Free Fix for Touring Wobble
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 689
Likes: 6
From: Glen Rose TX
If the MOCO officially recognizes this problem and initiates a recall, it will open then up to many lawsuits.
Right now if they deny the problem, it has to be proven in court that the problem exists, which can be tough to do against their legal team.
If they do a recall it will be the same as them admitting fault. Then the lawsuits will start rolling in since they no longer need to prove the problem exists, since the MOCO admitted it with the recall.
Sad, but they CAN not admit to it, even if they know it it to be true.
~ RIDE SAFE ~
Right now if they deny the problem, it has to be proven in court that the problem exists, which can be tough to do against their legal team.
If they do a recall it will be the same as them admitting fault. Then the lawsuits will start rolling in since they no longer need to prove the problem exists, since the MOCO admitted it with the recall.
Sad, but they CAN not admit to it, even if they know it it to be true.
~ RIDE SAFE ~
FIXED IT!
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
OP: You forgot one "normal" that is the gross vehicle weight. No pre 09 HD touring with proper tire inflation, proper steering head bearing adjustment and not exceeding the weight restrictions on the tour pack, saddle bags and two up limitations will have any problem with wobble.
However put a hefty couple (come on you know most are well over weight), load down the bags and trunk with out putting the heaviest items in the bottom of the saddle bags and put heavy stuff in the tour pack then load up a rack on top of the tour pack. Then bast through high speed sweepers on the road. Guess what? That sucker will be in trouble.
Harley went to Sturgis a number of times during the development for the new frame and asked to weight bikes. What did they find? That the majority of touring bikes traveling were horribly over capacity.
What did they do? They increased touring capacities in 09 and now further in the 14's.
By the way there was a post that had a video made in England a few years ago about wobble and weave. ALL bikes can experience both. The video showed a rider making a bike do that and then corrected the condition.
No matter what HD does it can not fix stupid. Have an 08 or earlier and are going to travel. Read the manual, load to specs or less and you will not have a problem.
The biggest single problem with the wobble was operator error in loading and maintenance. Again HD cannot control that.
However put a hefty couple (come on you know most are well over weight), load down the bags and trunk with out putting the heaviest items in the bottom of the saddle bags and put heavy stuff in the tour pack then load up a rack on top of the tour pack. Then bast through high speed sweepers on the road. Guess what? That sucker will be in trouble.
Harley went to Sturgis a number of times during the development for the new frame and asked to weight bikes. What did they find? That the majority of touring bikes traveling were horribly over capacity.
What did they do? They increased touring capacities in 09 and now further in the 14's.
By the way there was a post that had a video made in England a few years ago about wobble and weave. ALL bikes can experience both. The video showed a rider making a bike do that and then corrected the condition.
No matter what HD does it can not fix stupid. Have an 08 or earlier and are going to travel. Read the manual, load to specs or less and you will not have a problem.
The biggest single problem with the wobble was operator error in loading and maintenance. Again HD cannot control that.
Last edited by lh4x4; Nov 4, 2013 at 07:26 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
I was doing a search for "road king rear wobble" and found this thread. I have a 14' road king and have experienced a wobble a few times now. At first I was thinking it as just my head playing games. It doesn't do it all the time .... Last week was the last time..... I was take a left hand turn at a stop light in town ( was NOT going fast at all) and my back tire felt like it was gonna come out from under me. I pulled right over and checked my back wheel/tire and everything seemed fine. My wife was behind me in the minivan so I told her to keep an eye out on that tire as were drove about 5 miles to walmart. In the walmart parking lot I tried the same type of turn at roughly the say speed and I didn't feel anything. There are some times the bike feels a little unstable but I always put it with being the road. Now after do this search and reading on it I'm starting to wonder and will be paying a lot more attention to it.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 76
From: Westland Mi
Havent decided for sure yet. Thats what I meant by leaning towards. My initial reaction is that most of these stabilizing devices are a very simple and basic design. They seem to be conceptually the same so
. material quality, tolerances and workmanship are the real issues, IMO. I will admit that if the prices were the same, Id probably go with something that has longer track record and was tested & proven along with more available customer feedback. A couple of hundred dollars does mean a lot to me. Id really like to order all of them so I could evaluate and then choose one. While were on the subject, which product would you suggest and why. .
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 687
Likes: 1
From: Texas
My opinion is that if you experience this so called wobble, but the aftermarket fix and move on or sell the bike and buy a different brand. More threads and complaints won't change the options you have.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,459
Likes: 2,896
From: Oklahoma
Mine (08 Road King) seems more stable when 2 up. When by myself in the fast sweepers there is a little "hunting" in the turn, no hint of a tank slapper kind of thing. I take those same turns at the same speed when 2 up. My experience may be unique.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
OP: You forgot one "normal" that is the gross vehicle weight. No pre 09 HD touring with proper tire inflation, proper steering head bearing adjustment and not exceeding the weight restrictions on the tour pack, saddle bags and two up limitations will have any problem with wobble.
However put a hefty couple (come on you know most are well over weight), load down the bags and trunk with out putting the heaviest items in the bottom of the saddle bags and put heavy stuff in the tour pack then load up a rack on top of the tour pack. Then bast through high speed sweepers on the road. Guess what? That sucker will be in trouble.
Harley went to Sturgis a number of times during the development for the new frame and asked to weight bikes. What did they find? That the majority of touring bikes traveling were horribly over capacity.
What did they do? They increased touring capacities in 09 and now further in the 14's.
By the way there was a post that had a video made in England a few years ago about wobble and weave. ALL bikes can experience both. The video showed a rider making a bike do that and then corrected the condition.
No matter what HD does it can not fix stupid. Have an 08 or earlier and are going to travel. Read the manual, load to specs or less and you will not have a problem.
The biggest single problem with the wobble was operator error in loading and maintenance. Again HD cannot control that.
However put a hefty couple (come on you know most are well over weight), load down the bags and trunk with out putting the heaviest items in the bottom of the saddle bags and put heavy stuff in the tour pack then load up a rack on top of the tour pack. Then bast through high speed sweepers on the road. Guess what? That sucker will be in trouble.
Harley went to Sturgis a number of times during the development for the new frame and asked to weight bikes. What did they find? That the majority of touring bikes traveling were horribly over capacity.
What did they do? They increased touring capacities in 09 and now further in the 14's.
By the way there was a post that had a video made in England a few years ago about wobble and weave. ALL bikes can experience both. The video showed a rider making a bike do that and then corrected the condition.
No matter what HD does it can not fix stupid. Have an 08 or earlier and are going to travel. Read the manual, load to specs or less and you will not have a problem.
The biggest single problem with the wobble was operator error in loading and maintenance. Again HD cannot control that.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,478
Likes: 64
From: West Liberty, Ohio
I was doing a search for "road king rear wobble" and found this thread. I have a 14' road king and have experienced a wobble a few times now. At first I was thinking it as just my head playing games. It doesn't do it all the time .... Last week was the last time..... I was take a left hand turn at a stop light in town ( was NOT going fast at all) and my back tire felt like it was gonna come out from under me. I pulled right over and checked my back wheel/tire and everything seemed fine. My wife was behind me in the minivan so I told her to keep an eye out on that tire as were drove about 5 miles to walmart. In the walmart parking lot I tried the same type of turn at roughly the say speed and I didn't feel anything. There are some times the bike feels a little unstable but I always put it with being the road. Now after do this search and reading on it I'm starting to wonder and will be paying a lot more attention to it.
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
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 5,977
Likes: 85
From: Nevada
I was doing a search for "road king rear wobble" and found this thread. I have a 14' road king and have experienced a wobble a few times now. At first I was thinking it as just my head playing games. It doesn't do it all the time .... Last week was the last time..... I was take a left hand turn at a stop light in town ( was NOT going fast at all) and my back tire felt like it was gonna come out from under me. I pulled right over and checked my back wheel/tire and everything seemed fine. My wife was behind me in the minivan so I told her to keep an eye out on that tire as were drove about 5 miles to walmart. In the walmart parking lot I tried the same type of turn at roughly the say speed and I didn't feel anything. There are some times the bike feels a little unstable but I always put it with being the road. Now after do this search and reading on it I'm starting to wonder and will be paying a lot more attention to it.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,053
Likes: 39
From: San Diego
Never saw any forum posts about high speed wobble on bikes that were doing the posted speed limit on sweeping turns. It was always from people exceeding those limits.
Maybe that is why HD never publically responded.
On my 07 I only experienced high speed wobble when going significantly over the posted limits on highway sweepers. Slowing down just a bit always made the wobble go away.
Maybe these are 800 lbs. cruisers, not racers.
No wobble at all with my 12.
Maybe that is why HD never publically responded.
On my 07 I only experienced high speed wobble when going significantly over the posted limits on highway sweepers. Slowing down just a bit always made the wobble go away.
Maybe these are 800 lbs. cruisers, not racers.
No wobble at all with my 12.