How many DON"T have "Bagger Wobble" ???

[RoadKingTrooper]

2KRK, only wobbled this past summer. New front tire remedied it. Was it the tire? Well I only got about 5,000 miles out of it and yeah, it was a Dunlop
Scot

[metaliser]

I have over 30,000 miles on my EGS and have never incountered a wobble but swaying that's another story, I think alot of riders are confusing the swaying or the rear steer for whats called wobble, this has happened several times to me especialy in some tight twistys, I am thinking of buying one of the products out there and seeing if it helps, it sorta puts a little fear in you when you lean hard into a turn and all off the sudden the rear feels like it's wanting to turn more, any way TJMO. 

[2001FLSTC]

<Once the "B" engine was introduced I wonder why H-D didn't rigid mount all the engines.>

Because the B engine, while it idles smoothly, vibrates a lot at 75 mph compared to the touring bikes. I rented a Heritage Classic and it isn't nearly as comfortable for long periods of touring like the Road King is. Also, the footboards on the Softail scrape  even in  mild turns. The touring bikes, except for the lowered ones and Street Glides, have more lean angle. I got tired of the footboard dragging on the Heritage. I left sparks all up and down the Dragon's Tail. My Road King rarely scrapes the footboards, even two-up. The Softails look great and are OK for around town, but when the going gets long, the touring models with their rubber mounted engines and isolated suspensions are just better at the job.

I do agree with you on this.  For a long haul a touring bike is the way to go.  Probably if I rode a RK regulary I'd get used to it.   

[Alien]

Of all that said no wobble how agressively do you drive?

My 2000 FLTRSEI has experienced it a few times only. I was hauling a$$ on the way to Sturgis doing about 100 on slow sweeping tuns and got the wobble. I relaxed, slowed down and it went away. When I would speed up on the same or similar turns it would return (good pucker factor). IMHO a steering/fork brace would eliminate this but you cant (easily) add one to a bagger. I believe when going around corners at speed the weight/force on the sidewall actually bends the front axle slightly (would not happen with a fork brace) causing forces that cause thw wobble??!!

Remember the high school science experiment when you held a bicycle wheel by the axle and sombody spun it fast and you tried to move/turn it? This is the force that I think is happening as the front axle bends a little? A 700 pound bike with a close to 300 pound rider cornering at high speed??

Mark

[johnflhx]

i have 2008 flhx- took a trip to high speed calif and back thru nevada then up to washington and no wobble
old lady on back and loaded down

[HIPPO]

Alien,
IMO the RoadGlide's, especially the old ones before they tilted the fairing, get really light in the front end around 105 or so with no wind. I guess the exact speed depends a little on wind and rider weight. When the wind is at your back you can fly and it stays stable.
All you can do is slow down when you feel it, but it is clearly a light front end and not a wobble.

[Faast Ed]

I had a tire swap solve a high speed wobble before.  A one year old front tire that came on the bike,....  had dry rot cracks all over it going into the second season.

Never thought to try and warranty it, ended up with a brand change to match the rear that was worn enough for change.

[Alien]

Alien,
IMO the RoadGlide's, especially the old ones before they tilted the fairing, get really light in the front end around 105 or so with no wind. I guess the exact speed depends a little on wind and rider weight. When the wind is at your back you can fly and it stays stable.
All you can do is slow down when you feel it, but it is clearly a light front end and not a wobble.

I certainly had a side to side occilation (sp). I've had a few tank slappers in the past and this wasn't that bad but it sure felt like a wobble to me??

[HIPPO]

You have to go with what you think it is.
Mostly mention it because once you get over 100 or so with these, or if there is a lot of wind sometimes much less, there are really significant aero influences.

[Deye76]

If I'm in a straight line with my Roadglide, I can bury the speedo and it's very stable, where my 93FLHclassic would sway a bit at 90mph, but not all the time. When I removed the standard tour pac it went away. My RG has the chopped tour pac and it seems to be fine. Except for the time mentioned a couple posts back.

Seems like as many that have experienced wobble/sway, there is as many that have not. From what I've seen in drawings of the '09 frame/swingarm arrangement, there is hope this will become a non-issue. Usual disclaimer=no expert.

[Advntr]

if it's not wobbling in a high speed turn you are not going fast enough...I am not kidding, they all wobble if pushed hard enough thru a sweeping turn.  My 07 Ultra wobbled less and then i put in the alloy art stabilizer and what a difference in the bike.  Dealer mechanic rode it and he noticed the difference.

There are two types of wobble-the one the moco gives you at no extra charge and one that gets created by a combination of the following-worn swingarm bushings, cracked swingarm, worn tires, old fork oil, underinflated tires, loose steering head.

[jvcazcm]

Well,

  It is very hard for me to believe there aren't very many people actually saying they had a wobble.  I have owned 2 Road Kings 00, and 05, both wobbled.  Then I bought the newest and greatest bike 07 FLHX yes it wobbled.  All of the bikes were always with good tires and cast wheels mostly because I changed them out because of the wobbles.  The cast wheels sure helped.  The last one the 07 FLHX was better then the others, however they all were pretty crappy in high speed sweepers around northern CA you know by Shasta Lake area and further north.  I have ridden my 09 Ultra in the same conditions it is stable as a rock, had it up to 110 the other day and it didn't wonder at all very steady.  Yes I shouldn't go that fast, and don't normally go that fast.  Now going through sweepers at 80 - 85 doesn't seem like that is that fast to me in the area I mentioned.   Well on the other bikes it was 70 - 75 at best because of the handling.  The 09 80 -85 is very steady and has no settling issues where it springs back and causes the back end to follow the front.   Riding the 09 makes me think the Mo-Co absolutely knows the design is flawed, well maybe not flawed just needed updated.  I bought the 09 after riding it and beating the hell out of the demo and could not make it get un stable.  Even trying to induce a wobble it won't.

jvc

[Hawg Holler]

Holler,
"60,000 miles and original shocks."
You will not believe the difference new shocks make. The degradation is slow so it is hard to know when the shocks are worn out, but when you install a new set you will.
Bob

I'll have to give it a try. I thought about buying some take-offs but worry that the person who took them off will let the oil leak out. I'll probably spring for some new ones next summer.

[Hawg Holler]

if it's not wobbling in a high speed turn you are not going fast enough...I am not kidding, they all wobble if pushed hard enough thru a sweeping turn. 

Well, I guess this says it all. Even an Agusta will wobble if you take it through a turn at 180 mph. Maybe some of us should slow down so we don't become one of those statistics put out every year that lists most motorcycle fatalities are caused by riders and involve no other vehicles. These heavy Harley baggers aren't sport bikes, they have way too much weight on the rear wheel when loaded with luggage and riders and they aren't designed for high speed cornering. I've ridden the 09s and they are much better due to the stronger frame, but any bike will begin to get weird if pushed into a corner at speeds beyond its design limits.

[sandrooney]

Hawg Holler said it for me.
SR

[Ed Y]

Holler,
"60,000 miles and original shocks."
You will not believe the difference new shocks make. The degradation is slow so it is hard to know when the shocks are worn out, but when you install a new set you will.
Bob

I'll have to give it a try. I thought about buying some take-offs but worry that the person who took them off will let the oil leak out. I'll probably spring for some new ones next summer.

Hawg Holler,

The Vtwin forum also has a good thread and pictures from a guy over there that drained and refilled his stock dresser shocks. Works great, according to him and other's that have tried it. I haven't though.

[Riverside Joe]

Dragging pegs, pipes or boards is as fast as my rides can go. At 155 pounds, hanging off the seat in corners don't work for me on a 700+ bike. But it's got to look funny if your following me--------RJ

[SuperMario]

Bagger wobble?  huh?   

Remember the kid's toys?........"Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!"       

[IBARider]

I never do... unless I'm doing 95 mph in a sweeper turn... then every one I've been on does it...

[HDFAT2001]

No wobble here either.  2004 EGC with 40K on the clock running Metz 880's on 18's.

[02roadcling]

None here.'02 Road King, lowered. SE oil in front forks.

[Boris]

I have never had anything close to a tank slapper on the 00 Ultra, but the rear end sure is loose compaired to the S/O's 03 RK. My Ultra has 67,000 on it her RK has 13,000. Going to redo the swing arm parts with new parts and put on a TWR stabilizer over winter.

[Dennis The Menace]

07 FLHRS...wobble at 40MPH in front end.  Dealer found low fork oil in one leg, down 3 oz.  Hairy when it happens in front end.

07 FLTR  no wobble. 

Menace

[Alien]

You have to go with what you think it is.
Mostly mention it because once you get over 100 or so with these, or if there is a lot of wind sometimes much less, there are really significant aero influences.

No problem I have a lot of respect for you and was not arguing, just stating my opinion. I wish I could install a fork brace and then maybe prove or disprove my theory.

[HIPPO]

I wasn't arguing either.
We all (mostly) got lots of time on these bikes and have to pursue the direction we feel the issue is in.

When I had the 99 it most definitely felt more "flexy" then the 02 with the bigger swing arm, but in some high speed conditions even the old RK was less affected by air. The RG is definitely more stable in high wind, but it is a bike with a lot of sail area and in other conditions the wind can do a number of them.
I guess even with the same bike every day is a little different.

Maybe the secret of having no wobble issues with them (other then having the bike in as new mechanical condition) is to be able to listen to the bike when she is telling you something and back it down. Who knows?

Out west it's pretty wide open and average speeds tend to be higher, and it often is very windy in the desert. Maybe that's why air is so important here when trying to push these bricks through the air.