Bagger wobble exposed!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,524
Likes: 34
From: Maryland
And your point is?? I did read a number of posts, did appreciate all the POV's, and suspected that the True Track was the preferred solution. Merely asking Graham for any additional insight if he cared to share.
Guess I should have PM'd him, so you would not have to have been held up for 3 seconds by getting thru my post. Sorry for your inconvenience......
Oh, have a nice day.
Guess I should have PM'd him, so you would not have to have been held up for 3 seconds by getting thru my post. Sorry for your inconvenience......
Oh, have a nice day.
You aren't sorry for my inconvenience, but you should be. You should be sorry to everyone for inconveniencing them and showing your *** by writing a post that CLEARLY shows you couldn't be bothered to read everything in the thread.
Hell, 7 months ago Graham added to the original post two links leading you to posts later in the thread that directly say True-Track, so lazy people like you wouldn't keep asking what has already been revealed. So you couldn't even be bothered to completely read Grahams original post in the thread!
I don't care if you have a nice day or not
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 7
I've owned several late model touring bikes, and the only one that had the wobble is the one I currently own. It's a 2006 seuc. I had owned the bike for less than a month, dove into a fast sweeper and there it was. Not a life or death experience, but very noticeable. I've always believed that some bikes have it, and some don't. I installed a bagger brace and all was fine. I did my research, and most of what was out there looked like the same setup, slightly different little design changes, but they all did the same thing. The bagger brace looked to be well made and was affordable. It's been on my bike now for over 5 years.
That said, there have been people killed by the wobble. It's not easily found information, but they have. If you look hard enough, it's there.
Last year, I replaced my front tire, a Dunlop, that had served me pretty well. I had about 17,000 miles on it. I had heard all the hype about the new Michelin commander 2 and jumped on one. Woah, what a mistake. Instantly, my bike had the dreaded death wobble at high speeds even straight down the road. I spent lots of time and $$ trying to figure it out, when the answer should have been simple. It was the new tire. I swapped it for an Avon venom, and my bike handles better than it ever has.
Not trying to hijack, just sharing information. If you have a wobble, don't overlook the tires. And fwiw, I like the bagger brace. It does what it says and has worked fine for over 5 years.
That said, there have been people killed by the wobble. It's not easily found information, but they have. If you look hard enough, it's there.
Last year, I replaced my front tire, a Dunlop, that had served me pretty well. I had about 17,000 miles on it. I had heard all the hype about the new Michelin commander 2 and jumped on one. Woah, what a mistake. Instantly, my bike had the dreaded death wobble at high speeds even straight down the road. I spent lots of time and $$ trying to figure it out, when the answer should have been simple. It was the new tire. I swapped it for an Avon venom, and my bike handles better than it ever has.
Not trying to hijack, just sharing information. If you have a wobble, don't overlook the tires. And fwiw, I like the bagger brace. It does what it says and has worked fine for over 5 years.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 17,547
Likes: 7,153
From: Oxford, Nc
I've owned several late model touring bikes, and the only one that had the wobble is the one I currently own. It's a 2006 seuc. I had owned the bike for less than a month, dove into a fast sweeper and there it was. Not a life or death experience, but very noticeable. I've always believed that some bikes have it, and some don't. I installed a bagger brace and all was fine. I did my research, and most of what was out there looked like the same setup, slightly different little design changes, but they all did the same thing. The bagger brace looked to be well made and was affordable. It's been on my bike now for over 5 years.
That said, there have been people killed by the wobble. It's not easily found information, but they have. If you look hard enough, it's there.
Last year, I replaced my front tire, a Dunlop, that had served me pretty well. I had about 17,000 miles on it. I had heard all the hype about the new Michelin commander 2 and jumped on one. Woah, what a mistake. Instantly, my bike had the dreaded death wobble at high speeds even straight down the road. I spent lots of time and $$ trying to figure it out, when the answer should have been simple. It was the new tire. I swapped it for an Avon venom, and my bike handles better than it ever has.
Not trying to hijack, just sharing information. If you have a wobble, don't overlook the tires. And fwiw, I like the bagger brace. It does what it says and has worked fine for over 5 years.
That said, there have been people killed by the wobble. It's not easily found information, but they have. If you look hard enough, it's there.
Last year, I replaced my front tire, a Dunlop, that had served me pretty well. I had about 17,000 miles on it. I had heard all the hype about the new Michelin commander 2 and jumped on one. Woah, what a mistake. Instantly, my bike had the dreaded death wobble at high speeds even straight down the road. I spent lots of time and $$ trying to figure it out, when the answer should have been simple. It was the new tire. I swapped it for an Avon venom, and my bike handles better than it ever has.
Not trying to hijack, just sharing information. If you have a wobble, don't overlook the tires. And fwiw, I like the bagger brace. It does what it says and has worked fine for over 5 years.
I've got a lot of miles on the RG and through my "preventative maintenance" program things that might break or wear out I've replaced at my convenience just because I thought I should.
Those include motor mounts and swingarm bushings at about 100,000 miles. The clevis blocks in the swingarm weren't leaking and I still haven't replaced them because I've still never experienced a wobble on this bike. ( I can certainly tell there's a "softness" back there but it's never surprised me, and its always been that way - predictable.)
But the tires I run may well contribute too. The Dunlop E-3's seem to have a stiffer sidewall and harder rubber compound for the longevity I need. That stiffer compound may very well contribute to the bike's stability ( or perhaps just decrease the factors that contribute to the beginning of the wobble.)
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 7
I'm a automotive dealer tech. I'm pretty convinced that manufacturers design their vehicles to work with the components installed when the vehicle is delivered. Therefore I thought that my bike would be best served using factory tires. I could change back tires and never really noticed any kind of handling difference. But every time I threw on a new Dunlop front, my bike lost some stability. It would gradually come back after 5,000 miles or so. Getting tired of changing rear tires every 7,000 miles, I decided to try a commander 2 for its 'claimed' longer mileage. No difference in handling. But when I changed the front to a matching commander 2 it made my bike dangerous. During my trials and tribulations of trying to fix my bikes new found instability, a veteran bike builder said 'try venoms, that's all I will ever run' He apparently new something I didn't. I've owned this bike since 2007 and it's never, ever handled with the stability it has now.
I posted this information some time back in a different thread, and someone said 'you should be able to run whatever tire you want, you're covering up the problem, not fixing it' Maybe so, but it works. I will be a loyal Avon user from here forth.
I posted this information some time back in a different thread, and someone said 'you should be able to run whatever tire you want, you're covering up the problem, not fixing it' Maybe so, but it works. I will be a loyal Avon user from here forth.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 7
And fwiw, I never would have dreamed a tire could make that much of a difference. I ran across someone on this forum with a 2007 street glide that had similar issues. I recommended they try a venom, and they posted back that it completely fixed their issue as well. They were at the point that they were terrified to ride the bike.
Again, just sharing in hopes it may help someone...
Again, just sharing in hopes it may help someone...
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,524
Likes: 34
From: Maryland
And fwiw, I never would have dreamed a tire could make that much of a difference. I ran across someone on this forum with a 2007 street glide that had similar issues. I recommended they try a venom, and they posted back that it completely fixed their issue as well. They were at the point that they were terrified to ride the bike.
Again, just sharing in hopes it may help someone...
Again, just sharing in hopes it may help someone...
Like you though, I'd have never guessed a brand could make that much difference. Especially when using all stock sizes and stock brand tires. So again, thanks for the good posts.
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Thread Starter
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Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
And your point is?? I did read a number of posts, did appreciate all the POV's, and suspected that the True Track was the preferred solution. Merely asking Graham for any additional insight if he cared to share.
Guess I should have PM'd him, so you would not have to have been held up for 3 seconds by getting thru my post. Sorry for your inconvenience......
Oh, have a nice day.
Guess I should have PM'd him, so you would not have to have been held up for 3 seconds by getting thru my post. Sorry for your inconvenience......
Oh, have a nice day.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 327
Likes: 19
From: Florida
Graham, thanks for your gracious reply. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.
Also, thanks for sharing your wealth of information and experience with all of us. I for one am most appreciative.
Cheers!
Also, thanks for sharing your wealth of information and experience with all of us. I for one am most appreciative.
Cheers!