Infamous Harley Wobble and the Rubber Mounted Harley-Davidson Engine

The Harley wobble, head shake, tank slapper, death wobble, whatever you want to call it it’s a terrifying experience no rider wants to go through. Harley-Davidson motorcycles using the rubber mounted system for the engine can experience a form of this that has come to be known as the “Harley Wobble“. The rubber mounting system in theory under the right conditions can cause the swing arm to flex in its pivot point on the motorcycle. This causes the rear tire to walk creating a violent shaking of the handle bars. The issue has mainly been known to happen on heavy baggers, touring models loaded down and in some cases on Dyna and Sportster models. Basic maintenance can help alleviate this problem, if that doesn’t correct the issue the next step is a stabilizer link. Stabilizer links are available for Dynas, Touring, Vrods and Sportsters. Stabilizer links will take the flex out caused by the rubber mounts and make your bikes chassis more rigid without sacrificing ride quality. This will give you improved handling