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I’ve read on this forum that the 114s are speed limited @ 120 mph, so I decided to see what my 18 fatty would do. At about 100 I start to get a bit of a wobble, then it seemed to clear up so I proceeded on up to around 115 and the wobble came back. It freaked me out a bit so I decided to end my experiment. So has anyone else pushed there 18 or 19 Fatboy this far, and if so did you have the same front end wobble?
A couple of notes:
I did have my 15 inch windsplitter on
I did have my saddlebags on
Very little wind to speak of
There was absolutely no traffic(I have been on the interstate before and gotten that same wobble at much lower speeds, but it was always in some traffic with several semis close by)
I don’t make a habit of riding this fast but occasionally like to see what she’s got, I mean what’s the point of having it if you’re not gonna give it hell every now and then...btw, it’s my first Harley so I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not as far as ride/handling go
Oh one more thing, at 115 mph it was still gaining speed and felt like it had plenty left...
I’m going to think the windshield isn’t the best idea at those speeds. It’s attached directly to the handlebars and very likely introduced the harmonics that caused the wobble. Bags hanging off the side may not have helped either, but not as much impact as the shield,
Try taking all that stuff off. How’s your preload set? Correct for the bike load? Tire pressure where it should be?
My Fat Bob was rock solid and smooth as glass at any speed, with or without windshield, until I hit about 10,000 miles. Then it developed a high speed wobble, starting at around 75 mph.
Techs couldn't see anything obvious, but we suspected the odd tread pattern on the front wheel was cupping. It was about time to replace the tires anyway so I did, and during the replacement they found the front wheel bearing had gone bad.
After replaceing the bearing and tires, my bike is absolutely smooth as glass again.
Tech couldn't say if the cupped tires caused the bearing to go bad, or if a bad bearing caused the tire to cup, but either way the problem is fixed. I have heard of others on the board who have had bad bearings, so check it out.
Lot's of threads about the death wobble. My '09 FLHP had it at 35mph and my '03 FLHP had it at 80mph while going around sweepers with trailing throttle. Nature of these beasts apparently.
Lot's of threads about the death wobble. My '09 FLHP had it at 35mph and my '03 FLHP had it at 80mph while going around sweepers with trailing throttle. Nature of these beasts apparently.
I'm pretty sure the is not the Harley death wobble of old.. Wasn't that primarily baggers? And the new softail frame is very good. I'd be surprised if the OP's problem was coming from the swing arm (or whatever its called on the softail)
Aside from all the other potential reasons over the years (frame, forks, tires, suspension, &ct.), most have been corrected on modern motorcycles, even Harley Davidson. Nature of the beast, indeed. But if you REALLY want to go 120+ MPH, I highly recommend one of these:
120 MPH, not a problem, and you can get there in 5 seconds.
I’m going to think the windshield isn’t the best idea at those speeds. It’s attached directly to the handlebars and very likely introduced the harmonics that caused the wobble. Bags hanging off the side may not have helped either, but not as much impact as the shield,
Try taking all that stuff off. How’s your preload set? Correct for the bike load? Tire pressure where it should be?
Preload = 0.5 (per manual), front tire - 36 psi, rear 42. I checked everything before I took it out. I haven’t tried it without the windshield and bags yet, it decided to turn winter here in east Tn all of a sudden.
My Fat Bob was rock solid and smooth as glass at any speed, with or without windshield, until I hit about 10,000 miles. Then it developed a high speed wobble, starting at around 75 mph.
Techs couldn't see anything obvious, but we suspected the odd tread pattern on the front wheel was cupping. It was about time to replace the tires anyway so I did, and during the replacement they found the front wheel bearing had gone bad.
After replaceing the bearing and tires, my bike is absolutely smooth as glass again.
Tech couldn't say if the cupped tires caused the bearing to go bad, or if a bad bearing caused the tire to cup, but either way the problem is fixed. I have heard of others on the board who have had bad bearings, so check it out.
Only a little over 5k on mine, but I guess it would be a good idea to take a real close look at the tires...I normally cruise around 70-75 when riding, lots of wide open highways around here,and the wobble isn’t there at those speeds, unless like I said before, I’m on the interstate and getting turbulence or draft from other vehicles. Especially tractor trailers. Which makes me think it’s more of a windshield issue. When it warms up a bit I’ll try it without the bags and windshield and post an update to this
High speed wobble
