Death Wobble
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 545
Likes: 5
From: North West PA
If you're that worried about it and felt compelled to post yet another thread on this topic, you should of ordered the thing and left your ride parked in the garage until you felt it was safe to ride.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 288
Likes: 3
From: UK
Just to put it in perspective, with well over one million HD touring bikes on tbe roads worldwide since 1979 with this mount system how many fatalities have been attributed by accident investigators to this issue?
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Yeah I do. You could feel the flex, twisting of the bike at the triple tree or steering neck area, right at the dip in the road and resonating after while wobbling. It's a pucker moment for sure!
The pre '14 FL's have been using the same undersized 41mm front fork tubes and non clamping top triple tree design since the 40's I believe. The top tree does not clamp down on the fork tubes they merely guided the tubes allowing flex to occur. The bottom triple tree was clamped and the fork tubes can and will flex, or twist, at the bottom tree clamping point. Simple physics.
The forks are allowed to flex while riding from a front to rear motion. If you mounted LED lighting strips on the side of your fork tubes and film it from another bike while riding you would be surprised at how much they can and do flex from front to back. The design has been due for an overhaul for many years.
Riders today ride on much improved Interstates at far greater speeds than they did back then when this was designed years and years ago. The front end wobble is just one of several ways a wobble can be introduced. And riding aggressively can create a scenario that increases that possibility. If you were to ride passively and never push your bike to its capabilities you may never experience any wobble of any kind. Other than low tire pressure most all of the reasons for the wobble is due to a twisting motion being induced. That's why they are usually always while in a curve of some kind.
On a '14 and up Rushmore you can feel the stiffness or rigidity of the larger fork tubes right away. And hitting that very same dip in the very same sweeper at even greater speeds I didn't feel any flex or twisting in the front end at all. The bike felt like a solid entity just cutting through the corner.
The pre '14 FL's have been using the same undersized 41mm front fork tubes and non clamping top triple tree design since the 40's I believe. The top tree does not clamp down on the fork tubes they merely guided the tubes allowing flex to occur. The bottom triple tree was clamped and the fork tubes can and will flex, or twist, at the bottom tree clamping point. Simple physics.
The forks are allowed to flex while riding from a front to rear motion. If you mounted LED lighting strips on the side of your fork tubes and film it from another bike while riding you would be surprised at how much they can and do flex from front to back. The design has been due for an overhaul for many years.
Riders today ride on much improved Interstates at far greater speeds than they did back then when this was designed years and years ago. The front end wobble is just one of several ways a wobble can be introduced. And riding aggressively can create a scenario that increases that possibility. If you were to ride passively and never push your bike to its capabilities you may never experience any wobble of any kind. Other than low tire pressure most all of the reasons for the wobble is due to a twisting motion being induced. That's why they are usually always while in a curve of some kind.
On a '14 and up Rushmore you can feel the stiffness or rigidity of the larger fork tubes right away. And hitting that very same dip in the very same sweeper at even greater speeds I didn't feel any flex or twisting in the front end at all. The bike felt like a solid entity just cutting through the corner.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,894
Likes: 8,002
From: poway
Yeah I do. You could feel the flex, twisting of the bike at the triple tree or steering neck area, right at the dip in the road and resonating after while wobbling. It's a pucker moment for sure!
The pre '14 FL's have been using the same undersized 41mm front fork tubes and non clamping top triple tree design since the 40's I believe. The top tree does not clamp down on the fork tubes they merely guided the tubes allowing flex to occur. The bottom triple tree was clamped and the fork tubes can and will flex, or twist, at the bottom tree clamping point. Simple physics.
The forks are allowed to flex while riding from a front to rear motion. If you mounted LED lighting strips on the side of your fork tubes and film it from another bike while riding you would be surprised at how much they can and do flex from front to back. The design has been due for an overhaul for many years.
Riders today ride on much improved Interstates at far greater speeds than they did back then when this was designed years and years ago. The front end wobble is just one of several ways a wobble can be introduced. And riding aggressively can create a scenario that increases that possibility. If you were to ride passively and never push your bike to its capabilities you may never experience any wobble of any kind. Other than low tire pressure most all of the reasons for the wobble is due to a twisting motion being induced. That's why they are usually always while in a curve of some kind.
On a '14 and up Rushmore you can feel the stiffness or rigidity of the larger fork tubes right away. And hitting that very same dip in the very same sweeper at even greater speeds I didn't feel any flex or twisting in the front end at all. The bike felt like a solid entity just cutting through the corner.
The pre '14 FL's have been using the same undersized 41mm front fork tubes and non clamping top triple tree design since the 40's I believe. The top tree does not clamp down on the fork tubes they merely guided the tubes allowing flex to occur. The bottom triple tree was clamped and the fork tubes can and will flex, or twist, at the bottom tree clamping point. Simple physics.
The forks are allowed to flex while riding from a front to rear motion. If you mounted LED lighting strips on the side of your fork tubes and film it from another bike while riding you would be surprised at how much they can and do flex from front to back. The design has been due for an overhaul for many years.
Riders today ride on much improved Interstates at far greater speeds than they did back then when this was designed years and years ago. The front end wobble is just one of several ways a wobble can be introduced. And riding aggressively can create a scenario that increases that possibility. If you were to ride passively and never push your bike to its capabilities you may never experience any wobble of any kind. Other than low tire pressure most all of the reasons for the wobble is due to a twisting motion being induced. That's why they are usually always while in a curve of some kind.
On a '14 and up Rushmore you can feel the stiffness or rigidity of the larger fork tubes right away. And hitting that very same dip in the very same sweeper at even greater speeds I didn't feel any flex or twisting in the front end at all. The bike felt like a solid entity just cutting through the corner.
Novice
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Louisville
Thats what I do...Yehaaaa
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
From: Az
Wasn't worried about it, just asked if this was even an issue with the newer models. Sorry, some of us aren't all knowing like others on here.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,442
Likes: 418
From: South Carolina
On my ride home from work, I take a long, high-speed right hand sweeper (ramp from one interstate to another) that never caused me any problems. A few months ago, I started to get a 'wallow' or maybe even a 'wobble' depending on your definition - but only on that one particular sweeper. I'd get a little froggy on some others, but nothing serious...
And yes, tire pressures were fine.
Turns out the tires weren't. Stock Dunlops, rear was pretty badly cupped. Slapped on a new set of Michelins and all is right with the world again.
:-)
And yes, tire pressures were fine.
Turns out the tires weren't. Stock Dunlops, rear was pretty badly cupped. Slapped on a new set of Michelins and all is right with the world again.
:-)
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 127
From: Coastal Carolina
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