Front End Wobble
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 221
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From: Northern Colorado
Front End Wobble
Hey guys,
I have an 07 Heritage with 15K miles that I recently purchased. I had the dealer preform a 10K service on it as it was not done by previous owner. I have noticed with the limited amount of riding that I have been able to do this winter that the front end has a tendency to wobble at speeds between 40 - 45 MPH. If I loosen my grip on the bars or remove them it is much worse. At higher or lower speeds no problem at all. Not sure if it would make a diff or not but the front tire is at approximately 3/32 and will need to be replaced soon. I told the dealer about it prior to the 10K service and they did not find any issues with fork bearings. Any ideas?
Thanks for the help....Rick
I have an 07 Heritage with 15K miles that I recently purchased. I had the dealer preform a 10K service on it as it was not done by previous owner. I have noticed with the limited amount of riding that I have been able to do this winter that the front end has a tendency to wobble at speeds between 40 - 45 MPH. If I loosen my grip on the bars or remove them it is much worse. At higher or lower speeds no problem at all. Not sure if it would make a diff or not but the front tire is at approximately 3/32 and will need to be replaced soon. I told the dealer about it prior to the 10K service and they did not find any issues with fork bearings. Any ideas?
Thanks for the help....Rick
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,661
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From: East Northport, NY
Sounds like the wheel may be out of balance. Does the tire have any cupping or uneven treadwear? Does this happen while braking or does it get worse? How does the rotor look?
Last edited by Maimas; Jan 14, 2010 at 03:09 PM.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 221
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From: Northern Colorado
Thanks for the reply guys. I know the tire pressue is correct and there is no cupping or visible problems with the tire. I will need to replace it this riding season so I will make sure that it gets balanced at the same time. Rotors are fine and no problems when braking. What is the best way to check for loose spokes? Just put a spoke wrench to it and see if any are loose?
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 88
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From: Marysville, OH
Yes, that's what I'd do. I don't have a torque-wrench for spokes, so I just check to see if any are obviously loose. You might be surprised and find a couple. I did on my Nightster occasionally. I'm just guessing that you'd have to have one or two pretty loose to put the wheel out of true.
-Ron
-Ron
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,635
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From: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Replace tire...no more wobble.
Cupping can be hard to see at the beginning but you can feel it.
Use your hands, not your eyes.
Cupping can be hard to see at the beginning but you can feel it.
Use your hands, not your eyes.
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Cruiser
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From: Northern Colorado
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6th Gear
Joined: Jan 2010
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I have the same issue with my 06 Deluxe and I just had a new front tire mounted mid summer. The wobble is most noticable during deceleration from 40 to 30 mph. When I took the bike back to the dealer they said I needed to replace the rear tire ( which was true) they also found steering bearings a bit loose. I took the bike back and still had the issue. I kept the bike until the end of Nov. just tolerated the issue with hands on at those speeds. When I put the bike in for winter storage I told the dealer to please look again. The shop said they will check balance and if need be remount and rebalance. I won't know the outcome until March. I'd love to know your resolution if you get one before then.
GJC2
GJC2
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,656
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From: Aledo, Texas
I had the same issue on an '05 Heritage Classic. Installed a mag wheel and new tire - same problem. Checked the pinch bolts on the trees and found a couple to be loose. Problem solved. Also check the steering head and fallaway.