Wobble or oscillation in high speed corners

[1969K10]

So, I was coming back from Heratige Bike Festival this weekend, and haulin' ass thru the smokies on my '02 Wide Glide. Every corner in the mountains seemed to have a water run-off in the middle. Well, when I hit the dip, since the bike was leaned over, the suspension didn't absorb the bounce, and the pivot in the neck was where the bike flexed (scared the crap out of me the first time!!!) Anyway, is there something that I can do to prevent this in the future? My solution this weekend, was just slowing down enough (65-70) to be able to man-handle the steering enough to overcome the oscillation that developed... I was running 2-up, sleeping bag on the front fender, tent, clothes bag, & 2 sets of chaps on the luggage rack, and the saddle bags had heavy sweatshirts and misc crap in them...

[steveusmc]

I would recommend slowing down to suit the conditions of the road and correct the weight & balance issue. Not much else to say unless there is some mechanical probelm with the bike itself. I hope you survive long enough to figure it out...

Semper Fi,
Steve....Pensacola
USMC 1972 - 2003
1995 FXDWG

[PaulSWO]

Dynas have a tendancy for this kind of thing. Remember the swingarm is attached to the trannie, right, not the frame. To top it off it's rubber mounted too. Not really good geometrically for high speed corners.

If you think about it the power train is a three sided box. The motor being side one, the primary being side 2 and the trannie... side three. Three sided boxes aren't the most stable things. A Carlini torque arm or Harley race brace will square it and improve handling somewhat.

A better way would be to slow to a speed that matches the capabilities of the bike.

[1969K10]

Thanks all, I did slow down, it just struck me not right for the bike to handle like that... I knew I was packed tall, and raising my center of gravity on the bike, just wondered if that was the cause or if it was something specific to the Dyna chassis, or something that I needed to fix on my bike.
Sounds like it's just a case of the way the Dyna is built, and slowing down was the only option...

[Fred1369]

would a fork brace help?

[OrangeTJ]

Well, your packing added rearward weight bias to an already tail heavy motorcycle, which certainly wouldn't help stability. Your wide glide has widely spaced, not particularly rigid fork tubes with a skinny tire in between them and no bracing except the fender - another characteristic that doesn't lend itself to high speed "heeled over" stability in bumpy turns. I think the real answer is that you just have to ride the bike in a manner that jives with it's design and loading. With all of the other flexibility inherent in the chassis of the bike (as well as most HD's), riding at a more relaxed pace if probably the best answer. A fork brace might help, but that really only addresses one aspect of the flexibility of your chassis - what do you do about the swingarm and the frame itself?

[dhortho1]

Slow down.

[baggersport]

Are you still running the OEM suspension? Upgrading the suspension, especially the rear, to something with adjustable damping should help. Using RaceTech emulators in the front along with the upgraded rear will allow you to take the bump in the corner without the sphincter tightening....

[Jams]

Originally Posted by 1969K10

Thanks all, I did slow down, it just struck me not right for the bike to handle like that... I knew I was packed tall, and raising my center of gravity on the bike, just wondered if that was the cause or if it was something specific to the Dyna chassis, or something that I needed to fix on my bike.
Sounds like it's just a case of the way the Dyna is built, and slowing down was the only option...

1. The Wide Glide is designed to be a straight line cruiser not canyon carver.

There is too much flex with the front forks spread so far apart. A fork brace will help but will not over come the original design.

2. Check the motor mounts!

I had rear rubber mount give out at high speed on a straight road and it made the bike ride like a rubber snake --- was not fun!