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Rear stabilizer

I have noticed this so-called wobble on occasion both on my present 08 Electraglide and my previous 2000 Electraglide but to me it feels more like a wallow than a wobble.

It has typically occured when I encounter rough pavement while taking corners at higher speeds.

Am I suprised or concerned about this? No.

I understand and accept that the Electraglide is a rubber mounted swing arm/engine combination. While this design does an amazing job of smoothing out vibration and makes for a comfortable ride, the nature of the design does have certain limitations.

Mostly, when I feel the motorcycle start to wallow, it serves to remind me that I am on an 800 pound touring machine, not a 400 pound sport bike and probably shouldn't be taking corners so damn fast....:D

Every machine out there regardless of make or model, has certain design limitations and if you exceed those limitations, you are probably going to get yourself into trouble.

That being said, I may take a closer look at one of those fancy stabilizer devices because anything that improves the handling and stability of my motorcycle is is always a good thing.
 
There's no question about the cause of the FLH wobble, and it isn't the old frame. It's the change from three rubber mounts to two, which occurred in '93, I think. The two mounts are not enough to keep the drivetrain stable and aligned with the wheels. The problem has worsened as the bikes become heavier. The change was made for ease of manufacturing. Several police motors have crashed because of this and lawsuits have been filed.
Frankly, if you add one of the stabilizers that are on the market now, or if someone has a way to change to the old three rubber mounts, I think you'd have a superior frame to the '09 frame, which is in two pieces to make the manufacturing of the new trike easier.
 
Axel said:
There's no question about the cause of the FLH wobble, and it isn't the old frame. It's the change from three rubber mounts to two, which occurred in '93, I think. The two mounts are not enough to keep the drivetrain stable and aligned with the wheels. The problem has worsened as the bikes become heavier. The change was made for ease of manufacturing. Several police motors have crashed because of this and lawsuits have been filed.
Frankly, if you add one of the stabilizers that are on the market now, or if someone has a way to change to the old three rubber mounts, I think you'd have a superior frame to the '09 frame, which is in two pieces to make the manufacturing of the new trike easier.
Click to expand...

What do you think of the 09 frame? Is it better than the previous models? In your opinion, will it help the "wobble" or was it's sole purpose to make it more friendly to the trike? Just curious as what your thoughts are.
 
09ultra said:
What do you think of the 09 frame? Is it better than the previous models? In your opinion, will it help the "wobble" or was it's sole purpose to make it more friendly to the trike? Just curious as what your thoughts are.
Click to expand...

Here is some info I found on the web in regards to the 2009 Touring bikes. From what I hear, the new redesigned frame is supposedly working really well. Check out this web site " Motorcycle.com" for info on Harley Davidson 2009 Touring bikes>>>2009 Harley-Davidson Touring Models Review - Motorcycle.com

What is really interesting about this article is how it tells you in the reviews of this bike about the redesigned frame and how it has eliminated the wallowing in sweeper curves. Humm??? Interesting. Oh, thats right, I forgot, It's all in my head and my bike at 1000 miles when I first noticed this condition was poorly maintained. My Bad!
 
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flh canuck said:
I have noticed this so-called wobble on occasion both on my present 08 Electraglide and my previous 2000 Electraglide but to me it feels more like a wallow than a wobble.

It has typically occured when I encounter rough pavement while taking corners at higher speeds.

Am I suprised or concerned about this? No.

I understand and accept that the Electraglide is a rubber mounted swing arm/engine combination. While this design does an amazing job of smoothing out vibration and makes for a comfortable ride, the nature of the design does have certain limitations.

Mostly, when I feel the motorcycle start to wallow, it serves to remind me that I am on an 800 pound touring machine, not a 400 pound sport bike and probably shouldn't be taking corners so damn fast....:D

Every machine out there regardless of make or model, has certain design limitations and if you exceed those limitations, you are probably going to get yourself into trouble.

That being said, I may take a closer look at one of those fancy stabilizer devices because anything that improves the handling and stability of my motorcycle is is always a good thing.
Click to expand...

+1


I came off of sport bikes to this Harley............you have to know what you are riding and what it is for. JMO
 
Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my post. Just turned 7000 miles on the FLHT, my first bagger, and wait to see if I notice any more symptoms of 'wallow/wobbling'. I don't usually travel over 80 mph, and ride solo, and I want to see what, if any difference a new set of tires plays when it's time to replace them.

Scott in IL-'08 FLHT(the Mistress)
 
I went from a FXDI to a FLHTCU. I drove the FXDI hard in the corners. The FLHTCU seemed to have what I called the Holla-Hoop butt compared to the FXDI. I put a TWR on mine and it went away.
 
I'll try to clear some of the misconceptions I've seen about the "rubber" mount bike. This design was R&Ded by Eric Buell when he was still emplyed by HDI. The design as he envisioned it on paper placed the motor/trans combo in the center of the frame as a unit, then allowed it to "float" fore and aft on rubber bushings with the lateral movement limited by 3 solid heim-joint linkages mounted in front bottom, top center, and rear bottom of the engine/trans assembly. Now I ask any of you who might have worked on your own bike to show me where the "3" linkages are that were part of this design. Instead of a linkage at the bottom rear HDI felt it only necessary to use the swingarm pivot shaft. This modification actually holds up well at highway speeds or a little above and through moderate curves. In extreme, for SOME riders, instances however the cleveblocks that the swingarm pivot is mounted in will allow the swingarm itself to flex transferring this movement to the back end of the transmission case. Most riders moderate riders will never experience this phenomenon known as "tank slap" or "head shake". I have personally experienced it on 3 different touring models all of different years, and models. 2001 RK, 2004 FLHT, and 2005 FLTR. This wobble CAN be experienced at very moderate highway speeds under certain conditions though as I experienced in 2005,when I almost lost control at about 65mph, then witnessed as an observer in 2006. I was following another rider at Sturgis doing approximately 60-65mph when the whole back of his RK started moving from side to side upsetting him completely and causing him to go down right across my own path. The common factor in his accident and my near one, a TRAILER. If you have plans at all of pushing your pre-2009 FLH/FLT to it's limits then I highly recommend one. Alloy Arts TXR is one of the better one's, but there are several on the market that will do a fine job of controlling side-side movement of the engine/trans either under hard cornering or high speed conditions. And just an FYI, the reason HD never admitted this was a problem, was because they claimed it could only be duplicated at 100+mph, therefore it was the customers responsibility to drive SAFELY and LEGALLY and thus not their liability.
 
My 08 RG had the bagger wobble @ higher speeds in left & right sweepers . I installed a Progressive Touring Link & it took care of the problem . The Progressive system is easy to install & you do not lose any ground clearance & it only cost around $200 , well worth the investment IMO . I maintain the RG very well , I replace everything I can before it is suppose to be replaced including the tires , so improper maintainance is not a issue .
 
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