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About a month ago, I was riding home. I hit a patch of uneven road (potholes), and it threw my bike into a death wobble.
I was going 40 (the speed limit), and in hindsight, that was probably too fast, based on road conditions and mechanical limitations, I suppose.
I did what I was supposed to do; I relaxed my grip, i leaned slightly forward, and my bike threw my 150 pound *** over the right side onto the pavement, then into a guardrail.
I’m OK, save for cracked ribs, a fractured elbow, and some road rash. Full-face helmet is allowing me to be here in no uglier or dumber condition than when started.
Bike took a lot less damage than I did, lol.
Question I have is this:
As an old head, but with little experience with bikes this old w/ a springer, I’d like to hear others’ experience with this on their 45’s, how you handled it, and maybe most importantly, how do I go about really using the fork-front end adjusters the best for varying road conditions as to possibly prevent this from happening again.
Only change it has—which may be significant—is the front wheel/brake is off a ’72 Suzuki T500.
Other than that and the 12v system, she’s pretty much all stock.
First thing I thought was to get rid of my metric front wheel, but there are a lot worse abombinations on the road than what I have.
I do have the service manual and the owners manual for my bike.
PO seemed to have had the front end apart for powder coating, etc. On quick inspection from a guy that is no dummy but definitely no expert, it all appears to look good.
Last edited by Revvin’ Kevin; Dec 25, 2025 at 07:20 AM.
I'd start with steering hear bearings, springer rockers for wear and then tires and wheels (incluidng bearings). Basically, looks for worn and lose fitting parts. Lose fitting could be an adjustment ot worn beyond service limits.
As above, also check the rear bearings along with the tires, how old are they? If they are old the rubber may/will be hard and not flex correctly, transferring vibration/road issues to your front end and frame.
Check spokes for looseness by using a wooden dowel and seeing if any of them sound different when tapped.
Check front tire balance as it looks like it is a sizable rotating mass.
Because the front wheel is not OEM, your rake and trail may be affected if not in line with OEM specifications. You may have too little trail, see below.
HOW TO MEASURE CORRECT TRAIL
Raise the bike to an upright position, using a tape measure, hold the tape straight down from the front axle to the floor. Put a mark on the floor at that point. Then place the tape parallel to the steering neck, following the angle of the steering neck all the way up to the floor. Put a mark here also. Now measure the distance between the two marks and you have your trail measurement. It should read between 2 and 4 inches. Note: If your bike is equipped with a rear suspension, have someone sit on the seat when you make the measurements to simulate your actual riding condition.
TOO LITTLE OR NEGATIVE TRAIL
With too little or negative trail (steering axle mark behind the front axle mark), the bike will handle with unbelievable ease at low speeds, but will be completely out of balance at high speed. It will easily develop a fatal high-speed wobble. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
NORMAL TRAIL
Normal trail is somewhere between 3 and 6 inches. The bike will handle easily at both high and low speeds. Flowing smoothly through curves without swaying or wobbling. If you use a very fat rear tire, you should keep the trail as close to 4 inches as possible.
TOO MUCH TRAIL
If the trail is more than 6 inches the bike will handle sluggishly at high speeds. It will seem almost too steady. You will have trouble balancing the bike at lower speeds or on winding roads. It will feel generally sluggish and clumsy.
As 45`s had 18" wheels until 1940 ( 16" thereafter) and WLA`s kept them I`d not be concerned about that front wheel. ( God knows you need the brake!)
JMO
EDIT, if you move the brake lever to the right side, you can brake and downshift at the same time
Last edited by eighteight; Dec 26, 2025 at 06:21 AM.
The springers can get affected by potholes or wash board type road imperfections. I have a highway by me that is concrete in lieu of asphalt, seems fine on all my other bikes but the springer hates it and i have to slow down to under 40 MPH or it feels like I am getting bucked off the bike. So be careful with these old bikes, the springer really is ancient technology.
Steering damper as stated may want to be tighter, also you have the older style ride control, that also may need adjustment. I have the '46 and up Monroe shock, not sure if it is any better.
Steering head bearings should be checked and lubed, they are ball bearings, real old school tech. All the pivot points on the fork rockers have bushing in them, they can wallow out and give you some play. Easy enough to knock out and install new. Also check the hardware for wear. Of course wheel bearing front and back. I would spend some time inspecting that alternate manufacturer wheel, but for me I would look for a proper HD wheel and get that out of the equation.
I agree the front brake handle is a lot easier to use on the right side like a modern bike, I moved it 10 minutes after I got my bike running and never thought about moving it back.
Yes, many things to check to make sure you have the best springer possible, BUT as far as handling goes the springer is the weak link. Good luck.
Now that I’m getting healed from both my wreck and my emergency gall bladder surgery last month (a story to tell over a cup of coffee or a beer, lol), I got out to start working on the bike.
I wound up taking the fork off to inspect the bearings.
They weren’t that bad, but they weren’t great, thus I’m replacing them.
As a former bicycle mechanic, I’m probably more **** about this than many, and since the parts are available, I’m going to replace them.
I’m also replacing some other items therein…Because I can.
The long and short of it is this…I should not have been doing 40 MPH, even though on any other motorcycle I’ve ever owned, 50MPH would have been fine.
Here’s a question for you gurus…
Like I said, I’m a former bicycle mechanic.
When I used to work on high-end bikes replacing headset hardware, I often times used a head tube facing tool to take off material evenly so the bearings sit nice and flush all the way around.
I haven’t even determined if the tool will fit down the hole for this application.
Do folks do this on motorcycles, or is this just overkill?
Last edited by Revvin’ Kevin; Jan 13, 2026 at 07:30 AM.
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Death Wobble
