at that time. I have a Harley FXSTC and never have wobble. Here is a compilation of bikes going into a speed wobble. It can get pretty scary if it catches you by surprise.

https://youtu.be/TpeNWxHF6uI

meh, it happens (although I am not a fan of it). This is by no means limited to harleys. On my BMW K75, I had head shake bad enough that it shook trim pieces off the headlight housing. Apparently the K100 didn't have the problem due to a heavier engine changing the weight distribution.