bob1945 wrote:
A stupid question......... should I be able to take my hands off the wheel on my bike and bike should go straight............. or is a wobble normal?
Well, I can and do ride hands-off...often, whenever I need my hands for things like zipping my jacket, or fixing my gloves, etc. But the other philosophy among many bikers is to keep your hands on the bars.
Personally, I think that wobbles are not "normal"...a wobble is indicative of something mechanically amiss. Motorcycle wobbles are, however, quite common.
Many knowledgeable people claim that new tires will likely be afix. I have found this to be very true, on many cages where it greatly improves handling and driveability, temporarily. But, unless you fix the alignment, balance, or suspension problems the tires will again wear prematurely and unacceptably.
Others, rightfully so, blame the steering head bearings, or swing arm bearings. These things need close attention whether you ride hands-off or not. Fork issues can contribute to wobbles, as well as the anti-dive featuremis-adjusted on the 1200s. Warped brake rotors may also aggravate the problem.
Wheel bearings have also been found guilty. You will have to thoroughly inspect your bike until the possible causes are found. Motor mount bolts must be tight, and the frame must not be sprung or otherwise weakened (like by rust-thru). If your wheels have wire spokes, they must be adjusted for tension and wheel trueness.
The thing that "cured" mine was correcting the wheel tracking. I have yet to find a flat-four 'Wing with wheel alignment better than .022"/ft. I have begun to wonder if they are engineered that way,but all I can find by "experts" on the subject agree that motorcycle wheels should be tracking in-line. :waving: