I have searched the forums on "wobble" and never found a definite answer. Last weekend I went riding with some buds on a long multi road run. I noticed that my bros RG could do things that my UC wouldnt even think about. He was "line dancing" on the RG at fairly low speeds (15 mph) and when I tried it on the UC it would wobble horribly. He has an Accutrak installed on his RG which is simular to the Trutrack, but without the ground clearence issue. It is made by a local shop and cost about the same. He also said that it doesnt skitter around on the highway like it did.

Does anyone have any advise about this? I have not had any hilgh speed issues yet, but do not want to either. Do they make that much of a difference?

 

You bet. The road glide will always handle better than the ULTRA because of the mounting of the fairing and its aerodynamic shape. The bat wing is Harley tradition and not in the league of handling with the road glide and no amount of tweaking will change that. But there is something about that batwing coming down the road that is unmistakebly Harley. The same cannot be said for any other model. Be careful at speeds above 85mph. Wind drifts against the tourpak ,fairing or lowers can take years off your life. I know. I have been there more than once. If you do get into a high speed wobble: slowly back of the throttle and stay off the brakes while leaning as far forward as possible and praying loudly. You may just live to tell about it. For that reason I rarely exceed 85mph and I am always aware of wind currents. Be happy with your Ultra . IT IS THE FLAGSHIP OF THE FLEET ,in spite of its shortcomings. I wouldnt have anything else.

 

what no takers?

 

I've never had any low speed issues with the Ultra, but have had a couple of "events" at highway speed. Both occured when I hit a sharp bump in the middle of a corner fully loaded and two up. It set the chassis to oscillating with the bars moving left to right. It felt like the whole frame was hinged in the middle. It settles back down after a few oscillations, but it's a bit unsettling.
I imagine that either of the products you mentioned would eliminate this, but I have no experience with them.

 

The guys i ride with and I have true tracks and love them. True track was a pleasure to deal with. I dont know about the accutrack, but im sure it works fine. Ive never had any dragging problems with my true track but i can see howthat could be an issue. Definently advise some some kind of corrective device for harleys touring wobble problem.

 

Instead of praying ...............do the smart thing........

Come off the throttle and apply the rear brake lighty. This stretches out the bikes suspension. This has worked for me many times at high speeds

 

Havent been around for a couple of days, 3' of snow, 12 hour shifts, generally sleep and work.

I did have a high speed issue once at 110 mph but it was slight and momentary. Hopefully I can get down to the shop tommorow and look at the "accutrak". My UC is lowered so I am concerned about ground clearance. I will report my findings.

 

MK,

When I first bought my 96 FLHTC with 35,000 miles I soon found an oscilation at 83-85mph. The bars would go left to right and it felt like the rear tire was whipping back and forth. I could however accelerate out of the oscilation. Also it felt very unstable at low speed, like it wanted to fall into a corner.

I found the upper stabilizer link, between the jugs was worn out and sloppy. Its easy to check if its tight or not. Put your right middle finger on the end of the link behind the aircleaner and shake the bars hard with your left hand. If you feel any movement your links are worn out, replace both. Also check your front rubber motor mount for cracks.

Once I replaced mine it felt like a new bike, rock solid at any speed.

Hope you get it worked out, love that 100th anniv. Black and Silver!

V2

 

I've found changing my steering technique helped considerably. Instead of pulling on the outside bar, I push on the inside bar almost exclusively. This change makes a noticable difference in how the bike 'sets' in the corner. It drops in easier and is more stable. I have even tried hitting mid-corner bumps at 70+, which would always start it wobbling, with no effect. I have gone so far as to lift my outside hand off the bar so I won't unconsciously apply any 'tugging' force to the bar. It may sound silly, but try it.
Of course, this is assuming all your mounts are good and everything is in proper alignment.

 

I have 2003 FLHRCI. The first "wobble" I expereinced was with stock suspension, new metzler tires,12k on the odometer, and a fully laden bike (one-up) on a tour. I neglected to do a competent pre-ride after shipping my bike by air to the tour location. The first day I was wallowing all over the road an any turn, left or right. That evening the learned advice was "check your air pressure".....doh!!!....ZERO in the shocks and 32 in the tires!!....boy was my face red. I set the shocks to 30 and the tires to 44F/46R...as the metzlers run higher than the dunlops.....NEVER had another wobble that trip, but I didn't feel all that secure in high speed corners.

That was my first long tour (3000 miles) with experienced riders and diverse road conditions. I noticed several of the riders had aftermarket suspension setups that seemed to enable them to push a little harder in the twisties and thus began my quest for a better handling Road King.

Fast forward....bike is lowered 1" rear with progressive 440's, lowered 1" front with racetech springs and emulators, tru-track stabilizer link for the swingarm, new floating rotors and lyndall brake pads, big bore kit, rineharts, 20K on the odometer and newly installed nine spoke wheels and metzler tires with CORRECT air pressure. The big bore had been done at the end of the aforementioned tour and proven to be a reliable upgrade that cried out for more stable handling. The remaining upgrades were completed within 100 miles of one another with the wheels and tires last. Not the best way to evaluate upgrades, I admit.

The initial test ride after the wheel/tire change had me spooked....when I went into a left turn, the bike felt like it was sliding out from under me....not extreme, just a subtle slide.....when I went into a right turn, the bike would "crab"...sort of weave right,standup,weave right,standup...I rechecked everything, air pressure, shock settings, weight in the saddlebags, tire spacers, neck bearings, axle adjusting cams were seated the same....what gives?? For some reason I decided to measure the rear axle from the swingarm pivot like I used to do in the seventies. I found that even though the adjusting cams were seated correctly, the axle was 3/32" farther back on the right side! A small amount to be sure, but when I set each side the same, the bike tracked like it was on rails and has been that way ever since!

What I have learned from all this is:

If the bike handles equally bad in left and right turns check tire condition, air pressure, neck bearings, swing arm bushings and such.

If left and right turns initiate seperate symptoms....check the wheel alignment.

Evaluating bagger handling on a windy day is FUTILE. ;- )

mahalos for your time

Choke