Death Wobble - Causes and Prevention

Have you ever experienced a speed wobble or also referred to as the death wobble? It can be a terrifying experience. This week will talk about the common causes and how to handle a death wobble if it happens to you.

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Thanks for watching,
Kevin

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[drummerdavemax]

I was SO surprised to see all the new subs & comments on my latest vid this morning! WOW!!! I was trying to help your channel, & you totally flipped it on me! Thank you very much Kevin!!! I hope we can hang out some day! Ride safe!

[detbillsmith]

Hi Kevin, I just watched your "death wobble" video.
I was a police officer with the Toronto Police Force when I took bike training, a two week course. We were taught how to correct a speed wobble the old Harlies were known for this. We were taught to do nothing but apply the rear brake to stop the wobble. This did happen to me at least twice over the next few years, speaking of that, this was the early seventies. Once at lower speed which didn't get really severe and once on the highway and that one was severe. In both instances applying the rear brake stopped the wobble. I can't agree that waiting out the wobble is the best advice as the longer the wobble lasts the greater it can intensify and you'll be thrown from the bike. Perhaps you have some police bike training friends who might know of that technique.
I enjoy watching your channel.

[ArisimaSpinosa]

When I first started riding a motorcycle and I finally got the courage to head out on a local highway, I was extremely disheartened because at highway speeds (~60 mph), the motorcycle was "dancing" all over the lane. Not wobbling, but simply going back-and-forth. I couldn't get it to go in a straight line! It was not a pleasant experience, and I almost gave up riding because of it. I pressed on, though, and then after about a 2 hour trip one Saturday, I woke up the next morning with my forearms absolutely killing me from their soreness. That's when I realized the problem: I had a death-grip on the handlebars while I was riding. I was causing the motorcycle to "dance" because, as you clearly stated, you cannot keep the motorcycle travelling in a straight line better than the motorcycle can do itself. After I learned to relax, my overall experience improved dramatically.

[JamesCouch]

I subbed to Dave and I also had a case of the wobble passing a semi at 70mph with my wife on the back. I figured I was going to wreck but wanted to get as slow as possible before I went down. I was able to get around the semi and get over to the shoulder and somehow got stopped without going down. Turns out my back tire had gone flat (yes, I checked it before taking off) but didn't blow out. It could have ended badly but thankfully it didn't.

[SweetartistacademyAuPerth]

Right on the spot again. I was doing motocross in my younger age, and yes don't fight the wobbles, ride like a dancer, follow your partner, the best way to stay up, and use your knees to hold on the bike. Well done again Kev.

[andreescobar]

Hi Kevin, I follow your videos from Brazil... thank you for sharing your road skills, making our ride safer!
I’ve plagued by death wobble 6 years ago...
I was riding a HD Ultra Limited in a highway, about 70mph, when I felt a little shimmy in the handlebar... however, I made the mistake of grab the handlebar and the shimmy gone into a death wobble!
The motorcycle was destroyed, but (thanks God) I hadn’t serious injuries!

[johnreed]

Hey Kevin...81 XS1100, terrible wooble@ exactly 73 MPH. You could ride through it and it would stop at around 76 MPH. Tried everything, PSI, balance, isolaters etc. Eventually took apart the triple tree, replaced upper and lower steering bearings and Viola!! Fixed!! Many different potential causes. Thanks for the great info and I'm subbing now. Blue Skies and Dry roads!

[mikeashcraft]

Bought my 1st Harley from a friend, a '98 FXD, low miles, really great shape. I was 67 then. He told me not to excede 65 or it would wobble/weave & try to unsaddle me. He was spot on. It happened twice. Got off the gas and applied some rear brake. Of course You Tube offered a plethora of solutions! I am a MMI graduate of '78. Knew this problem didn't exist when these were new. I decided to look at the front&rear "isolaters". 23 year old rubber. Oil, ozone, age, so I installed new "mounts. Problem solved. She goes as fast as I dare. No more weave!!

[SMKreitzer]

I got Dave too. I had one memorable death wobble, early in my riding career. There were not too many traffic lights in my home town, so at rush hour, particularly after work, when I made a left turn to enter the roadway I had to cross two lanes of traffic. My Yamaha XT 350 dual sport, was geared for torque in 1st and 2nd gear, with tires that were also dual purpose, but soft and more trail than street. It seems that I was spinning the tire all the time, while taking that left turn and I wore the tread on that side of the tire. I didn't do much highway riding at that time so I never noticed any wobbling until I went to pass a car on the highway. The bike was fine at 90km/h but I sped up to pass the car to 110 or 115km/h when the bike began violently wobbling, taking up nearly the entire lane. I didn't really hit either brake, just rolled off the throttle. I regained control as I slowed down. I checked the rear axle, it was straight and the nut was tight. The Yamaha shop changed out the tire and showed me the wear when the tire was off the bike, I couldn't believe how much wear was on the left side of that tire!

[ralphralph]

As a brand new rider (at 55 yo), I really appreciate the slow, patient, understanding, and encouraging lessons and experience you offer to every level of rider. All the questions and doubts, and concerns I have as a novice are answered and addressed without making me (us) feel stupid or discouraged as I get more and more riding time logged. I'm scheduled for a riding course in a month, and feel I'll be miles ahead and comfortable on my bike as I go through the formal lessons and tests, because of your really helpful and well produced videos! I have subscribed to Got Dave, and will poke around there too - good of you to promote the competition. Keep the knowledge coming!! Thanks, Ralph

[heyoldtime]

Well there I was riding in traffic on I 95 in FL. Speed was 40 MPH. I had 2 car length's of following distance. The pickup in front hit his brakes hard. Well I pushed on the rear brake hard and the tire broke loose and slid to the right. Well I let off the R brake the the tire came back in line . I was on the front break and the death warble started violently. Well there was not enough time or space and I ate the tailgate. I'm sure this was all my fault but in this case the rear tires violent re-alignment destabilized the frame. Well 3 broken ribs a collapsed lung, Broken ankle and lots of road rash taught me many lessons and I learned them well. I joined your channel yesterday. I love your vids and I have learned alot. Thanks Kev.

[joereedmusic]

Good discussion, thanks for sharing. I've experienced the wobble twice in my years of riding. The first in 1967 on Royal Lane in Dallas when it was still a two lane black top. Two of us on bikes had pased a truck and as we were pulling back into our lane the other riders back tire just barely touched my front one, the wobble began and I went down around 50 mph, skipping like a rock across a pond I lost about a yard of skin but broke nothing. Rider caused obviously. The 2nd was on the race track when trying to avoid a small hole in the pavement. As I swerved at high speed I put a fair amount of lean into the bike and as I brought it up vertical the gyroscopic action of the front tire wobbled twice, slung me off and the bike continued on for about 60 yards straight down the track without me before it lost speed and fell over.

[jons]

I've been watching GotDave for a couple of years now. Nice of you to promote him.

[michaelcoulter]

Earlier today found myself on a stretch of dirt road and before I realized it I was in a patch of soft sand about 3 or 4 inches deep and yep..the bike started to move in a quick serpentine motion which startled me ..I was sure I was about to go down but as you say stay loose relax don't fight the bike and we'll that's what I did and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever forced myself to do ...Lol.. But it worked ! The bike made it thru just fine..me not so much..Lol. Thanks Kevin

[douglasphillips]

One of the first weeks after I took the MSF course I was out exploring the backroads and ended up on a road where they had a gravel section for about a mile in between the paved areas. That sure felt weird, but doing what I learned - roll off the throttle and relax and let the bike find its own path - it all worked the way it should. Thanks for all the reminders on these videos!

[Slarti]

I got a death wobble when I first got my 600cc and decided to see how fast I could go.
At 120mph the death wobble started and I eased off on the throttle and the wobble stopped - I never did that again.

[stilljay]

We rise by lifting others 🙏🔥. Good job Kevin. Following Dave ASAP. 👍😊

[mr.funkalicioussplendiferous]

You are very knowledgeable, brother. It has been my experience (and, just my experience) that most death wobbles are caused by: 1) wheels needing to be balanced; 2) wrong tire pressures for the conditions/load; 3) bad bearings (wheel or head); 4) tires that are bad/worn; 5) unbalanced load; 6) mis-aligned wheels; 7) road surface issues combined with speed. Again, not saying this an all inclusive list, just things that I have had happen to me or someone I know while I was present... Almost 40 years of riding, so I've seen a lot. Most of these can be handled with proper bike maintenance and care...

[martyking]

I "Got Dave." Let me tell you, during the first 2 3/4 minutes of your video you probably caused Dave's head to increase in size and almost explode.😁 Great video. Thank you.

[elvishmyst]

First year on the freeway I got a flat tire on the front went into a major wobble let’s go and 70 miles an hour just relax let off the throttle moved off the freeway this channel is amazing I watch it constantly and it is helped me learn a lot to make me a better rider