Front End Wobble

J1003K

.020 Over
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
30
Location
Layton, Utah
Wondering if anyone else has experienced this. At low speeds (under 40 mph) while de-accelerating, I noticed a little bit of wobble in the front end. Thinking it was the road, I did the same thing (de-acceleration) and let go of the bike. The front end started wobbling back and forth like crazy; my Harley never did this. Wondering if this was a fluke or not, I tried it several other times on different roads; same results. Is this a characteristic of the bike due to the rake and trail or do I need to get it in and get it fixed.
 
I have one that "does not" wobble at any speed, accel or decel. Not certain what is the issue, unless the tire is not completely seated on the wheel all the way around the bead. Or the front tire has a blim. Maybe balance. But only on decel as a specific speed range, hard to nail down.

Definitely something you would not want to live with. You should have it checked out to see if the issue can be resolved.

Good luck J1003K! :confused:
 
J1003k, My Rocket started to do the same thing and at first I thought it was the front tire because the tread was low, so I bought a brand new tire and it was really bad. So I had 9,700 so just end up getting my 10,000 check up and they told me the my front end steering was loss so they just tighted it up and its was nice and smooth again.
 
What's the front tire condition? Fork bolts? What's the mileage? Put it up on a center-stand lift and check front end free play et al. Like Rusty said, this isn't something to let slide.
 
Not normal at all, Rockets are known for their stability and handling.

I would have this checked out ASAP. As Cane mentioned, you might have a loose steering head or possibly some other problem.
 
Interesting J1003K, I noticed that mine wobbled and attributed to tire wear. I noticed cupping then started using the front brake more to compensate for the rear tire wear. Changing out the tire reduced the symptoms but I would check the mechanical aspects.
 
Well, I just pulled the top yoke off today to check the stearing head nut. All came apart very easily, about as easy as any other bike I've worked on. I easily got the lock nut loose, and the bottom nut was LESS THAN HAND TIGHT! And.. I did not have a wrench or socket to fit this nut.

So.. to finish this up for now, I put my floor jack under the bike and raised the front end just enough to take the weight off, then grabbed a pair of locking pliers I had and tightend the nut good and firm with them, then took a screw driver and hammer and pushed the nut another 1/8th of a turn or so.. then tightened the lock nut and put it all back together.

EXCEPT.. there is always a screw up. One of the rubber pieces that the ignition cover slides into had come off without me noticing. I, of course, noticed this AFTER I had the handlebars back on and adjusted to my liking. So, it all come back apart so I can put this little rubber washer back in.

Anway, after a short run, I still have a tiny amount of shake (probably not tight enough from not using an actual socket or wrench), but it's not nearly as bad as it was.
 
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