Wallowing is how I describe the bike in a crosswind or traking on rain grooved highways. Now that folks have a few miles on their 09 touring bikes, is the wallowing still there?

Thanks

Beary

 

***PET PEEVE ALERT***

I keep seeing the phrase "rain grooved highway" on this board...um - please clarify what that means to you.

I know rain does not cause grooves in road surfaces.

I also know road surfaces are not "grooved" in order to collect rain or take rain away from the road. That's what gravity is for, and road surface is most often leveled in such a way that liquids will fall "down" and then stream "away" (into drain pipe, a cluvert, catch basin, etc).

I know roads that area about to be resurfaced are often scraped & left with grooves temporarily, so that the new surface will apply better (similar to when you work with tile & use a trowel and groove your adhesive, etc).

I also know that "rumble strips" are put into roads in order to provide audible & physical notifications to drivers so that they slow down on dangerous stretches & curves. These are usually horizontal, although occasionally, small patches of verticle grooving exists to provide the same warning.

Similarly, there are rumble strips / grooves placed on roadway edges - again, for an audible & physical alert to a driver so they are aware they're leaving the roadway (ie, a sleepy driver).

So - please, unless someone can point me to a some "official source" of what a "rain grooved roadway" is - can we please stop using that term? I know some folks say things like sheet rock vs dry wall, and pop instead of soda - but this is different.

Thanks.

PS: Since the 09's have got a redesigned frame, swingarm & motor mount - I think the problem you're referring to - which I assume is the alleged "wobble" that's been talked about for years - is either gone - or would have to be attributed to something else. I, personally, am a skeptic of a widespread single cause for the "wobble" - and instead, believe any combination of a number of factors can cause it. I've seen/heard of "wobble" - high speed, slow speed, etc - happening on all sorts of bikes - not just HD touring bikes - and usually, it can be fixed for a lot less money than those $400 kits that are being sold out there just by checking/doing simple maintenance type tasks . . .

 

Rain grooves are sometimes deliberately put into a roadway during construction. Mostly on older concrete surfaces where heavy rain tends to sheet the entire surface faster than it can run off. I've ridden and driven on rain grooves in several states. Don't confuse rain grooves with rumble strips or new surface prep.

 

It seems some people want the ride to be smooth with no fluctuation in the ride at all before they're satisfied. It's a two wheeled vehicle, and will react to road conditions no matter how many fixes are added to it. My truck does it on different surfaces, why would I expect my two wheeled motorcycle not to?

 

http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/serv...cvips&gifs=yes

 

Hogs wallow.

 

You mean hog waller?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogwaller

 

You're right about this. There are a lot of roads made with narrow cuts in them. They're about a 1/2" deep or more and a few inches apart so the rain and melting ice can drop below the road surface. Some of you might know of this road...The interstate from Devils Tower back and forth to Sturgis (rt. 90 ?). It goes on for miles like that and at highway speed, your bike will "wiggle" like crazy. We ran like that road for about 50 miles and I couldn't wait to get off of it. The tires on a cage will make a loud hum on them but they ride true because the tire width covers two or three grooves at one time. The narrower motorcycle tire gets caught in-between them and your bike gets pushed back and forth causing the "wiggle". I don't think there's anything they could do to improve the ride on a two wheeler.

 

Yes, we have rain grooved roads in Illinois and they usually suck. It's a tire issue with HD more than the frame problems that were corrected this year. If you don't believe that there is such a thing as deliberate rain groves then meet me at Legacy HD in Effingham,IL and I'll take you for a ride up I-57 and see how you like leaning into a curve at 70 mph and having you front tire start tracking in a man made groove invented to help four wheel vehicles avoiding hydroplaning.

 

Here in Oklahoma City rain grooves are lines that have been cut in the highways. The are about an inch apart on all lanes. I have not heard the offical reason for these grooves, but a rider can clearly feel the difference from the other surfaces. I was told by a local motorcop that it is a real concern for them above 100mph because the wobble, wallow, or what ever you call it gets worse with speed.

Its not that I want a bike with no fluctuation, it is a motorcycle after all. But, I spend an hour a day riding in heavy highway traffic averaging 70mph and fighting this wallor and it can wear you out. When I ask my friends who ride other bikes about it, they feel a difference, but don't have the same front end wallor the Harley touring bikes have. I'm looking to get a Ultra with ABS and if there isn't any difference between an 08 and 09, I will look for an 08. But if there is, well it will make that ride everyday a lot easier.

Personally I think the wobble or wallor that I'm talking about is not the same tank slapper wobble folks fix with these swingarm stablizer kits. What I'm talking about is that feeling that the front wheel is on ice.

I wish we could rent bikes here, but we can't. So I'm just asking.

Beary