Just joined hoping to buy a Harley in the next 2 weeks BUT after test riding it, falling in love with it my wife sends me a link talking about a Harley "Death Wobble".... WTF?

So before I fork out my hard earned cash (actually I drive buses and havn't done a hard days work for years!!! lol) I wan't to find out if my beastie is just waiting to kill me?

Is it a problem only for models up to a certain date or does it still continue? I've never heard of this happening in NZ but there have been cases of riders "Failing to take corner" and wondered if this had something to do with it... yes I overthink things....

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...?id=1310294192

 

Do a search on the site & you'll see what it's all about. In my 53+ years of riding I've never had the so called death wobble. But I maintain my tires, tire pressure, correct adjustment of neck bearings etc.

 

Thanks... neither have I (had this "wobble") and I've ridden a few bikes in my time. I'm not 100% sure but it seems the swing arm mounts on rubber mounted engines are causing some of the "wobble" with those Harleys that have rubber mounted engines ... possibly making sure swing arm bushes are checked and are within tolerances should be ok... loved the FXDC, it didn't do anything nasty at all ...

 

As long as you maintain your bike, you'll be fine.

 

If I recall correctly, the so called Death Wobble occurred on Police models during extreme testing by motor officers on curves. It was corrected in later models, and even when it did occur, the bike cops had no trouble handling it.


Even if it does exist in some other context, it's not some random thing that happens on a Harley and a Harley only. It would happen on any bike of any brand where the load is heavy, as in bags, and bearings and triple trees aren't maintained.

The Harley you're interested in looks great. Your wife may not be too keen on you owning one, but a sport bike is what she should be more worried about, honestly.

By the way, beautiful riding country out in NZ. Wish I could have had my Slim with me when I visited a few years ago. I understand NZ has pretty good safety stats and regs too. Maybe you can use that as a counterpoint to the wifey. haha.

 

Just so you know every brand can have the "death wobble". It's been discussed on the Honda, Yamaha, Victory, etc forums. It's not just Harleys.

 

It's a ticking time bomb I tell ya!

 

There are many things involved that can cause a wobble. Chassis alignment, uneven loading of bags, powertrain mounts that are worn or out of spec, tire inflation & wear, windshields, steering head, swingarm, & wheel bearings that are worn, not lubed, or adjusted correctly, or uneven road surfaces & wind. A combination of all of these factors create the perfect storm & the bike will wobble.

 

Tell the OL to nut up..., and shut up

Keep the bike maintained - your biggest concern will be how much fun you're havin

Her's will be how much you're not around anymore - to bitch at / try and manipulate / needlessly scare the hell out of

Ghost

 

Forgot to add that many vendors make a stabilizer brace kit that reduces the wobble problem. This is one version of many offered http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/...arley-dyna.htm