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Tourer
Posts: 496
Scottsdale AZ | Local Phoenix story---
http://www.kpho.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks_video_id=46... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 66
Oklahoma City | That is some crazy stuff right there. I found it particularly interesting that the CHP tested them out and went to BMW bikes instead of harley's. Yet HD says it can happen to any bike... |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | I've known the reason for this for years, it's twofold: 1) twin shock bikes will never come from the factory with both shocks set perfectly the same for spring rate & rebound, therefore they react at slightly or much different rates. 2) The shocks Harley puts on all it's bikes are the cheapest shocks they can buy in bulk. In fact I was told at a Progressive Suspension seminar that Harley pays $8.00 per shock. Of course they buy 600,000 at a time.............
Harley is right about one thing it can happen to ANY bike if the suspension performance is exceeded by a certain amount. Hey it even happens to GP bikes with $10,000.00 Ohlins suspensions on front AND rear, it just happens to Harleys at much lower performance levels..............
Edited by XRsteve 2011-05-30 3:40 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | Steve, I added Progressive Suspension 440's on my '07 Ultra and did not stop the vague feeling. The rubber bushings at the swingarm pivot points allow the wallow and weave. They are there to allow for reduced transmission of engine vibes and road bumps. They work very well for there purpose.
I installed a True Track that eliminated the the wobble effect. It adds an addl. stabizer allowing movement in only one plane as the Buell's. Since harley has changes the front engine mounts that offer more stability but a friend of mine in Phoenix still added a True Track. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Steve, you are so right. The "wobble" can happen to any bike. Just like tank slap. Although I do believe that poor design and refusal to stay up with engineering and tech advances until the market forces them to change does make Harley prone to more handling problems/issues. And I love it that CHP is no longer using Harley. Perhaps other states will follow suit!! |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | That is a big reason they changed frames on 09 and up bagger Harleys, They swing arm and mount is much bigger and stronger now, but shitty shocks can still be a problem. The Vision however has a modern mono shock design with a huge swingarm and the mounting also seems exceptionally strong another reason Victory is the " Modern American Motorcycle".............. |
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HD Death Wobble