Front end wobble
Front end wobble
I have a 2010 Heritage Classic with about 2000 miles on it. Recently the bikes front end seems to have developed an occasional wooble. It is not severe and only happens intermittently. Some times the front end seems loose and other times the back end feels the same. I don't know if the loose feeling is my imagination but the front end defiantly wobbles from time to time. What would be the cause and how would I go about fixing it?
Club Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 463
Likes: 1
From: in a trailer next to a ditch in South Florida
First, you should make sure the tire pressures are where they belong according to your Manual. Then check the torque on the steering head bearings. If they are loose you might hear a slight click on hard braking...they will cause strange handling and steering issues as well if they are loose enough. After torquing them down, grease them well. There's a Zerk fitting in the center of the steering head housing meant for it.
First, you should make sure the tire pressures are where they belong according to your Manual. Then check the torque on the steering head bearings. If they are loose you might hear a slight click on hard braking...they will cause strange handling and steering issues as well if they are loose enough. After torquing them down, grease them well. There's a Zerk fitting in the center of the steering head housing meant for it.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 567
Likes: 1
From: Southeastern KY.
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,298
Likes: 6,324
From: Honah Lee
Just a thought but by the time I had 2K on my Softail with a windshield I thought it had a lot of wind steer and a slight wobble. At 10K of getting use to it and learning to use a slight upper body shift to steer it (so slight you cannot even see it), I have found with no adjustment that it is very stable even behind big trucks which can be a pain. The warranty including Harley's extended warranty transfers (the extended requires you to transfer it but it's free) Steering head bearings are the neck bearings. The fall away adjustment is probably not under warranty. However it's probably a good idea to check it. Mine has 40K and I check it every time it's on my lift. It's never changed. I have greased it once but like car wheel bearings they are factory packed and really probably never need greasing. When you do it with a grease gun, it fills up the whole neck space taking about a tube and tends to come out the bottom for a while. Harley just put the fitting on to sale maintenance for the dealer. Search 'Harley fall away' on youtube for a general idea. Its real easy to do. He very careful since none of these bikes are the same even in the Softail line. You really need a service manual. In my 04 manual there are 4 different ways for the Softail line of bikes
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Nov 25, 2011 at 06:19 PM.
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