Lots of factors go into creating a wobble. tire pressure, wheel alignment, certain imperfections on the roads, etc. I dont' think it's a design issue at all. Even a pebble can cause it to happen. Happens with plenty of different bikes too.

I had a scary moment on my gsxr 750 on the track one day.. no bumps, just leaned heavy into a turn and boom -- wobbled my way out.

On my 16 breakout, with its 35 degree rake it did have the tendency to wobble at high speeds over bumps most of the time. Maybe speed has something to do with it.
There is one section on the Taconic State Pkwy where no matter what lane you are in, nor what speed you are going, it's going to wobble pretty violently. Always hated going down that stretch of road. Huge difference on the SGS.

 

Haha yeah ok .. have you ever heard of compression and rebound?

 

The question came up because I am coming from a 2015 softail that has solid mounts w/B motor and never experienced wobble.

 

I haven't seen the death wobble in a very long time on a touring frame Harley. I know the frame was upgraded in 09 with new pig iron geometry and gusseting. While there is some frame flex it seems to be pretty uniform. The M8 got a new front motor mount system. Well not really new. They just used Harleys cut and paste engineer want to be's to move a version of the swing arm mount system to the front of the engine.

 

The 17 frame is 99% the same as the 09 frame. Like the 09 frame, the 17 frame has donuts in the front (like the back). It's four rubber mounts and 1 forward frame to engine link.

In 17 they changed the front rubber mounts (isolators) and frame to engine mounts to accommodate the new bottom end mounting locations of the new motor.

The bottom battery tray was changed to accommodate the new four plug coil. So... about the same frame as before with a few necessary changes.

"Bagger wobble" has not been the thing it once was since 09.

 

I have been as fast as 110-112 in a floor board scraping sweeper with out a wobble on a new '17 Road King. Does better than my '14 Road King which was significantly better than my '13 Road King.


IMHO, the '14 Rushmore models were the first HD's that were actually good motorcycles. The '17's were another big step in the right direction.

 

Yep, Micheline Commander II's are going on my RK M8 after the Dunlops wear out. Commander II great tires have them on my Dyna. I think the 2017 M8 frame is better and less prone for whobble which might be caused by road/tires.

 

The following is based on my understanding and experience... any and all 2 wheeled vehicles can be put into a condition where wobble will occur.
Doubt it? Just watch a Moto GP race at Daytona when the bikes cross from the infield onto the banking. If you didn't watch it happen over and over lap after lap without killing the riders you'd never believe it possible to survive.
These racing bikes are built with virtually unlimited budgets to eliminate instability (wobble, weave, etc).
Motorcycles have 2 gyroscopes (wheels) that must be kept in alignment as the suspension travels and loads change. These gyros get twisted out of sync (frame flex, swing arm twist, tire deflections, rubber mounts, shock control, and rider weight distribution all contribute to instability (wobble).
The more a manufacturer eliminates or minimizes these variables, the more stable the bike feels. The moment of instability is not gone, just moved to a higher speed and/or higher loads.
Bob

 

only wobble I have had so far is I broke the *** end tire loose just a tad grabbin some coming out of a sharp little corner. Startled me for a sec. Then I grinned from ear to ear!


even stock this thing is pretty bad ***!

 

Here Here, my 16 road glide was light years beyond my old 03 Ultra. Was a really good bike. This 17 RGU is frickin awesome!


Honey I accidentally upgraded my motorcycle!