Rushmore wobble?
#21
05-04-2014, 01:24 AM
6th Gear
I've heard of the wobble but have not experienced it yet on my 14SGS. I too have heard of the glide pro stabilizing system but don't know of anyone who's put one a 14SGS. Here's the link for those who'd like to view it.
http://www.glide-pro.com/glide-pro.html
or this one too
http://true-track.com/index.html
http://www.glide-pro.com/glide-pro.html
or this one too
http://true-track.com/index.html
Last edited by One_Mean_Marine; 05-04-2014 at 01:30 AM.
#22
05-04-2014, 05:37 AM
Long gone Senior, retired back in 2001. Got caught up in the high-year tenure thing and just not enough Chief openings in my rate. Thought they might extend me after 9/11 but that didn't happen. All good though, 24 years, lots of friends, lots off travel and plenty of good times and good memories...and the bennies aren't bad either! 
#23
05-04-2014, 11:54 AM
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver
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If for a given situation your bike is behaving differently now than it did previously, something about the bike has changed. Whether it's a mechanical 'failure', e.g., the neck bearings are loose, or a wear-and-tear issue such as the rear tire is worn down changing the geometry slightly…is a matter to be determined. It's up to you to decide how hard you want to pursue it with your dealer. Sounds like they've blown you off at this point. So you might could have a job ahead of you, getting them to change the way they're looking at your situation.
For what it's worth my experience tells me pre-09 bikes as well as 'Rushmores', will rear-steer through a corner under certain conditions. The Rushmore is less given to it. But you can still get one (mine at least) to 'wobble' a little if you're hard on it in a corner and/or there's a strong cross-wind in the turn, and/or there are grooves in the roadway in a corner, etc. On my '14 this effect (rear-steer/wobble) is much less pronounced than such was on my 04 Road King…but it's still there, and you can feel it there when the bike's under a lot of cornering stresses.
If you think about it, it will make sense that this is the case. The swing-arm on the touring bikes is coupled to the rear of the 'frame' (I think it's actually the tranny, but same difference) through rubber dampers that are there to provide a smoother ride. If you push against rubber hard enough--like when you're in a corner--it will flex a little. When it flexes, it changes the geometry of the bike, the directional relationship of the front to back tire (swing-arm actually). You actually begin to 'turn' a bit. Once it turns, it relieves the stress that built up, and everything goes back to alignment. And that's one cycle of the 'wobble'. If you're still in the turn and so applying stress to the rubber, the same thing will repeat. It ends when the bike is no longer stressed in the turn. Or something like that. I'm not an engineer.
Alan
For what it's worth my experience tells me pre-09 bikes as well as 'Rushmores', will rear-steer through a corner under certain conditions. The Rushmore is less given to it. But you can still get one (mine at least) to 'wobble' a little if you're hard on it in a corner and/or there's a strong cross-wind in the turn, and/or there are grooves in the roadway in a corner, etc. On my '14 this effect (rear-steer/wobble) is much less pronounced than such was on my 04 Road King…but it's still there, and you can feel it there when the bike's under a lot of cornering stresses.
If you think about it, it will make sense that this is the case. The swing-arm on the touring bikes is coupled to the rear of the 'frame' (I think it's actually the tranny, but same difference) through rubber dampers that are there to provide a smoother ride. If you push against rubber hard enough--like when you're in a corner--it will flex a little. When it flexes, it changes the geometry of the bike, the directional relationship of the front to back tire (swing-arm actually). You actually begin to 'turn' a bit. Once it turns, it relieves the stress that built up, and everything goes back to alignment. And that's one cycle of the 'wobble'. If you're still in the turn and so applying stress to the rubber, the same thing will repeat. It ends when the bike is no longer stressed in the turn. Or something like that. I'm not an engineer.
Alan
I definitely think that the rubber dampers are the problem. I've read Grahams whole thread on the wobble and that seems to be the issue. It took about 3600 miles to soften them up enough to make the wobble get more and more pronounced. I'm going to invest in a swing-arm stabilizer and upgrade the forks and rear suspension. I'm not going to change my riding style anytime soon so I gotta make the bike able to handle it. I've been looking at getting the suspension from Howard at MotorcycleMetal. He seems to really know what the hell he's talking about.
#24
05-04-2014, 12:00 PM
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Just wondering, have you fellows that are posting about a wobble (Rocky, Lil, Tony) ever owned a bat wing fairing bike? No insult intended, just an honest question. All BWF bikes will wobble a little under the right circumstances, it is the nature of the beast, the wind catches the fairing and pushes it around a little and because the fairing is mounted to the forks it affects the handling. That's why so many prefer the Road Glide, the fairing is fixed and cuts through the air, no wobble. My '06 (like FLHTKONE) had the famous death wobble, I experienced it once and NEVER forgot it, a shorts-changer for sure. When the frames were improved in '09 that was supposed to not eliminate but lessen considerably the wobble, it would never be eliminated because of the fork mounted fairing. My '14 K wobbles a bit under certain conditions but I'm blaming that on the bat wing, the road condition, traffic (especially trucks) air turbulence, wind, not the bike itself.
#25
05-04-2014, 02:38 PM
2k miles on '14 sgs, no wobble. Even with high winds (35 gusts)and 85-90 mph the batwing does not affect my steering (to me anyway). Tracks like on rails.
I think you have some kind of mechanical problem maybe a poorly made rear tire or maybe balance. An imbalanced tire at 90 mph would cause a wobble.
I think you have some kind of mechanical problem maybe a poorly made rear tire or maybe balance. An imbalanced tire at 90 mph would cause a wobble.
#26
05-04-2014, 05:15 PM
Stellar HDF Member
#27
05-04-2014, 05:21 PM
Just bought a 14 FLHR last week and here's my take on the infamous Harley wobble.
I had heard and read about the wobble but incorrectly assumed it had been fixed with the 2009 frame/swingarm modifications. It seems that the new bikes are better but the problem has not been solved. I probably should have read/researched it a bit more but I don't think it would have changed my mind about the purchase.
I would describe myself as an intermediate skill rider who rides with moderate aggression if the weather and road conditions are good. In the very short time I have had my RK I have had one experience when I felt a bit of a back end wallow in a moderate sweeper.- not a wobble bit a definite movement in the back end.
I have now read extensively on the issue including Graham's very informative posts. The issue seems unpredictable and doesn't only happen at high speed. I also suspect that avoiding a crash,if and when it happens, is dependent on my riding skills, the traffic and road conditions and my speed at the time. This is not a chance I want to take. I also think that the problem will be at the back of my mind on rides and so my solution is to spend the $400 to get the True Track installed and forget about the issue. I would rather be spending this money on other bits and pieces for the bike but I believe that investing in a stabilizer makes sense.
I am pissed that HD and other manufacturers are not more proactive on issues like this but opening a "can of worms" would potentially expose them to very expensive recalls and probably lawsuits.
Just my $.02 worth.......
I had heard and read about the wobble but incorrectly assumed it had been fixed with the 2009 frame/swingarm modifications. It seems that the new bikes are better but the problem has not been solved. I probably should have read/researched it a bit more but I don't think it would have changed my mind about the purchase.
I would describe myself as an intermediate skill rider who rides with moderate aggression if the weather and road conditions are good. In the very short time I have had my RK I have had one experience when I felt a bit of a back end wallow in a moderate sweeper.- not a wobble bit a definite movement in the back end.
I have now read extensively on the issue including Graham's very informative posts. The issue seems unpredictable and doesn't only happen at high speed. I also suspect that avoiding a crash,if and when it happens, is dependent on my riding skills, the traffic and road conditions and my speed at the time. This is not a chance I want to take. I also think that the problem will be at the back of my mind on rides and so my solution is to spend the $400 to get the True Track installed and forget about the issue. I would rather be spending this money on other bits and pieces for the bike but I believe that investing in a stabilizer makes sense.
I am pissed that HD and other manufacturers are not more proactive on issues like this but opening a "can of worms" would potentially expose them to very expensive recalls and probably lawsuits.
Just my $.02 worth.......
#28
05-04-2014, 05:45 PM
Moderator
People are talking about going over 100mph and having wobbles or strange vibrations and stuff when in corners. I am no expert on chasis and suspension but I think it is pretty straightforward that a touring bike was not designed with the idea that riders will be routinely riding them at 100MPH and taking corners aggressively. I would think you would start to see 'unusual' things happen with the handling and suspension when you start routinely riding in that speed range on a stock Harley--of any type.
#29
05-04-2014, 07:48 PM
#30
05-04-2014, 08:17 PM
People are talking about going over 100mph and having wobbles or strange vibrations and stuff when in corners. I am no expert on chasis and suspension but I think it is pretty straightforward that a touring bike was not designed with the idea that riders will be routinely riding them at 100MPH and taking corners aggressively. I would think you would start to see 'unusual' things happen with the handling and suspension when you start routinely riding in that speed range on a stock Harley--of any type.
Yes Sir 