Front end wobble question
Thread Starter
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Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
Centrifugal force wants our bikes to stand up straight and with minor adjustments we can get them running straight.
I know because I did it.
I knew it was possible because the Hondas I had before my first Harley went straight when I let go of the bars.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 339
From: Northeastern Indiana
I know when I have my bike on a lift the front is slightly turned to the right ... I guessed it was due to the clutch cable pushing it that way.
Would the clutch cable have any effect on the bike drifting right? Just asking to learn ...
Would the clutch cable have any effect on the bike drifting right? Just asking to learn ...
Thread Starter
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Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
Not to mention the other forces working on a bike in motion.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
Likes: 1,524
From: Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand
All Harleys look like the front end is misaligned from the factory, partly this is due to the bikes not sitting upright when you ride them (this is to do with camber)....follow a few and you'll see what I mean.
It's a mission to get then to look straight because they basically only look straight if you lean to one side as you ride.
Wobbles on corners has very little to do with alignment in the twisted in the trees sense but having the wheel centred in the forks has an effect and so do tyres and all that other frame stuff.
I had a customer kept coming back and trying to get me to improve his handling and to no avail until he admitted, and I quote "It's only that really bumpy left-hander going into Albany, if I slow down when I hit the bumps it gets out of order"
I asked him "Which lane are you in when this happens and how fast?"
He said "75MPH and the left lane with the throttle feathered as I hit the bumps"
I said "Take that corner in the right lane, slow to 60mph just at the end of the straight and power through it on a rising throttle through the corner"
Handling problem fixed...it was the rider, not the bike, as we say in NZ "ride to the conditions" lol!
It's a mission to get then to look straight because they basically only look straight if you lean to one side as you ride.
Wobbles on corners has very little to do with alignment in the twisted in the trees sense but having the wheel centred in the forks has an effect and so do tyres and all that other frame stuff.
I had a customer kept coming back and trying to get me to improve his handling and to no avail until he admitted, and I quote "It's only that really bumpy left-hander going into Albany, if I slow down when I hit the bumps it gets out of order"
I asked him "Which lane are you in when this happens and how fast?"
He said "75MPH and the left lane with the throttle feathered as I hit the bumps"
I said "Take that corner in the right lane, slow to 60mph just at the end of the straight and power through it on a rising throttle through the corner"
Handling problem fixed...it was the rider, not the bike, as we say in NZ "ride to the conditions" lol!
Last edited by Spanners39; Feb 14, 2018 at 04:12 PM.
Thread Starter
|
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
All Harleys look like the front end is misaligned from the factory, partly this is due to the bikes not sitting upright when you ride them (this is to do with camber)....follow a few and you'll see what I mean.
It's a mission to get then to look straight because they basically only look straight if you lean to one side as you ride.
Wobbles on corners has very little to do with alignment in the twisted in the trees sense but having the wheel centred in the forks has an effect and so do tyres and all that other frame stuff.
It's a mission to get then to look straight because they basically only look straight if you lean to one side as you ride.
Wobbles on corners has very little to do with alignment in the twisted in the trees sense but having the wheel centred in the forks has an effect and so do tyres and all that other frame stuff.
It's all good.
Who doesn't like a good hijack????????
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,899
Likes: 8,005
From: poway
You might have dented steering bearings in the neck. You get the wobble because the rollers are riding right on the edge of the dent.. Try getting the fron wheel of the ground and snug the bearing up so that they are fairly tight then rotate the forks back and forth. Check that they move smoothly.. If OK do the std bearing adjustment and look elsewhere.
I would also remove the front wheel and fender then try moving the lower part of the leg front to back while someone holds the forks straight.. If play is excessive, rebuild the forks. Heck if you got over 50K on the forks, its worth while to rebuild them with new bushings. Like you said, check the springs too.
I would also remove the front wheel and fender then try moving the lower part of the leg front to back while someone holds the forks straight.. If play is excessive, rebuild the forks. Heck if you got over 50K on the forks, its worth while to rebuild them with new bushings. Like you said, check the springs too.
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Thread Starter
|
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
You might have dented steering bearings in the neck. You get the wobble because the rollers are riding right on the edge of the dent.. Try getting the fron wheel of the ground and snug the bearing up so that they are fairly tight then rotate the forks back and forth. Check that they move smoothly.. If OK do the std bearing adjustment and look elsewhere.
I would also remove the front wheel and fender then try moving the lower part of the leg front to back while someone holds the forks straight.. If play is excessive, rebuild the forks. Heck if you got over 50K on the forks, its worth while to rebuild them with new bushings. Like you said, check the springs too.
I would also remove the front wheel and fender then try moving the lower part of the leg front to back while someone holds the forks straight.. If play is excessive, rebuild the forks. Heck if you got over 50K on the forks, its worth while to rebuild them with new bushings. Like you said, check the springs too.
I'll try the second after I look at the rear tire.
Like I mentioned before I had to realign the rear wheel but I never got around to looking at the tire itself for damage due to being run for 2.5-3k miles at a slight angle.
