I got 13K on an 07 UC and have never experienced the "wobble". I ride at no more than 10 over the posted limit, keep my tires inflated and am 2up most of the time.

 

Take this from an oldMan: you can thank god you never experienced the "wobble".

 

This might be the first 'wobble' thread that I actually enjoyed reading.

Good question, easy going opinions, and no bashing of others reasons or opinions.

Excellent!

 

The wobble is over exaggerated. Not a big deal at all. If you're flying around a gentle curve at 80 mph especially when riding 2 up you may feel somewhat of a rear end wobble if you go through any kind of dip in the curve. It is normal, they do it, I love it! It reminds me of when you're driving in your car in California on the rain grooves and you feel the steering wheel pull left then right as it follows a groove. No biggy. Not gonna make you crash. Ride on!

 

Not saying that the wobble has not occurred for some, but from my own personal observation it must be very uncommon. I have been riding Harleys for 38 years and have never experienced the wobble myself. During those 38-years I have rode many miles in groups of other bikes and I have never saw the wobble on any of those bikes or heard any of the riders complain of experiencing the wobble. My conclusion is that if the reported wobble was indeed a design flaw the problem would be observable in most bikes. Since I have not observed the wobble in my own bike or any of the thousands of bikes I have ridden with I can only conclude the problem is caused by external factors. Having never experienced it myself, I have no idea if these external factors are loading, weight distribution, air pressure, mechanical wear, pavement irregularities, or any combination of the above, or something else entirely. If those who have actually experienced the wobble would list the conditions it might be useful.

 

You question and the way you asked it is perfectly normal. Dont let a few cranky people stop you from engauging in any pertanant exchange here or any forum.

They all have the wobble (all pre 09 HD touring platforms) and if your not feeling it, your just too used to it by now...thats all.

I concur 100% perfect reply.

I think people are lumping two specific types of abnormal feedback from the bike into one basket.

There is a loose feeling that I felt from day one.....sort of a feeling like the rear tire was following a rain groove that aint there. I thought it was just the POS Dunlop tires.

Then there is more of what I would call a wallow. This can be felt while taking a sweeping turn at any speed over about 50MPH if you go over any sort of dip or bump in the road. Some times it is more serious than others, and sometimes you hardly feel it. It is there though....and it is far from normal feedback that a bike should give.

I installed the TWR Missing Link and the loose feeling was gone, as was any degree of wallow. So....I could care less what others feel or dont feel. My bike had a problem common to ALL HD touring platforms. I fixed it with a $300 or so part. It feels like a totally different bike in the turns now, and my riding enjoyment has increased by several orders of magnitude. Now after I put on a nice set of Metzler 880's this Winter, I think the SG will have road manors more in line with what the bike was made for.

For what I would call a very small investment in the overall scheme of all things Harley I have made my bike much more enjoyable and comfortable to ride.....no different than changing a seat IMHO. I never hear people crying to the MOCO that they bought a touring bike, but they can only ride it for three hours before their a$$ starts hurting. No they just go out and buy a better seat and ride on.

 

""It is there though....and it is far from normal feedback that a bike should give.""

I don't know what is normal for a Harley touring bike, but I think that is subjective. I felt the discussion was a suggestion that MOCO should take some responsibility in fixing the wobble. My opinion is that while I know there is a wobble, so few riders feel it because the bike has to be pushed out of the average riders operating envelope. I think the stabilizers are a great mode just like I think the tachometer is a great mod for the RK. But I don’t think MOCO should help me with the cost anymore than they should help me add the tach. No maybe my opinion will change in time. But that’s how I feel at the moment.

Beary

 

If you have experienced the wobble, found it less than enjoyable, and wish to avoid repeating the experience, then there are several products on the market that will reduce your perception of the wobble. I experienced it a little on my '06 Road King, but really felt it on my '07 Road Glide. The Glide is heavier, and I tend to ride it faster, but I'd pulled off to check tires several times - it really felt like a rear losing pressure. I had come to the conclusion that it was a symptom of riding a heavy bike too fast - although the bike seemed to wallow if I went too slow, as well. I kept changing my riding style to suit the bike, figuring that was just part of The Harley Experience.

Then the '09s came out with the new frame, and it got rave reviews because it handled better - and many reviews included comments with the words "wobble" or "wallow" in them. OK - maybe it wasn't my riding style! Several members here had posted about braces, and not a single person said "Boy, I'm pi$$ed - I spent $400 on this brace, and it didn't improve anything!". No, the reviews usually included "Best $xxx I've spent on my HD".

So I paid my $ and I made my choice. VERY glad I did. End of story.

OTOH, if you are not experiencing wobble - don't fix it!

 

part of my justification in getting a stabalizer (but you have to remember, my wife says i can justify anything) is that regardless of wether i feel one or not, i do believe that the rear wheel could be more stabilized, if you will.

so if one day i am riding along in a normal fashion and then bang, something happens and i have to rely on the bike super performing in some manuver, i might think that i have a better chance of completing the manuever with an additional stabilizer.

so i would think it is like an insurance policy - there if i need it, but hoping i never do.

 

That is not true. The rear steer (which is a more accurate term) can happen at legal speeds under certain conditions. And yes, there are some other factors that will aggravate the problem, but it is a design flaw that has existed for many years. The reason it is being talked about so much now is the large number of bikes on the road. The MOCO will never accept responsibility, and the lawsuits now in progress will be settled out of court.

Buy a brace if you want, but stop denying there is an issue.