Is handlebar wobble normal ?

[fastfreddy2015]

Hey guys just test drove a 2015 tri-glide Harley for the first time. Just gotta ask, is it normal for it to feel a little wobbly (on turns) ? Sales manager said it was normal and that that's one of the learning curves about trikes. Really would like some feed back on this. Do Goldwing trikes wobble also ?

 

[cavie]

Triglide has a steering damper. You should not be feeling any wobble. Does triglide have a rake kit???

 

[Papa Zook]

Triglide has a steering damper. You should not be feeling any wobble. Does triglide have a rake kit???

It's not normal, there should not be a wobble in the TriGlide front end but some have reported having it. The TriGlides do not have a rake kit but have a built in rake from HD that amounts to a very conservative 2.75 degrees. I offer a rake kit for the TriGlides of 5 degrees. Makes a big difference.

 

[Lee H. Mann]

weebles wobble

Triglide has a steering damper. You should not be feeling any wobble. Does triglide have a rake kit???

Cavie,
As far as I knew, Triglides have a 3-4 degree rake standard with a damper. The wobble most likely comes from the dealer's continuing to over-inflate the rear tires to 26 psi.:xzqxz:

 

[uppercaseJC]

Hey guys just test drove a 2015 tri-glide Harley for the first time. Just gotta ask, is it normal for it to feel a little wobbly (on turns) ? Sales manager said it was normal and that that's one of the learning curves about trikes. Really would like some feed back on this. Do Goldwing trikes wobble also ?

I have a 2015 as well and there is no wobble at all especially in turns.

 

[Papa Zook]

Cavie,

As far as I knew, Triglides have a 3-4 degree rake standard with a damper. The wobble most likely comes from the dealer's continuing to over-inflate the rear tires to 26 psi.:xzqxz:

I agree with Jim on rear tire air pressure being the most likely cause, although some have reported the wobble even with the correct (per Harley) air pressure. Any and all trikes will perform better with 20-24 lbs of air pressure, even the TriGlides, but you cant tell Harley anything as they think they know it all. The TriGlide would also certainly benefit from adding more rake.

A member (Firea100) recently PMed me about a persistent front end wobble on a Honda Valkyrie trike he had just bought and drove 2000 miles home that wobbled the whole way home. It had new tires on it. I advised him to check the rear tire pressure and set it at between 20-24 lbs. Upon checking it, he found that one rear tire had 32 lbs and the other had 34 lbs. Lowering the air pressure got rid of 90 % of the wobble, but not all. Next thing I advised was to check the steering stem torque and front tire.

Haven't head back on that yet.

 

[jc1300]

Hey guys just test drove a 2015 tri-glide Harley for the first time. Just gotta ask, is it normal for it to feel a little wobbly (on turns) ? Sales manager said it was normal and that that's one of the learning curves about trikes. Really would like some feed back on this. Do Goldwing trikes wobble also ?

I've never experienced wobble in turns, but I have had the occasional skip/hop. First time it happens it can be a bit un-nerving, but nothing has ever become of it. jc

 

[desertclassic]

No wobble here. I agree with the air pressure. As the weather changed this fall, I had to keep a watch on the air pressure, no wobble, just a little off in the turns and bumps. Jim

 

[rhino 2]

It depends on how you describe wobble, The OP might just be feeling the hopping/skipping that sometimes happens from the front tire while turning on uneven pavement..Which is a little unnerving to a first time Tri-Glide rider, Especially if the front tire is over inflated.. :Shrug:

 

[BinIdaho]

26# rear and 36# front.....N-O W-O-B-B-L-E!!!!

 

[pcombe]

Heres one for you?

I found that I had to have the front tire inflated to the max press recommended on the tire because lowering the pressure would cause a constant wobble, worse in a turn and wind would affect the handling also.

remember, keep your trike running in a gear where the engine is always pulling. In other words don't lug it! It makes a difference in front end wobble and its easier to bring it out of a wobble with just a little throttle or backing out of it.

In addition i hear allot of complaints in this part of the country where roads have lots of hills etc. that the 103" is underpowered? Don't lug it!

As stated check alignment. If you can see your belt running true on the pulleys your alignment is probably ok.

Check the torque on the stem nut after that, It may be the culprit? Remember someone had to assemble it to begin with and human error is always a factor.
Your steering damper should keep it fairly steady.

As zook said the tri-glide only has about a 2.5" rake in the frame.
Increasing it will make the handling more responsive. I have an overall 9 degree rake on the old tour glide I built and it seriously out performs the triglide handling.
The hog halter tree I got from zook that I put on mine is a quality piece and is about the cost of others. (recommended)ThumbUp

 

[HDB0B]

2014 - 22 psi rears, 36 front, 38 shocks. Perfect ride for me and my wife for 17,000 miles.

Bob

 

[pcombe]

Heres one for you?

I found that I had to have the front tire inflated to the max press recommended on the tire because lowering the pressure would cause a constant wobble, worse in a turn and wind would affect the handling also.

remember, keep your trike running in a gear where the engine is always pulling. In other words don't lug it! It makes a difference in front end wobble and its easier to bring it out of a wobble with just a little throttle or backing out of it.

In addition i hear allot of complaints in this part of the country where roads have lots of hills etc. that the 103" is underpowered? Don't lug it!

As stated check alignment. If you can see your belt running true on the pulleys your alignment is probably ok.

Check the torque on the stem nut after that, It may be the culprit? Remember someone had to assemble it to begin with and human error is always a factor.
Your steering damper should keep it fairly steady.

As zook said the tri-glide only has about a 2.5" rake in the frame.
Increasing it will make the handling more responsive. I have an overall 9 degree rake on the old tour glide I built and it seriously out performs the triglide handling.
The hog halter tree I got from zook that I put on mine is a quality piece and is about the cost of others. (recommended)ThumbUp

Sorry I meant to say the cost was about half what others want!

 

[DK Custom Products]

Wobble is not normal.

I run 36 up front and 20-21 in rear. Run the air shocks anywhere between 20 and 50, depending on road conditions, speed and load.

Every now and then, if I am decelerating, and hit a bump just right, and don't have both hands on the handlebars, I will get the tiniest bit of a wobble, not much, the steering dampener keeps it from growing, but enough to feel that without the dampener it would not be good.

I've experienced this on the 11 and the 14. But, it is very infrequent...maybe once every few thousand miles, on average.

Kevin

 

[hddocfl]

Wobble

I have been thinking about buying a Tri Glide, Test drove two a 2013, 2015 both had wobble really bad on all corners taken add a bump and they wobbled almost uncontrollable , Dealer was notified by me that something was wrong he did say that it would be fixed. A month later another ride on the 2015 same bike had the same problem. I will be test riding a 2016 this week if not better I will build my own trike.

 

[Gorilla]

That really seems strange. I own a 13 TRI and have ridden several 15's and 16's TRI's. A slight wobble at low speed is pretty much normal on all trikes some more than others. Mine has none but I tightened my own steering head nut to where I like it. What you describe is unheard of by me. Are you taking both your hands off the bars? If not, then steering head nuts seems to be a little to loose. By the way even conversions will have a wobble from almost none to quit a bit depending on rake and setup.

 

[rhino 2]

For someone new to Trikes.. The normal action of the front end, Compared to a Two wheeler will upset some till they get accustom to it, And then some may never get it..
When the Spyder first came out most newbies had trouble with the reverse trike single rear wheel pushing the two front wheels, Similar to the tail wagging the dog...

 

[Gorilla]

also been mentioned before the dealer inflates the tires to what they are rated to hold instead of that produces a nice ride. This over inflation also induces wobble.

 

[Fearless]

09 no wobble

I have experienced not one wobble in the time I have ridden our 09' Tri Glide. ThumbUp fearless

 

[1dn5up]

For someone new to Trikes.. The normal action of the front end, Compared to a Two wheeler will upset some till they get accustom to it, And then some may never get it..
When the Spyder first came out most newbies had trouble with the reverse trike single rear wheel pushing the two front wheels, Similar to the tail wagging the dog...

Or does the dog wag the tail ? Hmmmmmm:Shrug:

 

[rhino 2]

Or does the dog wag the tail ? Hmmmmmm:Shrug:

Naa, Its the tail.. I'm sure of it....

 

[FRR]

To answer the second part of your question: no, Goldwing trikes do not wobble, unless something is wrong with them.

 

[screwball]

Something is wrong!! Wife and I have owned 4, an '09, '11, '14, and a '15 Freewheeler. The '09 and '11 had over 50,000 miles on them when traded. Never felt any wobble.

Good Luck!

 

[Sloufoot]

You have ridden both a '13, & a '15 & both had a wobble. If the '16 has the same problem, I might suggest that none really have a wobble, but a lot different feel than two wheels. Other than the bump amplifying the feeling. But that is what the damper is for.
I've ridden 3 other HD Tri Glides, & 1 Freewheeler other than mine & nothing of a wobble. Different stearing , yes but..
Just say'n.....

 

[consitter]

Naa, Its the tail.. I'm sure of it....

I've always liked good tail.ThumbUp

 

[paws]

The first trike we ever drove was a Gold Wing. I was driving and hubby on backseat. Pulling out of the dealer's driveway, and not more than 300 feet down the road, the front end wobble was so bad I thought the front wheel must be loose - and we were moving very slowly. I pulled that thing over, got off, told my husband I was walking back to tell the dealer to come get it, it frightened me so bad. I wasn't about to take it onto the highway. I did walk back to the dealer parking lot.

Amazingly, hubby jumped on the driver's seat and took off with it on the highway - said it wasn't bad at speed. We didn't buy that trike and it certainly cooled trike-hunting for a month or 2. We thought if this is the way they rode and handled we would just stay on 2 wheels.

Then we found another Gold Wing trike for sale, drove it, loved it, bought it.

No wobbles or other handling problems.

Since we are both drivers we found a 2nd Gold Wing trike, drove it, loved it, bought it.

4 years later both trikes are trouble-free and we're glad we got into the trike world.

 

[hddocfl]

Wobble

Both my hands were on the bars, no wobble in a straight line ride, cornering the front wheel with a slight bump the bars wobbled like hell to a point that is was scary. I have been riding Harleys for over 45 years and this was the first two trikes I have ridden. It may be me but if this was a two wheel bike I would have known it was a loose steering head or bad air pressure. I will be testing a 2016 TriGlide soon. Thanks To All for the Replys.

 

[cavie]

Both my hands were on the bars, no wobble in a straight line ride, cornering the front wheel with a slight bump the bars wobbled like hell to a point that is was scary. I have been riding Harleys for over 45 years and this was the first two trikes I have ridden. It may be me but if this was a two wheel bike I would have known it was a loose steering head or bad air pressure. I will be testing a 2016 TriGlide soon. Thanks To All for the Replys.

I have no wobble issues with my VTX 1300 Except at corners with heavy painted crosswalks and stop bars. Wobbles like hell. but I'm doing that at very low speed and expect it so it is no problem.

 

[headheaded]

i don't have any wobble at speed, but when coming to a stop i get alittle back and forth wobble in the handlebars just before coming to a full stop. i'm putting it off on the linked braking. kinda feels like warped rotors on the front. only 1300 miles. i also think my front brakes could be bleed some more as i have a weak pull the first time at the lever.