I have bean reading more and more about this so called death wobble as it pertains to HD, does this happen to Vics or are there certain things that cause this? I have never had this happen.
Death Wobble Victory?
98741
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there have been some mentions of speed wobble. but they were usually due to a tire issue.
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I think it's a combination of worn steering head bearings and the crappy rear suspension on the pre-'09 Harleys. There are a couple aftermarket companies (plus the MoCo) who make kits to keep the rear suspension in line. I can't think of anyone mentioning it on a Victory.
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Windshields and fairings not mounted correctly could contribute also.
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Different tread designs front to rear, mixing bias and radials, dips in the middle of a curve, exceeding the GVWR, are other reasons other than from a frame that is too flexible.
Even putting too much weight towards the rear of the bike can contribute to unstable steering.
Anything that will cause the rear tire not to track the front tire.
I've never had it happen to me (knocking on wood), but I have seen it happen years ago to other riders I was following.
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I had this happen to me on my (2013) Cross Country not long ago, scared the heck out of me. I can feel it starting to do it again anytime I take it above 90. It gets "$@%* I'm going to die" bad at 110 plus. I need to take off my fork mounted lower wind deflectors and see if it still does it, then go back to stock windshield and see if it still does it.
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My '07 Road King had no wobble at all till I changed the bars to taller ones. This let me lean back enough that I needed a drivers backrest. Just as soon as I made this change, she developed a wobble. I noticed it I leaned forward, the wobble would stop or at least calm down about 90%.
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Just a minor point, "death wobble" or "Harley Death Wobble" are terms of endearment given to pre '09 Harley FL frames that were susceptible to a wobble induced by frame flex. As for just plain wobble any number of things can cause any motorcycle to wobble. Watch a Moto GP race sometime and you'll see the most advanced bikes made wobble their way out of a corner because the biggest balled riders in the world are pushing them to their limit and riding that wobble right out of the corner.
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Ok, I just spent 1/2 hour watching guys fight tank slappers, high sides, low sides, crash into each other, etc. and now I guess I'll have to at least wear some of the gear some of the time.iabob said:
I'm actually having sympathy pains.
Shortly after getting Scream I had to put my foot down (like these professionals did in the video) to keep her up.
Used to do it all the time on dirt bikes. (45 years ago)
My whole body ached from the slamming jolt of righting a 900 pound motorcycle using an old man's leg.
Maybe it's time to start fishing
NAH
I experienced the "Death Wobble" on my 2012 XCT about 2 weeks ago. It occurred at between 105 - 110 mph and scared the sh!& out of me. I was riding with trunk, KewlMetal +4 apes, andforged bars with JTD Cycles lowers. Not sure of the cause but I will be replacing the rear tire soon and will take it back out without the trunk to see if it will happen under those conditions. It is very rare that I will ride at this speed but, I feel if the engine will take the bike to this speed, the rest of the bike should support it. Besides, I haven't even visited Lloydz yet and probably won't if I cannot get rid of the wobble.
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Leaving aside the possibility of worn out tires, or too much rear wheel weight compared to front, consider your tires and their balancing.walkerct said:
Brand new tires can be so far out of balance just from their make up, that they cannot be trued with weights. Also, normal tire balancing does little to ensure your tires are still balanced over 100mph. Think how much the shape of the tire changes with that muchheat and centrifugal force acting on it.
Consider a dynamic balancing method if you are going to routinely ride into long sweepers above 100 mph. Dynabeads and Ride-on are decent products, at least in my experience. There is also a balancing hub (centramic?)that a few folks have liked, but it is a bit pricey.
As far as a Victory Cast Aluminum frame flexing in a turn, not unlex youbroke something very important, and then the wobble would be far down on your list of woes. Even the Steel frame bikes are bolted to a one piece tranny/engine that is designed as a structural member. The KP andHighBall that I rode were rock solid to me, but then I came off of decades of HD frames.
Kg
I'm having trouble understanding what this thread is about. I've experienced "wobbles" (could end up in tank slapper if incorrect actions taken) actual tank slappers on sport bikes when pushing beyond the 90% limit. Is this what we are talking about here? The first post references some sort of death wobble. Can't say I've ever experienced a wobble that concerns me on any bike I've ever ridden when not playing ricky racer. This is a victory themed discussion so I am assuming some are having issues that may just be promoted by the fact that a big, fat motorcycle with all kinds of air deflection items is not going to cut the air very smoothly at high speeds.
I am sure about your comment I have seen cruisers put sport bikes to shame.mjw930 said:Considering that nothing happens fast on a cruiser compared to a spot bike a wobble would be the cruiser equivalent of a sport bike tank slapper.
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