The hard way

[jkelley]

Well, I cannot argue that point, but when I can feel it with my hands gripping normally (I do not squeeze the black out of my grips) and then relaxing even further, the wobble starts in, the grips travel 1.5" to 2".
Only in that speed range.
It's what test pilots do, I guess.
Drives engineers and maintainers nuts.
If no one else has experienced this, I understand, per the reason above.
No worries.

A lot of bike will do that but as stated not wise to remove hands, there are fixes and many reasons for this including improper tire inflation, cupping etc. All Balls bearings or even tightening up the stock ones slightly can help in a lot of cases.

[wantone]

How so with the front suspension on the F6B? whats so shitty about it? Stiff, soft, wayward? how does the suspension on the Goldwings and the F6B hold up over time?

IDK how to explain it to you but it is shitty compared to other Jap bikes I have ridden. I can feel the slightest imperfection on the road on front suspension. If u don't believe me listen to the cruisemangarage guy in the below video. He clearly says the glodwing suspension is inferior @ 12:29 in the video. He is popular among glowing riders and also knowledgeable. I was and am still very much impressed with the F6B but very disappointed in the suspension. I thought only Harley was terrible with their suspensions but looks like I was wrong.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_nb...E&spfreload=10

[opas ride]

We are entitled to our opinions about the bikes we ride as well as what others ride....The F6B is much lighter than a GW and perhaps will not be as loaded down as the Wing....Some have complained about front suspension issues, others have not....I have none what-so-ever with my F6B and am happy with it the way it is. I have no fork braces on it and do not intend to install one....After 30/40000 miles down the road, and I am still riding, I will worry about front suspension issues then...I have ridden and owned many Japanese bikes and my F6B handles the front suspension, as good as, if not better than those I have had. I doubt that Honda would have built the Goldwing, one of the best selling touring bikes around, with a "inferior" suspension after all these years...JMHO

[53driver]

No suspension issues here...this is me and a friend in the Smoky Mountains two weeks back.
He's a Pro_am Sport Bike track racer with lots of time on these roads, riding a modified Road Glide.
This was my first time ever on these roads and the most aggressive riding I've ever done.
The cam is mounted on the left engine guard, the tire is the black blob on the right.

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hv...95&oe=550CF929

[srt8-in-largo]

WoW... what a road! Nice riding 53!

Sometimes I think people are just being people and we like finding things to debate and argue about. Nobody in their right mind can truly believe that anyone one brand or bike is perfect... but I, personally, see more Harley riders who are out of their minds in this regard

I visited HDforums recently to see what the latest comments were about the death wobble; most people seem to say "no issues" and "bike is rock solid", interspersed with a tale or two of the wobble putting a guy in a coma, and then several posters stating with seeming authority that every bike brand has a death wobble under the right conditions.

I don't ride Harley (or any V-twin) because I prefer a different riding experience. I understand that Harley makes their bikes the way they do... ON PURPOSE... and I can appreciate riders who want that sound and the mechanical sensations; I get that. However, the reading that I did on HDforums made me question how well rounded the hard core Harley riders really are; if they think all big tourers have a death wobble and share the same characteristics as their bikes, I tend to think they don't have a clue about what a GL1800 offers.

In the spirit of doing my small part to foster the Brotherhood amongst riders, I've been making a conscious effort to focus more on what's good about different bikes... and I've stopped telling my Harley friends that if I wanted 1950's technology I'd buy a real classic.

[srt8-in-largo]

I forgot to mention one other source of pride for Harley riders... the history... of both the brand and its' role in CREATING the motorcycling pasttime. I gotta give credit where it's due; Harley sure does have a storied past and they sure were a significant contributor to putting folks on two wheels. How can you hate something like that?

[terrydj]

Taking ones hands off the handle bars at any speed, on any motorcycle, is just asking for trouble period...I don't care what your reasons are it has no grounds for common sense in my opinion....

Yah probably right but for many years I've always had the throttle lock on in the middle of the night and both hands off the grips earphones in rockin on with the sound turned up sitting on 110/120 kays. 65/70 Mph
Hah and in the old days a joint or a Benson and Hedges lit up

[wylbur78]

I forgot to mention one other source of pride for Harley riders... the history... of both the brand and its' role in CREATING the motorcycling pasttime. I gotta give credit where it's due; Harley sure does have a storied past and they sure were a significant contributor to putting folks on two wheels. How can you hate something like that?

Srt, you're exactly right about the heritage and getting more people riding. Like I've said if I didn't like Harley's I wouldn't keep buying them like I always do. As I explained to my wife this weekend, I'm just tired of feeling every little imperfection in the road and feeling like I'm still shaking when I get to my desk and sit down in my chair at work from my hour ride in running 75-80 the whole way at around 3000 rpms on a v twin. Just want a smoother ride and something that has more performance and can handle the twisty's and curves when I want it without shelling out several thousands of dollars to get just the performance and no twisty action. If they ever change the frame design and suspension I'll go back and buy another Harley tourer. Some will even ask well what about the Victory or the Indian? They both have good frames and suspension but still lack the performance I'm after and the ability to really handle the twisty's. I think slit of that is coming from my last bike before the harley I've got now was a naked style street bike.

[srt8-in-largo]

Hey Wylbur, welcome to the forum btw.

A 2-cylinder motor just doesn't have the power potential of a similarly displaced 4- or 6- cylinder motor; the Laws of Physics being what they are. Spreading the displacement over more cylinders and having more valves to move air creates better efficiencies. If power is a top two criteria for your next bike, more cylinders is the way to go.

Regarding your questions about the GL1800 suspension, well I'll tell ya. The shared experiences you find here and in bike reviews are true about it being astonishingly stable; push it as hard as you can and it readily complies, and asks for more. Hiccups in the suspension in the twisties and switchbacks just don't exist. For the record, I don't make definitive statements loosely; if I was aware of even a hint of any issues I would call the duck a duck.

Regarding the front suspension specifically, well, if the GL1800 platform has a weakness this would be it. Some folks report a front end wobble under certain condtions, I believe at about 40 mph and using a light grip on the handlebars. Some people attribute it to worn tires, others to loading; idk, I'm not that familiar with it. As far as I know it's difficult to reproduce and it never happens when you're thrashing on the bike. It's not something to make you fearful.

Regarding "stiffness", it sounds like you've been told or heard something. Most bike reviews don't mention it, but really bad and choppy roads are indeed unpleasant. Wallowing roads, twisties, and switchbacks no problem; but a road full of potholes will transfer the feel right to the handlebars. To me it's not any better or worse than other bikes, but just wanted to throw that out there since you asked above; you can expect an incredibly performing suspension but it is still a mortal

If you end up getting an F6, I assure you the only thing you'll be feeling at your desk after a long commute-in is a desire to get back on the bike.

[wylbur78]

Hey Wylbur, welcome to the forum btw.

A 2-cylinder motor just doesn't have the power potential of a similarly displaced 4- or 6- cylinder motor; the Laws of Physics being what they are. Spreading the displacement over more cylinders and having more valves to move air creates better efficiencies. If power is a top two criteria for your next bike, more cylinders is the way to go.

Regarding your questions about the GL1800 suspension, well I'll tell ya. The shared experiences you find here and in bike reviews are true about it being astonishingly stable; push it as hard as you can and it readily complies, and asks for more. Hiccups in the suspension in the twisties and switchbacks just don't exist. For the record, I don't make definitive statements loosely; if I was aware of even a hint of any issues I would call the duck a duck.

Regarding the front suspension specifically, well, if the GL1800 platform has a weakness this would be it. Some folks report a front end wobble under certain condtions, I believe at about 40 mph and using a light grip on the handlebars. Some people attribute it to worn tires, others to loading; idk, I'm not that familiar with it. As far as I know it's difficult to reproduce and it never happens when you're thrashing on the bike. It's not something to make you fearful.

Regarding "stiffness", it sounds like you've been told or heard something. Most bike reviews don't mention it, but really bad and choppy roads are indeed unpleasant. Wallowing roads, twisties, and switchbacks no problem; but a road full of potholes will transfer the feel right to the handlebars. To me it's not any better or worse than other bikes, but just wanted to throw that out there since you asked above; you can expect an incredibly performing suspension but it is still a mortal

If you end up getting an F6, I assure you the only thing you'll be feeling at your desk after a long commute-in is a desire to get back on the bike.

Yes you are correct about the physics of the motor, know quite a bit about them, somewhat of a trained shade tree mechanic. Haha. I appreciate all the answers people have given me and X on this forum. Everyone has been helpful and i believe have given their honest opinions on questions asked. I look forward to hopefully meeting some of the guys on this forum out on the road sometime. I joined this forum last year when I was dead set on buying one and just not having the available automatic adjusting speed cruise control was just a no go for me. I just do to much highway riding and have bad wrist problems so can't hold the bars for too long or start really crapping up. Wish I would have done more test riding, but I never test rode anything which is a big no no in my book and I didn't do it anyways. So of course I defaulted to what I knew with the Harley.

Thanks again everyone and enjoy the rest of y'alls weekend for I am checking out till sometime next week.

"Ride safe and keep the rubber side down"