Front end wobble at very low speed

J

Jino D

New member
Jim Dawson
I can probably use a dial indicator to check brake rotors to make sure they aren't warped. Thanks

nsteve
This is my 3rd front tire. I had 2 D407F tires that lasted 10,000 miles each. Now have a D408F for 15,000 miles. I've had the same problem with all 3 tires. Thanks
 
I have a 2009 Ultra and have the same problem with the wobble at 30 mph. I took the tour pak off the bike and made it the detachable. I have been riding the bike with out the tourpak on the bike and I get absolutly NO wobble at 30 mph or the un balanced feeling going into the corners. I put the tour pak back on the bike and watch out. I get a wobble in the front and the un easy feeling in the corners back again. I took it to the harley dealer 4 times now and they say that they have tightened everything spoke wheels, front forks, handle bars, (NOT the knuckle bearing) they tell me that everything is good to go and the wobble is normal. I took it back again and asked them to look at it again and there reply was to not take the hands off the handle bars. I am now off to another harley dealer, any reason why the wobble is back with the tour pak back on the bike?
 
I believe the problem you are referring to only occurs in very slow (low speed) turning which, if true, is common to all batwings and is the result of a loss of steerage due to very low speed when doing lock to lock turns. If you drag the rear brake and give it just a little bit of throttle, the wobble disappears. It is really the result of two competing forces, gravity trying to pull the bike to the ground in a turn versus forward momentum (gyrocsope effect) that keeps the bike up when going forward.
 
so in lehman's terms. how do you fix the problem? I had a 07 bagger and never felt that before. I bought my wife a street glide and don't feel the wobble either....
 
It seems we are discussing two different problems here. One, the OPs low speed, 5MPH or less parking lot wobble. Two, a wobble at 30 MPH peculiar to 09 bikes. These are NOT the same problem.

My 08 does the 5 MPH parking lot wobble as well. Everything is tight. Haven't checked the front rotor run out, wouldn't be surprised if that is the problem because now that you mention it and memory serves me correctly, I only notice it when using the front brake. Must investigate this further. I do not think it is a safety issue,(just got back from 4000 mile trip) but like the OP said, it is irritating when it occurs. Otherwise the bike rides great, haven't even noticed any wobbles at speed to speak of. I have possibly detected the beginnings of the "high speed wobble" the bagger brace and others like it are supposed to correct, but have just let off the throttle and it stopped. (I live in the Ozark Mtns, not too many long sweepers I can take at 80+ MPH to check for this, and I ride pretty easy anyway.)

Just wondering "smithbrl", When I lightly apply the front brake, I get a pulse type feedback from the front brake. Was already thinking it might be warped a little, but hadn't tied the wobble to the warped rotor problem. Mine is no longer under warranty so I'm gonna live with it.

Late entry: I think oldbagr may have hit the nail on the head. (still wonder about the rotor though.)
 
I had the same issue. My dealer also replaced the front tire under the recall. 1 week later i had a front wheel bearing failure on a trip to PA. I would have your dealer go over everything in the front end. I was 90 miles from the nearest Harley dealership when i had my problem. We nursed the bike to the dealership at 30 MPH for 3 hours. East Coast Harley Davidson in Dumfries, Virginia did a fantastic job getting my bike all fixed up.
 
thanks for the input, sorry to hear about your trouble. I took this bike to the HD dealer here in town and they say that they have checked everything in the front and say that the wobble is "normal" like I mentioned I took the tour pak off the bike and in this case they are right, there is no wobble in the front at all. I put the tour pak back on the bike and right at 30 mph you set the cruise and the handle bars start to wobble and freak out. You take it off cruise and hit the gas and there is no wobble at all. Its really wierd. I have an appt at another dealer to have them look at it, just trying to do a little research to see what's up.
 
I had this problem on my 04 flht. I chased it for a while, it was definitely in the front end. I tightened my axle, my wheel hub bolts ( have a 3pc wheel), and checked my head bearings. All to no avail

It ended up being, and you will never guess, but ...

The front fender fixing bolts.
The front fender on these bikes acts like a fork brace. This limits twisting below the triples and if loose you will get the exact sensation the OP described.

I would look there. It fixed mine right up.
 
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