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Front end wobble

  #1  
Old 11-25-2011, 05:24 PM
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Default Front end wobble

I have a 2010 Heritage Classic with about 2000 miles on it. Recently the bikes front end seems to have developed an occasional wooble. It is not severe and only happens intermittently. Some times the front end seems loose and other times the back end feels the same. I don't know if the loose feeling is my imagination but the front end defiantly wobbles from time to time. What would be the cause and how would I go about fixing it?
 
  #2  
Old 11-25-2011, 05:28 PM
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Your neck bearings probably need adjusted. A lot of people are having this problem, me included. If your bike is still under warranty I'd take it to the dealer and get them to fix it.
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:28 PM
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My spokes kept getting loose on myine so i replaced them with new rims, thats the way it would do so id check them and could alsso be a neck bearing adjustment.
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:31 PM
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The bike has 6 months left on the factory warranty but I am the 2ND OWNER. Does this make a difference or will they fix this under warranty?
Also is it unsafe to ride the bike??
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:34 PM
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First, you should make sure the tire pressures are where they belong according to your Manual. Then check the torque on the steering head bearings. If they are loose you might hear a slight click on hard braking...they will cause strange handling and steering issues as well if they are loose enough. After torquing them down, grease them well. There's a Zerk fitting in the center of the steering head housing meant for it.
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Bikenator
First, you should make sure the tire pressures are where they belong according to your Manual. Then check the torque on the steering head bearings. If they are loose you might hear a slight click on hard braking...they will cause strange handling and steering issues as well if they are loose enough. After torquing them down, grease them well. There's a Zerk fitting in the center of the steering head housing meant for it.
Tire pressure is good as I checked it first. Can't seem to find any info on the net about tightening the steering head bearings, are they the same as the neck bearings?
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:38 PM
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2010 Heritage doesent use torque for the bearings they use the fall away method.
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 05:57 PM
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Just a thought but by the time I had 2K on my Softail with a windshield I thought it had a lot of wind steer and a slight wobble. At 10K of getting use to it and learning to use a slight upper body shift to steer it (so slight you cannot even see it), I have found with no adjustment that it is very stable even behind big trucks which can be a pain. The warranty including Harley's extended warranty transfers (the extended requires you to transfer it but it's free) Steering head bearings are the neck bearings. The fall away adjustment is probably not under warranty. However it's probably a good idea to check it. Mine has 40K and I check it every time it's on my lift. It's never changed. I have greased it once but like car wheel bearings they are factory packed and really probably never need greasing. When you do it with a grease gun, it fills up the whole neck space taking about a tube and tends to come out the bottom for a while. Harley just put the fitting on to sale maintenance for the dealer. Search 'Harley fall away' on youtube for a general idea. Its real easy to do. He very careful since none of these bikes are the same even in the Softail line. You really need a service manual. In my 04 manual there are 4 different ways for the Softail line of bikes
 

Last edited by Jackie Paper; 11-25-2011 at 06:19 PM.
  #9  
Old 11-25-2011, 06:08 PM
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1) Check your wheel spokes.
2)Check your steering fallaway.
 
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Old 11-25-2011, 06:17 PM
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Did you check your rear spokes yet? Tap them with a wrench and you should hear a ting not a thump.
 

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