Unstable at Highway Speeds
I'll be doing new bearings soon after I PC the rims. The rear of my bike is lowered with bolts, but not the front due to the inverted fork system I have on there. I've checked around but don't think I can get lowering springs for the front.
Thread Starter
|
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 95
Likes: 6
From: Lafayette, LA
Welcome to the crew! Good folks and info here. Hey, just for the heck of it, check or better yet, change your wheel bearings. Starting in 08 (same year as my bike, same issue) , the bearings are smaller in size/width, manufactured badly and seem to fail a lot. I bought my bike new, garaged, rarely ridden in any rain and had 2 wheel bearing failures the first 13 k miles (one at 6 k and next 7 k later...at 65 mph...). You can buy and have installed quality, safe bearings by Timken or All *****, etc. for 25 bucks for full set of bearings and 10 bucks a wheel to install. Cheap life insurance...My second failure at speed did 1200 bucks other damage to the bike and almost made me crash...common issue with 08 and above, do a search...Enjoy and ride safe.
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
1st, have you ever checked or had the spokes checked.. should be done yearly. I do mine spring of every yr.
2nd, have you ever checked or had the neck bearings checked, (fall away test)..
3rd is your front tire in good shape or does it have high-low tread or (cupping).
4th then have your wheel bearings checked.
If all 4 above is fine, then your bike should feel solid at any speed.
.
2nd, have you ever checked or had the neck bearings checked, (fall away test)..
3rd is your front tire in good shape or does it have high-low tread or (cupping).
4th then have your wheel bearings checked.
If all 4 above is fine, then your bike should feel solid at any speed.
.
Novice
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Acworth GA
To echo a couple of suggestions above, check your tire pressure and spokes. Tire pressure is a very common solution to mysterious handling issues. Motorcycle tires have very firm sidewalls so they don't often look low on air even when they are. Good luck and safe riding!
Thread Starter
|
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 95
Likes: 6
From: Lafayette, LA
To echo a couple of suggestions above, check your tire pressure and spokes. Tire pressure is a very common solution to mysterious handling issues. Motorcycle tires have very firm sidewalls so they don't often look low on air even when they are. Good luck and safe riding!
Looks like I've got allot of thing to check out. It's gonna have to wait til this weekend though. I'll report back with my findings.
I would hope your issue would be road surface. I notice on one of our highways around here my bike always seems a little jittery and on others it's always solid, especially the newer surfaces.
Keep a close eye on everything mentioned in the previous posts & ride safe.
Keep a close eye on everything mentioned in the previous posts & ride safe.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 626
Likes: 1
From: Ogden, Utah
1st, have you ever checked or had the spokes checked.. should be done yearly. I do mine spring of every yr.
2nd, have you ever checked or had the neck bearings checked, (fall away test)..
3rd is your front tire in good shape or does it have high-low tread or (cupping).
4th then have your wheel bearings checked.
If all 4 above is fine, then your bike should feel solid at any speed.
.
2nd, have you ever checked or had the neck bearings checked, (fall away test)..
3rd is your front tire in good shape or does it have high-low tread or (cupping).
4th then have your wheel bearings checked.
If all 4 above is fine, then your bike should feel solid at any speed.
.
I had a rear spoke that was broken and didn't know until it I hit the freeway scared the **** out of me. If your getting a wobble check the spokes
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Des Moines
My tire pressure was too low on my 09 Street Glide when I first bought it. Being my first Touring bike, I thought that the weight was stopping me from being able to ride it comfortably-especially in my turns and higher speeds.
After I put the proper air pressure in- totaly different. Rides and handles great now.
After I put the proper air pressure in- totaly different. Rides and handles great now.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 95
Likes: 6
From: Lafayette, LA
So I checked everything suggested and didn't find much except a couple of loose spokes. So all spokes are good, front wheel bearing ok, steering head bearing doesn't have any play in it, tire pressure is good and the tires are fairly new and in good condition.
Took it for another highway ride but paid special close attention to everything. I really think it's me and not the bike. The bike rides smooth and steady and as expected, is more resistant to lean at higher speeds. I think what was bothering me was how sensitive the handlebars are at highway speeds. So I gather that's just normal behavior. Maybe even exaggerated if I have a death grip on the bars!
Good thing I went through this exercise though. It's made me more aware of how I'm riding the bike and I got allot of advice on things I should be checking regularly. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Took it for another highway ride but paid special close attention to everything. I really think it's me and not the bike. The bike rides smooth and steady and as expected, is more resistant to lean at higher speeds. I think what was bothering me was how sensitive the handlebars are at highway speeds. So I gather that's just normal behavior. Maybe even exaggerated if I have a death grip on the bars!
Good thing I went through this exercise though. It's made me more aware of how I'm riding the bike and I got allot of advice on things I should be checking regularly. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 3
From: Central Massachusetts
I had an 07 Deluxe and it really didn't like going 80mph. Much like you said, the bike goes into a shimmy/wobble with any steering input. I have had many bikes over many years including 3 other Softails. I never had a bike shimmy like that bike did. I road raced at Daytona in 03 and did well over 150mph on my race bike on the high banks. The Deluxe regularly got my heart pumping faster than that moment.
This bike didn't like high speeds. I checked the head bearings and spokes, tires/pressures and gave up. I kept it under 70-75mph. I sold it after 2 years.
This bike didn't like high speeds. I checked the head bearings and spokes, tires/pressures and gave up. I kept it under 70-75mph. I sold it after 2 years.