I think the more your on the internet the worse the wobble is

 

ill add to that... one persons definition of riding hard could be amazingly different than another..if you experience it, get one... if you dont experience it, keep riding and forget about it....

 

hahahaha welcome to Pa..... on the topic of roads, texas is worse than Pa, i just dont get it!

 

Now you folks have me thinking. I've been riding my RK for 9 years now and have attributed this "sensation" to poor posture all these years.

Might have to look into a "Bagger brace" device now.

Thanks for the info,

Krusr

 

Have an 08 RK. Have not felt the wobble. Also don't take many turns at 80 mph's. Done some sweepers at 60, but that is about it.

I may feel it some day, but as of right now, wobble free.

 

Huh? I didn't imply that. I said I have yet to experience it and I referred to a proper test that didn't reveal a problem. You on the other hand implied that its fairly common, and I don't think that's fair.

You went further to say that all pre '08 harley baggers will wobble under the right circumstances...don't you realize that even the most advanced sportbike can "wobble" under the right circumstances?

Your Ford Explorer analogy if funny, and if you feel you got enough proof then I fully encourage you to take Harley to task for selling millions of unsafe bikes over the past decades. Good luck with that...

 

"Cycle World just did an exhaustive test on a '08 RKC and called it the best handler of the 8 baggers they tested. They did mention some chassis flex but nothing alarming, certainly no "wobble" that can affect one's control or the safe operation of the bike.

I don't think many of us can outride CW guys - they confirmed that they rode the wheels off all bikes - so that's pretty good proof. Plus, I have yet to feel anything to be alarmed at, other than the constant threads on here..."

PITA, there are several problems with your post. First, reread the top post and try to claim you didn't imply that there isn't a problem/concern. Second, you referred to this "exhaustive test" earlier and now refer to it as a "proper test". I believe the article you are referring to is actually a REVIEW, a comparison of eight models of motorcycles. You offered it as proof - and I don't think it's proof of anything except that the authors liked that particular RKC better than the rest of the bikes they rode in that group. Third, I stated that I think, based on what I've read here, that more than 1 in 1000 bikes are affected - that's quite a leap from implying it's common. Check out the poll and posts on this forum and you'll find well over 100 members have spent at least $150 (and most considerably more) to address this issue that the magazine didn't find. Fourth, it's pre-'09s. Fifth, of course I realize any bike can wobble. Mine can still wobble - all I've done is eliminate the wobble from the performance ranges in which I choose to ride. Lastly, it certainly has not been worth suing HD to me - I haven't had a loss to recover. Best I could hope for would be a recall, and I've already fixed the issue for less than $300 and an hour's time.

 

Being as I'm not an aggressive rider, the "wobble" that I have felt is not disconcerting at all. I have never once felt like I was loosing control and have even expected it when cornering fast. Ridden within it's limits, an Electra Glide is one hell of a stable ride. The wobble has become a thing of the past with the introduction of the '09 models, but every Glide before then does this. I don't think it's any big deal. I wouldn't trade my Electra Glide for any other bike and even think of the "wobble" somewhat fondly as one of those quirks that demands attention from it's rider and makes the bike more endearing.

 

Marsh, I can tell you from experience, That your bike does NOT suffer from the dreaded bagger wobble. Well over 80 MPH into some nice long sweeper corners and she was steady as a rock! Once I changed the swingarm bushings when I changed the belt, Any type of problem like that went away. I used to get a slight wobble on decel coming down from about 90 or so but nothing scary. But after the bushing change. She was Rock Solid!!

Oh and for you guys that dont know, That used to be my bike!!!

 

Agree with you that the term wobble is misleading.

The primary cause of this was the rubber mounting of the engine and the swingarm; apparently while the rubber mounts keep the engine from moving vertically and forward and backward, when taking high speed sweepers, they're not sufficient to keep the swing arm from moving laterally so the whole thing slides and requires steering input.

From what I understand, Erik Buell recommended 4 rubber mounting points, but was overridden.