bagger wobble

mangiacavallo

hello all.
am new to this forum & to harleys.
ride a BMW R1100R right now but am drooling for a RKC (oh, i want it SO bad!). will be trading in the beemer within a few months for the RKC. man, that RKC is a beautiful bike & rode SO beautifully on the test ride.
but here's my question: has the new '09 frame on the RKs eliminated this wobble phenomenon ... or will one still have to fork out the extra few hundred bucks for a stabilizer? the sales guy was with me on the test ride, so i couldn't hit any twisties at high speed to check it out.
also, the harley dealer in santa cruz (where i live) just closed. is there anyone out there with experience with the folks at either San Jose Harley or House Of Thunder Harley?

thanks in advance for any insight into either of these issues.

cheers,
mangiacavallo

RichardS

Not sure what "wobble" you're talking about....I've put my '03 Ultra through it's paces many, many times and NEVER experienced anything I'd call a "wobble". The scoot rides like it's on rails as far as I'm concerned, unless I have an unbalanced load in the bags or tour-pack, and then I'm riding a lot more conservatively anyway.

PS: What's this about another Harley dealer closing??? What's the deal here??

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Hobbit

sorted the new bike do not ride like the old ones at all i test rode an 2005, 2008 and in the end paid the extra and had the 2009 even when they were offering mega discounts on the 08 SE Ultra

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mangiacavallo

this phenomenon i've read about is also known by other names such as Touring Weave, etc. there are other threads on this site about it.
nice to hear you've never experienced it.
and yes, the H-D dealership, my local, in Santa Cruz abruptly closed down a couple of weeks ago.
i had been in there many times drooling over that RKC. just about ready to pull the trigger ... and now it's gone. will have to make do with another dealership ... but since i have to invest a lot of time to get to one, i want to hear form other folks if they've been treated well before i go there.

Subby

As far as I can tell, the new /09 frame has pretty well eliminated the "touring weave". My Ultra rides like it's on a rail in corners...no weave, wobble or anything else...just a smoooooth ride.

smitty901

Lot of us have never encoutered the wobble I have gone chassing it many times never found it some have very stange thing.

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Dr. Doolittle

I've read about it and I don't doubt it exists under certain conditions but I've never experienced it. Heard the 09's new frame pretty much eliminated it but the MOCO will never admit that's what the new frame was about.

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2008 Street Glide

woodman

We were riding through San Francisco last year and stopped at Peninsula in Redwood City to look for a seat for my wife's Dyna ,They didn't have it but called around to other dealers for us.Nice service. We went to Dudley Perkins in San Francisco(cool place) where they had the seat and the parts guy let us take the seat and try it on her bike for a quick test ride with no deposit.Outstanding!!! We bought it after she road around the block. I was suprised by the freindly attitude in a big city. From both dealers going above the call of duty.

mangiacavallo

thanks woodman. that's good to know.

bonedaddio

I had a 2007 Street Glide, and in corners at speed, it did have a wobble or a weave to it... (God's way of saying "Watch it!!" in the the corners!!). It wasn't something unusual, I've had similar experiences with other HD big twins, I had a knucklehead with a springer that did something similar.
I rode the 2007 SG through some twisties on the way to the dealer to trade it in, and yes, it did "do the thing". I rode home on a 2009 Street Glide through the same twisties, and no wobble, weave, bob or what-ever. Tracks like a rock. This is my actual experience, not hearsay or conjecture, take it for whatever it's worth.

I think the MoCo finally tamed that wobble, I do wonder why it took so long... I'm amazed at the number of aftermarket stabilizers that are out there for this issue, it kind of makes you think, don't it?
Hope this helps a little,

Bone

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