[Falcon]

Im a newbie. I am buying my first HD this fall. I also went to my first Sturgis Rally this year and while I was there I demo'd the 03 FatBoy. I noticed, on I90 after reaching speeds above 65-70, a slight sporadic wobble in the front end. It gave the steering a very loose feel. I would have thought a FatBoy would feel rock solid at highway speeds. After asking around, Ive been given three answers - An old timer said that it is an inherant Harley thing. A younger guy at the campsite said its an inherant FatBoy thing due to cross winds against the solid disk wheels. (Sounds feasible) And last, I was told that it just needed to be fixed (a fallaway test?) and that it shouldnt wobble at all. So - Any input out there.........? Help?.......

 

[blackwhisper]

Not sure about a Fatboy, so the solid disc wheel might be an issue. But my heritage(about the same bike) doesn't do that, at all. It is rock solid on the highway. But I have heard Vrod people say they those wheels have some strange effects so who knows.

 

[HIPPO]

Well, they do keep a pretty close eye on the demo bikes, and they are factory not dealer wrenches.

If you are sure it wasn't just following rain grooves in the pavement it likely was the wind on the solid disc wheels. The OEM tires follow every little imperfection on the road and new riders tend to hang onto the bars magnifying this sort of thing.

 

[Texxen]

I recently owned a new Indian Scout. Read ALOT of complaints about just that. A front end wobble. Indian could never figure out what the cause was. Not all bikes did it. Alot of it was shitty tires. Kind of like whats on Fatboys! After reading different stories from various sources I believe it is a Softail frame design problem and certain tires just magnify the problem. The amount of rake designed into American Vtwin frames don't help the matter either.

 

[2002fatboy]

I have an 02 FLSTFI that's bone stock and I have no problems like you mention. I've ridden it in all kinds of crosswinds from mild to wild and it's rock solid. Could it have been the grooves in the pavement??

 

[Falcon]

Thanks to all for helping with my question.... It's possible that it was the rain grooves, however, I did demo two more bikes that day and neither one wobbled. Mabye it was the tires. If so, What is the consensus on the best tire out there for the FatBoy? Or, just in general (without opening pandoras box) Who makes the best cycle tire period?.

 

[Texxen]

A fall away test is the preload on the steering stem/triple tree bearings. If they are not preloaded just right it may cause a wobble. As far as the best tire...it's all based on what you want to do,handle good in corners,in the rain,highway speeds? Dunlop has probably the best overall quality and will last the longest but are not the best for handling. Avon and Metzler make great handling tires but may only last through the summer if you ride alot! In my opinion the factory Dunlops are good for lasting and excellent quality but very poor handling tires.