H-D death wobble

[dmax1]

I am up here in northen AZ and was watching the TV when Channel 5 comes on for a special report tonight at 10:00 MST on the Harley Davidson Death Wobble :surprise:. They go on to say is H-D hiding this problem from the public. I am going to watch this tonight to see what they have to say. I"ll report back later if it's worth while . :confused2:

 

[acammer]

I am up here in northen AZ and was watching the TV when Channel 5 comes on for a special report tonight at 10:00 MST on the Harley Davidson Death Wobble :surprise:. They go on to say is H-D hiding this problem from the public. I am going to watch this tonight to see what they have to say. I"ll report back later if it's worth while . :confused2:

Sounds like operator error. Would it surprise anyone? All a wobble ever needs a good shot of throttle and it'll settle right down. Then get the neck adjusted up to were it should be.

 

[SpecOps13]

Some Harley's have had this problem as far back as I can remember. I've had 6 Harley's and never had a problem. Every Harley I've had also had a sport windshield. I keep saying the sport shield gives enough down force to stop the front end wobbles...:confused2:

 

[RaWarrior]

Harley got sued years ago from someone who went down from a sudden random tank slapper and got all busted up.....though as vmax owners we really shouldn't be talking here lol....

 

[sdt354]

Some Harley's have had this problem as far back as I can remember. I've had 6 Harley's and never had a problem. Every Harley I've had also had a sport windshield. I keep saying the sport shield gives enough down force to stop the front end wobbles...:confused2:

With all the issues my 69(900) h.d. had this wasn't one of them, which is surprising.
Steve-o

 

[dannymax]

Sounds like Harley made the mistake of admitting they had a front end issue on some of their bikes and got rewarded for that honesty with some lawsuits.....or maybe it just leaked out. :confused2:

Not so Mama-Yama....they have steadfastly avoided any discussion of, and accepted no blame for, having manufactured a motorcycle which is very prone to front end wobbles. I wouldn't doubt that many suits have been filed but never heard of any being successful.



Actually, ANY bike can have a tankslapping wobble.....given the right conditions!

 

[acammer]

Sounds like Harley made the mistake of admitting they had a front end issue on some of their bikes and got rewarded for that honesty with some lawsuits.....or maybe it just leaked out. :confused2:

Not so Mama-Yama....they have steadfastly avoided any discussion of, and accepted no blame for, having manufactured a motorcycle which is very prone to front end wobbles. I wouldn't doubt that many suits have been filed but never heard of any being successful.



Actually, ANY bike can have a tankslapping wobble.....given the right conditions!

One of the first things I do on any unfamiliar bike I toss a leg over is do a couple medium speed throttle chops with my finger tips just grazing the bars, to see if there is a predisposition for wobble. Every bike is different, but it seems most will give you at least a wiggle under the right circumstances.

My VS1400 Intruder had a pretty bad wobble with a bad front tire, and my 1200 Sportster would give you a wobble with only a little encouragement. Mr. Max has been well behaved so far, even with some provocation. Best thing you can do is just make sure you know what to do when a wobble starts, because like Dannymax said, it can, and does,happen to any bike under the right circumstances.