hey,
i have an 05 softail standard. last fall i bent the rim and killed the tire.
so i had the rim and tire repl.
i had noticed that i get a shimmy. now i may have had this shimmy last year and just blamed it on
the bent rim and dead tire.i was wondering if anyone knows anything about something like this.
i keep hearing murmurs about softail frt ends and shaking and shimmies.
let me know, i just want to enjoy the ride and not worry about the shimmy.

 

can be caused by shocks, forks, bearings, tires, rims, or road.
I had bad bearing that scalloped the front tire. I also went to a Metzler tire and rides much better than Dunlop.

 

+1

 

i probably should have stated that the tire,rim and hub were all repl.all brand new stuff done by the dealer.(laced frt rim 21") sorry for not being specific.

 

Rim could be out of balance. It should be checked after all mounting is done.

 

how did you bend the rim? you could have thrown the trwees out of alignment, slightly or there may be a slight bend in the fork tubes. like the others said, it could also be wheel balancing, incorrect bearing installation, etc.

stock FX front ends aren't prone to shakes or shimmies. if there is a problem, it's more than likely related to work that's been done to it, rather than a deficiency infront end design.

 

I have an 07 custom with only 3100 miles on it. It's in the shop now because on 7 or 8 occasions the front end starts shimmying like all heck. I think it's poor engineering, too narrow of a front tire. They won't admit it though. I'll let you know what happens.

 

I seriously doubt you'll ever har from a dealer that the tire is too skinny for the bike. After all they have been putting that size wheel and tire on the front of Softails and Dynas (WG's) for a very long time now without any problems. What's more likely to be a problem is that something in the front end is loose or sloppy. That would reduce the overall regidity of the entire front end allowing it to wobbleso itfeels like a shimmy. Tapping the front brake is usually a good way to reduce or stop the cycle when it starts.

 

well mine is an 05,5k mi on it. the rim got bent on a driveway apron. the tire got killed because of a stress crack in the sidewall. so i tightened the neck bearings, i was told @ 65 ft pounds torque.
rode it again and it is a bit better.now i really have to concentrate to feel the shimmy.

 

Maybe a fork brace? Helps a great deal on the highway, IMO.