Steering dampners
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Don't hang around, replace your tyres now! Fresh aftermarket rubber can transform your bike. Various things can cause the feeling you had, such as the rear tyre wear pattern, where the central part develops an 'edge' with the less used outer sections of the tread. A bad patch of road surface while you are close to that edge can give you a real scare! That is the time I change my tyres, in fact did so recently on my Buell precisely due to that very problem.
Last edited by grbrown; Apr 9, 2018 at 06:42 AM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 798
From: Bear Flag, lower end
I know that flyway well. If you felt it the bars, it sounds like a front end issue. Every time I have felt a wobble in higher speed curves has been from the rear.
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 280
Likes: 80
From: NW Illinois
So I figured I'd just try one and see. I'll let you all know if it helps.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 462
Likes: 87
From: Southern California
I did feel it in the bars. That's when I inspected the tires carefully. Looking like normal wear, but wear nonetheless.
New tires on the car feel good. No reason the bike should be different I suppose.
New tires on the car feel good. No reason the bike should be different I suppose.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 462
Likes: 87
From: Southern California
My brother has ridden Harleys since the 70's, including a very long ride in his custom built, rigid frame, 16' over wideglide front, Panhead. I remember him talking about a wobble once at a high speedon one of his newer bikes. Next time I see him I will be asking him about that.
Also, it seems that at one time, steering dampners were not all that uncommon.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 32,934
Likes: 36,027
From: Carlsbad, CA
The TriGlides come with a steering dampener. The components should fit the same model year.
But, if you didnt have this issue before Id be thinking something changed.
And I wouldnt increase front tire pressure,
But, if you didnt have this issue before Id be thinking something changed.
And I wouldnt increase front tire pressure,
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 462
Likes: 87
From: Southern California
I've had the bike for only about three weeks and have put about 600 miles on it so I have nothing to really compare it to. Good info on the TriGlides. Thank you.
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 120
Likes: 33
From: Elkhorn, NE
I'm glad you're OK and was able to control the shaking. It's pretty spooky when it happens.
Before I got a Harley, I was riding a Kawasaki Voyager. It was a really nice bike and had been very well maintained. After I got it, I started noticing some "pulsating" in the bars every now and then. It could happen when going slow or fast, in a turn or in a straight. It didn't happen often, just at random times. A previous owner had installed a fork "super brace" and everything I read online as a possible remedy had already been done. I finally installed a dampener and it didn't help at all. It gradually got worse to the point one day, going 25 on a straight road, the bar shaking turned pretty violent. I parked it in the garage and bought the Harley a short time later.
The bike had been to the dealer who never noticed any issues on test rides or saw anything when going through the bike. Specifically, I had the tires checked more than once at more than one dealer. There literally just wasn't anything wrong with the bike at all.
As time went on, I wanted the thing out of my garage, but I didn't want to sell it with this issue either. Finally, a friend of mine said he wanted it. I explained the issue to him in detail and knowing that he was a long time biker, I knew he knew what he was getting into.
A few weeks after he bought it, he rode it over to my house. He had a new front tire put on the bike and had no issues at all. I took it for a quick ride myself (which was hard to shift after getting used to the Harley heel/toe shifter lol). The bike felt very smooth, very stable. Better than it ever felt to me.
Not sure what was wrong with the tire or why no one could see anything wrong, but it sure seems like that was the problem all along. I hope this is the case with yours also.
Good luck to you and ride safe!
Before I got a Harley, I was riding a Kawasaki Voyager. It was a really nice bike and had been very well maintained. After I got it, I started noticing some "pulsating" in the bars every now and then. It could happen when going slow or fast, in a turn or in a straight. It didn't happen often, just at random times. A previous owner had installed a fork "super brace" and everything I read online as a possible remedy had already been done. I finally installed a dampener and it didn't help at all. It gradually got worse to the point one day, going 25 on a straight road, the bar shaking turned pretty violent. I parked it in the garage and bought the Harley a short time later.
The bike had been to the dealer who never noticed any issues on test rides or saw anything when going through the bike. Specifically, I had the tires checked more than once at more than one dealer. There literally just wasn't anything wrong with the bike at all.
As time went on, I wanted the thing out of my garage, but I didn't want to sell it with this issue either. Finally, a friend of mine said he wanted it. I explained the issue to him in detail and knowing that he was a long time biker, I knew he knew what he was getting into.
A few weeks after he bought it, he rode it over to my house. He had a new front tire put on the bike and had no issues at all. I took it for a quick ride myself (which was hard to shift after getting used to the Harley heel/toe shifter lol). The bike felt very smooth, very stable. Better than it ever felt to me.
Not sure what was wrong with the tire or why no one could see anything wrong, but it sure seems like that was the problem all along. I hope this is the case with yours also.
Good luck to you and ride safe!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,534
Likes: 3,938
From: Virginia
Have the front tire checked, could have lost a weight, could be worn unevenly, assume tire pressure is ok. Have them check the front steering assembly as well. What typically happens is you change lanes and your tire hits one of those little lane dividers and just that is enough to unsettle the front steering and you feel the shaking in the handlebars. You were lucky you slowed down and the shaking slowed and stopped. It could have just as easily kept getting worse resulting in a crash. Get the underlying problem fixed. This is not the Harley wobble, this is a mechanical issue that can happen on any brand of motorcycle.