wobble - death??
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 17,548
Likes: 7,175
From: Oxford, Nc
Same thing when I put the new front tire on just before Daytona.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 117
From: Southeast NC
this fall away spec/test is a crock. hahaha. if u dont want headshake then tighten up your steering stem to the point were you have to actually push the handlebars to make them hit the stops. this way you are using your bearings and tightness as a steering dampener. trust me. your not gonna hurt modern bearings my tightening down on them. i do this and i have no headshake. been doing this on motocross bikes for years and the beating they take is much more than a harley gets even a 900 lb ultra. i always laugh when i see this test on you tube.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,463
Likes: 57,019
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
Of course be sure that you check all the little things. In many cases adjusting the neck bearings can/will resolve the issue. I had the same problem on my 1992 and 2009 FLHTCU's and snugging them up did the trick. Good Luck.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,609
Likes: 1,601
From: Eastern Ohio
I laugh everytime I read "don't take your hands off the bars". Any properly set up bike should run true down the road without hands on the bars. Period. I have rode my Softail for miles and miles without my hands on the bars. I use my knees as rudders to steer through light curves and bends. My Electra will ride the same way, but takes more weight shift side to side to get it to turn. Even my Buell will run true down the road with no hands. The basic fundamental of how a motorcycle works is, the gyroscopic momentum of the wheels helps keep the bike upright and continuing in a straight line. You ever see a super bike race? A guy will get into a huge speed wobble, to the point the bike throws him off. The bike then corrects itself and continues straight, without a rider, till it hits a wall or barrier.
It's the same thing in the Jeep forums. "I lifted my Jeep, now I have death wobble." First response, "you need a steering damper". No, a correctly set up steering system works the way it should. It returns itself to running true and straight when no input to the steering is there.
OP, tire, tire pressure, wheel bearings, head bearings, if you have spoked wheels check them and have them trued, like everyone else has said. Unless you somehow changed the steering geometry, ie; lowered the rear but not the front, lowered the front but not the rear, put a huge front wheel and tire on without changing the rake, etc. Good luck tracking it down.
It's the same thing in the Jeep forums. "I lifted my Jeep, now I have death wobble." First response, "you need a steering damper". No, a correctly set up steering system works the way it should. It returns itself to running true and straight when no input to the steering is there.
OP, tire, tire pressure, wheel bearings, head bearings, if you have spoked wheels check them and have them trued, like everyone else has said. Unless you somehow changed the steering geometry, ie; lowered the rear but not the front, lowered the front but not the rear, put a huge front wheel and tire on without changing the rake, etc. Good luck tracking it down.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,463
Likes: 57,019
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
I should note that the only time that I encountered the "wobble" in the front end ( not be confused with the notorious HD Death Wobble ... tracking in sweepers ) was during sudden deceleration while the bars were held very loosely. I never noticed it "at speed" . Again snugging the neck bearings resolved the problem.