Death wobble question
Club Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,192
Likes: 168
From: Knoxville, Tn
Tires And Bars
BA..I don't care if you believe me about the handle bars or not....You're not the one on the bike at 80 miles an hour with your *** puckering the seat. The Isle of Man rider looked like he tried to power through it (bad idea).
My bike is stable to over 100 now ...Naw, it's not the bars.
My bike is stable to over 100 now ...Naw, it's not the bars.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 683
Likes: 3
From: Florida
BA..I don't care if you believe me about the handle bars or not....You're not the one on the bike at 80 miles an hour with your *** puckering the seat. The Isle of Man rider looked like he tried to power through it (bad idea).
My bike is stable to over 100 now ...Naw, it's not the bars.
My bike is stable to over 100 now ...Naw, it's not the bars.
Reason I am asking is I just ordered some Wild1's 10" straight rise T-Bars (no pullback). They are 30.5" wide and end up having similar hand position as OEM mini apes. So should I be prepared to have "one" of the contributing factors to wobble ?
Club Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,192
Likes: 168
From: Knoxville, Tn
Handlebars
In my case, I have an Accutronix raked triple trees on my bike and I have the fall away adjusted as tight as it will go and it just isn't enough. The front end of my bike will move if there is a slight breeze in the area and it is on a jack. I also had a buffeting problem when I went to the new headlight. It's lots bigger than stock and sits way forward of the stock location.
I have a Saraceni handle bar bag that I ride with a lot. I noticed the bag made yet another change to how the bike handled and wobbled. Another member on here (JCK) offered to give away a set of FXDC bars and I just thought I would try and see if they made any difference in how it handled.
In the end it's just a matter of aerodynamics. If things are faired in they produce less drag. There is a reason for the moto gp guys using clip ons.
Every bike is so individual from the factory and with what we choose to add on as aftermarket accessories. I personally believe that a quarter fairing may have helped my bike with the wobble problem.
All you can do is make the mods you want to do to your bike as see if they work out for you. If they do then great, if not, then either learn to live with it or keep modding till you get what you want.
The lower bars put my arms and chest lower and in a position where I catch less air and it rolls off easier.
Lots of guys on this forum use steering dampers to deal with the problem and that is also a good idea.
I have a Saraceni handle bar bag that I ride with a lot. I noticed the bag made yet another change to how the bike handled and wobbled. Another member on here (JCK) offered to give away a set of FXDC bars and I just thought I would try and see if they made any difference in how it handled.
In the end it's just a matter of aerodynamics. If things are faired in they produce less drag. There is a reason for the moto gp guys using clip ons.
Every bike is so individual from the factory and with what we choose to add on as aftermarket accessories. I personally believe that a quarter fairing may have helped my bike with the wobble problem.
All you can do is make the mods you want to do to your bike as see if they work out for you. If they do then great, if not, then either learn to live with it or keep modding till you get what you want.
The lower bars put my arms and chest lower and in a position where I catch less air and it rolls off easier.
Lots of guys on this forum use steering dampers to deal with the problem and that is also a good idea.
Last edited by dyna rider; Dec 4, 2010 at 12:13 PM.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 683
Likes: 3
From: Florida
In my case, I have an Accutronix raked triple trees on my bike and I have the fall away adjusted as <... .....> All you can do is make the mods you want to do to your bike as see if they work out for you. If they do then great, if not, then either learn to live with it or keep modding till you get what you want.
The lower bars put my arms and chest lower and in a position where I catch less air and it rolls off easier.
Lots of guys on this forum use steering dampers to deal with the problem and that is also a good idea.
The lower bars put my arms and chest lower and in a position where I catch less air and it rolls off easier.
Lots of guys on this forum use steering dampers to deal with the problem and that is also a good idea.
The nearest thing to wobble I have ever had is sometimes I notice if I get into those long asphalt cracks you see from time to time I feel a sense of wobble but it's very slight. I don't think this even qualifies for the wobble being discussed here. My bike has never tried to "take" control away from me.
Years ago when I was younger and dummer I had my Triumph up to 120mph once with no problems. I will never get over 75mph now at my age. If I go down all I ask is that I don't wake up.
Guess that might sound a bit dramatic but back 1996 I was driving my Ford Ranger pickup when a big Buick ran a Red Light and T-boned me. I do not remember the accident. Woke up in what was left of my truck, with an ambulance driver in the seat with me. Broke my neck, cut my left ear off and a few other infirmities. They sewed the ear back on (don't look half bad) and after 8 weeks in a cast my neck was heeled, but had to go to physical therapy for quite awhile before I could use my right arm. Anyhow it was a rough time, I can only imagine waking up from a bike crash at my age now.
Rider up, wheels down, love riding Harleys.
Last edited by R_W_B; Dec 4, 2010 at 05:08 PM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,666
Likes: 133
From: TEXAS
my bike feels stable at all speeds
the only time it did not is when i went from stock 12.5 shocks to progressive 11 and left the front alone. this jacked up the geometry of my bike and at higher speeds and i did not like it
the only time it did not is when i went from stock 12.5 shocks to progressive 11 and left the front alone. this jacked up the geometry of my bike and at higher speeds and i did not like it
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,953
Likes: 1,168
From: Northern Colorado
I have 2 friends with FXDX's that both have this "death wobble". Both bikes have been 'fine tooth combed" front to back. One has low bars, small fairing and steering stabilizer, the other tall bars, 1/4 fairing, fork brace. Both develop at about 80-85mph and if you are really brave you can power thru em at about 100mph. I've ridden next to both bikes while it's happening and the front tire seems to bounce much like a severe imbalance..but swapping front wheels with known good units off of bikes with no wobble does nothing to eliminate it. My DX doesn't do it at all. I've had the bike up to..well lets just say I ran out of speedo before I ran out of room and it's smooth as glass. All three bikes though have different suspension setups. The 1st has 11in Works shocks, next has 12in lowrider shocks and mine has stock fxdx shocks. We've all swapped shocks and still no change. It's definately scary for them while blasting along and until we can pinpoint it we all have to ride the speed limit which kinda sucks lol.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
I have 2 friends with FXDX's that both have this "death wobble". Both bikes have been 'fine tooth combed" front to back. One has low bars, small fairing and steering stabilizer, the other tall bars, 1/4 fairing, fork brace. Both develop at about 80-85mph and if you are really brave you can power thru em at about 100mph. I've ridden next to both bikes while it's happening and the front tire seems to bounce much like a severe imbalance..but swapping front wheels with known good units off of bikes with no wobble does nothing to eliminate it. My DX doesn't do it at all. I've had the bike up to..well lets just say I ran out of speedo before I ran out of room and it's smooth as glass. All three bikes though have different suspension setups. The 1st has 11in Works shocks, next has 12in lowrider shocks and mine has stock fxdx shocks. We've all swapped shocks and still no change. It's definately scary for them while blasting along and until we can pinpoint it we all have to ride the speed limit which kinda sucks lol.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,082
Likes: 11
From: Long Island, NY
Bert Baker gives a great endorsement to True Track (and Alloy Art's stabilizer) in the December issue of IronWoks.
Says they should be mandatory equipment on FL models. He says they will "virtually eliminate speed wobbles and chasis dancing".
Also goes on to say that "stabilizer systems do cause a little more tactile buzzing on the floorboards and handlebars, and will reduce the service life of the front rubber mount". He states that these negatives though are trivial compared to the positives.
The buzzing or increased vibes, has been pretty well documented on this site from a number of riders as well.
I don't have a TT on my bike as I haven't felt the need for one (and was advised of the increased vibes), but if you're having speed wobble problems it may be the solution to the problem.
Says they should be mandatory equipment on FL models. He says they will "virtually eliminate speed wobbles and chasis dancing".
Also goes on to say that "stabilizer systems do cause a little more tactile buzzing on the floorboards and handlebars, and will reduce the service life of the front rubber mount". He states that these negatives though are trivial compared to the positives.
The buzzing or increased vibes, has been pretty well documented on this site from a number of riders as well.
I don't have a TT on my bike as I haven't felt the need for one (and was advised of the increased vibes), but if you're having speed wobble problems it may be the solution to the problem.
Good research there! If you get to the bottom of the problem do let us know. I have a True-Track kit on my FXDXT, which is the only handling-related 'improvement' fitted and it does wonderful things for the handling, even at traffic speeds. I hope your friends sort their problems soon. Can't be much fun having to back off....
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 4
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
I have both the True Track and Superbrace on my 2009 FXDC. I first installed the Superbrace
and immediately noticed an improvement in front tracking on uneven surfaces. A month or so
later, I installed the True Track and 90% of the pucker-factor in long, high-speed turns went
away. These two bolt-on mods made a HUGE improvement in the bike's handling.
It has been reliably reported (ahem...
) that a 2009 FXDC with windshield and six-foot rider
tops out at 110mph at altitudes in excess of 5,000 feet based on a number of experiments...
It has also been reported that said bike was glass smooth under these conditions as well as at
highway speeds with large, high-mounted touring loads.
Said vehicle has also survived 60mph+ side winds on I-40 near Winslow, Arizona as loaded in the pic,
below although the rider damn near **** himself...
and immediately noticed an improvement in front tracking on uneven surfaces. A month or so
later, I installed the True Track and 90% of the pucker-factor in long, high-speed turns went
away. These two bolt-on mods made a HUGE improvement in the bike's handling.
It has been reliably reported (ahem...
) that a 2009 FXDC with windshield and six-foot rider tops out at 110mph at altitudes in excess of 5,000 feet based on a number of experiments...
It has also been reported that said bike was glass smooth under these conditions as well as at
highway speeds with large, high-mounted touring loads.
Said vehicle has also survived 60mph+ side winds on I-40 near Winslow, Arizona as loaded in the pic,
below although the rider damn near **** himself...