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Makes more sense to me to fix the problem than fix the symptom. A steering dampner is also going to make handling just a little less pleasant too. My 1500 has no wobbles at any speed. Head bearing condition, lubrication and torque and a good well balanced front tire and no more wobbles.

 

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Foosman, you have a PM.

John

 

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I can not say thatI really have a problem, but I thought the post where I got it was pretty interesting.

I did re-torque and slightly tightened the bearing. No wobble, but if I lightly shake the handles with one hand to the wobble oscillation speed, I can induce the wobble. I doubt else would be able to tell, and I probably could ride with no hands and have no wobble.

But many do have this wobble when their tires cup.

This guy was pretty addement that all bikes wobbles. Then he came back with this statement to be slightly sarcastic.

I have heard of dampeners mainly for crouch rockets, but not for Goldwings.And they were supposedly at Wing Ding. If the dampeners are like the sport bikes, they probably cost $400-$600.

 

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Proper maintenance and tires are the answer to the Goldwing Wobble. There has been so much written about this subject and so many way out there solutions, that I am sure it is hard to sort it out.

Tires are the big culprit. Especially the cheap......production tires that the Wings are coming out with new. They run well up to about 5000 miles and gradually as they start to cup......somehow the Wings are so sensitive to this.....you will get a little wobble at times.....and as the tire gets worse......more and more.

All those who make products ......naturally wish to sell them......and have a great sales pitch on why you should buy their product. Pretty convincing too!!

I have a new 1800 and I did take the time to just about totally tear it apart to get to the steering bearings and check them......they were a tad loose......but it is the tires that cause this with a properly maintained bike. As the tires wear...and cup....the wobble starts......mine is starting it a bit........in a sharp twistie....counter steering into the turn......I can feel the tire start to walk........I can go down the road about 35 reach up and smack the bars.....and induce the wobble..........it would not do this when new.....just as the tires have gotten cupped..........

There is no solution to tire cupping.....more pressure......less pressure......this idea.......that idea.......quite simply tires rub on the road in turns and hop along and cup........and it can be the rear tire.......more so than the front that causes it.

Respectfully Kit

This is my first Goldwing. I was a Harley rider for years. Then I purchased a Yamaha. Then this new 1800. Daily I gain more and more experience. I have rode bikes for years and worked on them for years. When I first got my new Wing I read all this stuff about the WOBBLE. It did have me somewhat concerned. Not anymore, as I gain experience with the bike...more and more I wish to put some rumors to rest. To simply say true facts and not guesses as to the whys. It is quite simply my experience with the bike as I go through it all myself.....it is the tires........and yep you can have a brand new tire......not worth a flip.........I am the kind of person you can lead me to the water hole.....but you cannot make me drink.....I have to pee on the electric fence myself:cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1:Kit

I would also like to point out an overlooked fact.......hidden from view......kinda like cannot see the forest for the trees.......

It is generally one of us Americans that complain of the wobble......very, very few of the other fellow have this problem.....on occasion they do.......but normally it is one of us.......why? They for the most part have bridgestone tires......their bikes come with them.....ours come with dunflops.........when looking at something you have to see the whole forest. Not just a couple trees. Kit

 

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A lot of the bikes in the '60s had dampers on them. My 750 Norton had one and I rode with it fairly tight with no problems; I liked the stiff steering. I was wondering were the damper was when I got my Wing until I found out it didn't have one. But I would rather have my bike repaired correctly when possible although I don't see anything wrong with having a damper too.

Bernie

 

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I've owned bikes in the 50s and 60s that had friction dampers on the steering. Not really all that pleasant and they tend to cause wandering because it always takes a bit of effort to move the handlebar. You can get the same effect by over torquing the head bearings on any bike. Modern bikes have better geometry and tires and for the most part don't need dampers any more. Off road riding is a different case.

 

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I got the article from Wing World Magazine with the help of Jluvs2dive.

I was a little disappointed in the article in that is was only a few sentenceswith a picture of the product line dampeners. But, it did have a link to Seeley Products.

Again, I was disappointed with the link since it was under construction. Seeley Products claims to be the designers, developers,and manufactures of the GL1800 Steering Stabilizer using HYPERPRO damper cylinders.

Maybe SeeleyJust designed a few brackets and packaged a HYPERPRO dampeners.

HYPERPRO web site is better, but they did not list the GL1800 or GL1500. They do have many applications for mainlysport bikes. Seems the sports bike has a high speed wicked tank slapping problem.

I was in the Kawasaki shop, and I noticed many of their newcrouch rockets had dampeners, but I do not know if they were OEM.

I know we have talked alot about wobble on this forum. Well, here is my source link for yet another wobble issuefrom another person's heatedpoint of view.

http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/messages/11/173509.html?1212943831

 

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Kit, I never had the wobble with the original Dunlops but I do now with the brand new Bridgestones which I absolutely hate but thats a whole nother thing. I gravity checked the front tire and it didn't need balancing, had no way to check the rear but I did put RideOn in them. Hindsight being 20/20 I sure wish I had put E3s or Mets on.

 

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Foosman(5) wrote:

http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/messages/11/173509.html?1212943831

Ahhh, 211Chuck, (Chuck Elliott). He used to hang out here.

John

 

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Izzat who that Chuck was? I'm surprised he has time to post messages but then he's probably at a truck stop somewhere grabbing a quick bite before hopping back on his gnarly Harley and getting in another 800 miles before dinner time.:cooldevil:

 

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I had one on my GSXR, but it wasn't just a friction damper, it worked like a pneumatic shock (as best I could tell). It was very easy to move at slow speed, but if you jammed it in really fast (i.e. as would happen during a tank slapper) it would provide extreme resistance. Normal riding felt the same with it on or off. Never had the opportunity to find out if it did its job during a wobble/tankslapper, fortunately.