Stro1965, if re-torquing of the steering head did not correct this issue, then you have more than one discrepancy to deal with, If you do not mind me saying, I really suggest you dive into the issue deeper. There are plenty of corrective actions that can be done, but each mule is different. Wish I was closer to your AO, I would gladly help you out. If you go back through this string of info, others have supplied you can put together a trouble shooting check list and possibly, through process of elimination, correct it. (in theory). Also, Google your issue, there are millions out there that have alot to say about it, and plenty of vendors who peddle remedies.

Good luck, stay warm.Ride Safe.

 

All of these have fixed other riders wobble issues. Some required only one item, others had to apply a two or more. Do one at a time, road test it, then decide if you need to do more.


1. Adjust tire pressure to max spec
2. Adjust air shock pressure to max spec
3. Check for and tighten loose spokes (for those that have laced wheels)
4. Adjust steering head torque (this is the fall-away test--for RG, it’s 1 to 1.5 swings max)
5. Align the bike: swing arm shaft to rear wheel axle, then rear wheel to front wheel *
6. Increase torque on swing arm shaft nuts
7. R&R fork oil [follow service manual but use type SE Heavy duty 15 wt].
8. R&R front lower motor mount
9. Test swing arm for lateral movement (you need a bike lift to do this). If seems excessive, remove and replace (R&R) Swing Arm rubber bushings; and maybe the bearings too if worn and out of spec

10. Install swing arm stabilizer kit -- choices (sorted by cost as of Feb 2012):
a. Sta-Bo $100-$230 (somewhat similar to the Glide Pro but motor mount xtra and may allow grreater engine vibration translation to frame)
b. Progressive Touring Biker Brace Stabilizer $200
c. Ride-Str8 $260
d. Ultra Ride $260
e. Bagger-Brace $290
f. TRW Missing Link $375
g. Glide Pro $390 (includes front motor mount--no increase in frame vibration)
h. RevTech $400
i. True-Track $400

11. R&R front and rear tires with a matched set. CAUTION: BIAS VS RADIAL: Bias and radial tires have significantly different dynamic properties. They deflect differently, create different cornering forces, have different damping characteristics, as well as other differences. In order for radial tires to be introduced into the two-wheel market, it was necessary to change certain characteristics of the motorcycle. The introduction of the radial tire led to such things as modified frames, new steering geometries and suspensions. Therefore, it is recommended that a motorcycle use the type of tire it originally came with. If a change is to be made, it should only be done if the motorcycle or tire manufacturer has approved the change. Above all, do not mix bias ply and radial tires without the approval of the motorcycle or tire manufacturer.

12. Trade your scooter in, but road test the new one first!

* Refer to service manual; make a “non-flexible” alignment tool (coat hanger wire is not it); and use 8 ft flourescent lamp tubes (not 2x4s). Note that front and wheel center line tracks are typically offest by ź inch or more. You can tweak your alignment to counteract this offset and the center of gravity based on how your bike may to drift left or right (usually to the left) by adjusting the rear wheel axle alignment ever so slightly. The only way to know how much is tweak 1/3 to 2/3 nut rotation at a time, road test, and repeat as until your bike tracks true.


The Road Test:

• On a straight, FLAT (not crowned) road where there’s little to no traffic and plenty of room for the oh *****, momentarily ride hands free at 30, then 40, 50, etc. The bike should track straight and not drift left or right. If it drifts, it’s alignment or weight balance is off. Correct these and try again until the bike tracks straight.
• Accel then decel from various speeds between 30 to 50 or 60 and back down. Your scoot should feel stable. It will vibrate more or less of certain speeds, this is normal, but it’s steering or tendency to want to wobble should not be here. If it is, make adjustments per the wobble fixes above, one at a time.
• Cruise straight at 40, 50, 60, 70. At each speed, induce an ever so slight left-right wiggle into the handle bars, then relax your grip (do not let go completely). Your scoot should wiggle in response to your input but should not feel like it wants to increase in amplitude or get worse on it’s own. If it does, one or more of the fixes above should solve this.
• Final Road Test -- The Sweeper. This is the spooky one and don’t do it until results above show your bike is stable and all speeds you normally ride. Find a long, wide (preferably two lane) sweeping left or right curve that you can take at 60+ with the bike laid over to hold the curve. You will need lots of room on either side in case you need drift out of the tightness of the curve to recover (e.g., second or breakdown lane and with a wide clear area off that [no guard rail, poles, trees or other stationary objects that will bust you in-half if you loose it]). Take the curve on the inside as smooth as possible on the first run. If no evidence of wobble and your scooter feels stable, do it again but this time, about half way through, wiggle the handle bars a tiny bit to induce a wobble. The bike will wiggle from front to back in response to your input but should do nothing more. It should stop when you stop. If it bike’s response (magnitude of wiggle or wobble) is greater than your input, or keeps wiggling / wobbling after you stop, then there’s too much free play in the tires (pressure too low, side wall weak, mismatched set); air shock pressure low; spokes loose; bearings loose or out of spec (steering or swing arm); loose or worn out motor mount or rubber bushings (swing arm); or you have a unique case; e.g., bad frame (I’ve seen one case of this and was covered by warranty).

 

Great troubleshooting info and corrective actions!! That post is the reason I joined this forum. I dont face book or any other crap, just this forum. Thanks again. Gonna start calling you Gandalf the Grey Wizard!!!

 

Adjusting the fall away per the the instructions date June 10, 2009, corrected my decel wobble. So let's review. HD. Respec'd the adjustment, probably too late for the early 2010's. But shipped 2011's and 12's out of their own spec.

According to my dealer they have been adjusting them as part of the 1k service. Since my bike hasn't been serviced by the dealer I had to pay for the adjustment. Hmmm after running my calculator, I'm still money ahead.

Hopefully I don't have to pay for anymore factory oversights.

 

Same thing here. Worse on left hand turns but after 10000+ miles and a set of tires the dealer checked them after I said I would pay if they found no problem. Well I didn't pay, the steering head bearings were out of spec and now the bike is perfect. Don't just settle get it fixed it only has 2 wheels and when the bars shake to me is always a safety issue.

 

For those that don't have a wobble but what others referred to as a front end wiggle or front end feels light/floaty going straight at 70+, the fix is getting the wheels dynamically balanced--or better, use dyna-beads or other similar balancing beads. Several folks over the last 5 years have used this fix, including me.

 

--------

 

Once again, stupidity rears its head...First of all, people on other forums like Road Glide Garage never blow off problems/issues like some folks here do...Are you telling me that if you took your hands off the wheel of your car and the wheel oscillated violently, that you'd laugh it off and just resign yourself to not taking your hands off the wheel so you could mask the problem? Try GOOGLE! This is a well-known and widespread problem that the MoCo KNOWS about and has done little to address...I paid $25,000 for my ride, and I expect it to perform flawlessly! "Nonsensical problem"??? This won't occur with a single finger on the bars, only happens at 38-42 mph (in most cases), and can be so violent that you'd wreck if you didn't put your hands back on the bars...Clearly there is a vibration that is being masked/damped by a hand on the bars, but there is a serious underlying problem...If you log on to strings like this just to poke fun of those who are seriously trying to make sense of something, that makes you an idiot. If you have nothing to add, just go on the "MY BIKE'S COOLER THAN YOURS BECAUSE IT HAS MORE CHROME" forum, buy some streamers for your grips, or get some more tribal tattoos.


Have a nice day.

SquireJim

 

Jim, Again, I agree with you. "Chrome wont get you home!!".

Any how, I did correct my wobble on the 2011 Road Glide. I re-Torqued the neck bearing, using a manufactured tool as per the service bulletin. I then tested it. The wobble was much less, but still there. And the swing was out of specs. as per HD's manual/SB.

I then re-balanced the wheels and adjusted air pressure to max(balance was out, but barely). Test road again. And the wobble went away completely. All this, after I picked it up from the dealer brand new. All this after I told the dealer it was doing it during my test ride. They of course said-"ahhh they all do it" I advised them other wise and asked for it to be corrected as per the SB. They said they did. The day I picked it up, it was snowing like a bastard, I trailer'ed it home, suspecting they did not do ****.

First ride confirmed my suspicions. F**k em', I knew they were full of ****, but the deal on it was hard to pass up, over 4k under MSRP because it was a 2011 left over surrounded by a slew of 2012's. I easily corrected it, using advice from this forum.
And for those of you who are gonna say, you should not of bought it, eff off, I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I was confident I could correct it. Again, it was great advice from this forum's membership that helped guide me in the troubleshooting process. So Thanks to all you out there that took the issue seriously. And thanks to all you knuckle heads who typed in dumb *** ****, you made me laugh, I hope you never experience the death wobble.

Also, still interested in after market product to stiffen the *** end, but for now, going to continue to monitor air pressure/neck bearing and balance... & I suspect HD will address this issue, post all the law suits, win or lose. I am of the opinion, that if they do confirm the issue with a solid engineering fix, it could be an admission of guilt in said law suits?? Maybe?? I dunno....I aint no smooth faced, full of **** lawyer!!

 

To say all of this is a little distressing is an understatement. Previously, I had a BMW LT which exhibited a wobble on decel. Dealer could not fix it and I, eventually, sold the bike.

I really stretched the checkbook and bought a 2012 Electra Glide Classic, in part because I was told the new frame and the new way the engine was mounted to the frame eliminated the dreaded "Death wobble" that had afflicted previous models of Harleys.

But, I guess this isn't the case. Sounds like there still might be a problem. Does the wobble afflict mostly Road Glides or all baggers ? I've only had the bike a few days and only have a few miles on it so I can't say if mine exhibits this wobble or not. I haven't noticed anything yet. I just looked and my tires are Dunlop 408F. Are these problem tires ?

As you can see, I'm freaking out a little bit. I was a victim of a tank slapper once (Resulting in a crash) and it's something I never want to go through again.