Wobble, Wobble, Bagger Wobble! Pt 1 - Frame Brace Upgrade for Big Blue

On a recent ride from Alexandria, Virginia, to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, making friends with my newest bike, a 1999 Road King, I got a thrill ride I wasn't expecting. Not expecting it at all.

I was running fully loaded, rolling southeast on 295, bypassing Richmond, and running pretty fast. When exiting I295 onto 64 eastbound, I leaned hard into a fast sweeping left turn. What should have been easy and fun turned into something entirely different when the bike started a strange wobble. It wasn't like a front end shimmy, but instead felt like the front and rear wheel were twisting in opposite directions. Weird. I let up quickly on the throttle, gently squeezed a little brake, and settled it down just in time to lean it to the right where the ramp blends into 64. Damn if it didn't start again. To be honest, it scared me a little. I thought I had a flat or something had broken.

I slowed up a lot, waving the traffic around that was piling up behind me, finally getting over on the shoulder. A girl driving the car immediately behind me pulled over too. I began checking tires and anything else to see if something was obviously wrong. The girl that had stopped came up and asked if I was OK, and said she thought I was going to go down. Even she could tell I was having a tough time holding onto it.

I couldn't find a damn thing wrong. Tires looked good, the front forks seemed to still be attached to the frame (LOL), and the swingarm wasn't visibly broken, which was something that crossed my mind. I thanked the young lady for stopping, fired up the bike and went on down the road, but I made it a point not to run the bike hard into any more sweepers. (.....and of course, I spent the next 100 miles wondering if I should have asked where SHE was going!)

Though I didn't pay a lot of mind to it at the time, I also noticed that on 64 east, a concrete road, the bike seemed to like following the grooves and irregularities in the road...more than normal. All bikes do this of course, but I usually notice it with the front wheel, and this felt a little different. Like the tires were going in slightly different directions, or angles, to the direction of travel. Or maybe I was still freaked out and over-sensitive due to my "wobble experience".

The rest of the trip was thankfully wobble-less, but the experience bothered me, and more than a little. I run bikes hard into corners, and running quick around long sweepers is something I enjoy, costing me more than a few sets of footpegs, etc. over time. It's money well spent, and cheap thrills in my book!

So I came home, and did what I always do. Hit the internet and google around to see if what I experienced had been noticed by others. BAM! First GOOGLE search on "Bagger Wobble" turned up hit after hit, describing exactly what I felt including the tendency to follow grooves in the road. I even found a horror film on YouTube that captures an even worse event, although not by a hell of a lot. My "adventure" was a lot like this one. Click here: YouTube video of an extreme case...

After reading lots of accounts, including some that say this wobble thing is a myth, I found that the supporting evidence seems to far outweigh those who haven't had bad experiences. And I damn sure didn't imagine my own, so I looked into why it happens, and set out to find a solution.

Interestingly, Harley Davidson seems to deny there is a problem, much less offering a "cure". Still, I wasn't imagining things, and the cop in that YouTube video wasn't faking it, so maybe there's a little something to the claims, right? And if not, some folks have sure built a thriving cottage industry creating elaborate solutions to a problem that, according to Harley, doesn't exist.

The first thing I learned is that this issue is limited to Touring Harleys, and not Softails, etc. And some say Ultra's seem to be more prone to having issues than other models. I don't know about that part, except to say that my Road King has it, and the cop in the video was probably on a Road King too.

I then learned that the frickin' swingarm isn't directly connected to the frame, but instead is linked to the rear of the transmission/engine which is completely rubber mounted, free to move independently! Really HD? Therefore any slack, wearing of parts, misalignment of wheels, etc can exaggerate a design issue (flaw?)(fuckup?). My bike has 56,000 on the frame so a little looseness is entirely possible.

In addition to looseness of other parts with a little age to them, the condition can also be amplified by carrying weight, higher speeds, and having an aftermarket fairing or windshield. In short, the condition might not be a big deal or not even noticeable if you're running light at easier speeds, if your bike is in factory stock configuration with low mileage.

Of note, this is possibly a much less serious or non-existing issue on newer bikes. Harley completely redesigned the touring chassis in 2009, so this problem reportedly either goes away on 2009-up bikes or is certainly less of a concern.

There are several aftermarket solutions for the wobble, with prices ranging from $180 to around $500. Just about every solution seems to do the same thing: Provide a third link that ties the tail of the transmission/oil pan to the frame crossmember or to the passenger footpeg mount. Same difference, really, with one being (the foot peg version) a far less desirable option, at least to me.

They all attempt to control lateral movement, while allowing vertical movement which reportedly minimizes transferring engine vibrations to the frame and rider. And of course, since the swingarm is mounted to the rear transmission area, the back wheel is no longer free to roam independently.

Solutions:

One real cheap solution is to slow down. After ruling that out, I looked at mechanical fixes.

True-Track, on the high end of the cost spectrum, makes a very nice looking system, and there's another one on the lower end, Progressive, that just doesn't look as effective or clean since it's hanging outboard, mounted behind the passenger foot peg.

The Bagger Brace from Bitchin' Baggers caught my eye. Nice looking machine work, solid engineering, and the design distributed the load across a wider mounting area, much like the True-Track system. It seemed like a great compromise in cost and function. I'm a machinist and engineer, with a ton of years in the rocket business so I think my opinion counts. If it was junk or poor design, I'd spot it in a heartbeat.

For the record, True Track, from everything I've gathered, is the creator of the first Bagger Wobble fix system (it's patented), and everything made by others is a knock-off of the original design.

Here's a sampling of what's out there with approximate prices as found on 5/10/2012. Prices you find may vary...check websites or eBay.

True Track @ $380

Bagger Brace @ $290

Gray Area @ $175

Progressive @ $200

Ron from Bitchin' Baggers, aka Phoenix Customs, the maker of the Bagger Brace, gave me a lot of tips and insight after a information-gathering call. Based on the conversation, I placed an order with him for a Bagger Brace, and I was pleased to see a very nice looking chunk of machining and engineering arrive in the mail just days later.

So off to the garage.....

The very first thing I found out was that installation requires the crossmember to be flat, and mine was bowed up in the center due to the bike being improperly jacked up sometime during its life. From what I read in HD Forums, this is a very common issue, so when jacking up that heavy-ass bike, DON'T jack it up in the center of that cross member.

This crossmember should be straight, with the top edge even with the frame rails. See the comment below about straightening.

So I had to straighten the crossmember out. Using a pry bar between the crossmember and the cast aluminum oil pan looked awful tempting. Just a couple grunts might have done the job. But it also might have cracked the fucking pan, resulting in a VERY expensive repair job that was avoidable if I remained patient. I needed to take my time and find a better solution. Patience isn't my strong suit, but this time I turned out the lights in the garage and hit the internet....HD Forums....again.

Almost immediately, I found mention of a tool made by the True Track people....see above....and called them up. My 20-00ET crossmember straightening tool was in the mail that day. It's a damn simple solution and worth the 40 bucks, even if you use it only once. I'm sure oil pans cost far more. Hell, the 20W-50 synthetic oil cost more than 40, right?

So back to the garage.

20 short minutes later, my crossmember was pulled straight and the tool was back in the box and stored on the shelf. The tool worked great, and no oil pans were harmed during this phase of the operation.

About straightening: You should be able to lay a straightedge across the frame rails, and the crossmember should be, within reason, perfectly flat and level with the frame rails. None of these kits that link to the crossmember will fit properly if it's bent. And a bonus is that when you use one of the kits that mount to it, the dog-bone portion of the brace will strengthen the crossmember. Then it won't be so prone to bending, though I still wouldn't jack the bike up on it. Jack on the frame rails instead.....do it right!

I eagerly grabbed the Bagger Brace, and was very disappointed to find out it didn't fit. Boo. And after all this screwing around.

This wasn't a total surprise. While waiting on the tool to arrive, I spoke to the always-helpful Ron at Phoenix Customs who looked at a couple pix of my bent crossmember. Ron observed that I had a non-standard crossmember that he had only seen a few of on 1999-era Harleys. He told me his Bagger Brace wasn't going to fit after all. It seems Harley used a couple older style frame elements (95 maybe?) on newer bikes in '99, or that's the way it looked. He said he'd seen a few others like mine. I held onto the thought that I could make it work, but I was wrong. Ron was 100% correct, offered to give me a refund, so I shipped it back.

To Ron's credit, he also directed me to a competitor, recommending a unit that would do the job. Not everyone would do that, so three cheers for Ron at Phoenix Customs.

An hour later, I spoke to (another) Ron at True Track out in Burbank, CA. He's the guy that sold me the x-member tool, and Ron II helped me get a P/N 20-00 frame brace on order.

I'm waiting on that delivery as this is written, and I'll update the blog when it shows up. Suffice it to say that this fast and easy upgrade hasn't been either. Stay tuned for Wobble, Wobble - Part 2.

True Track, P/N 20-00

Cowboy

Update:
Here's a LINK TO PART II of Wobble Wobble.....

And here's a link to Part III of III...Bagger Wobble

OBX, Get Outa Jail Free

Yet more OBX stuff, but it's all for a worthy cause, 'specially if you, like me, get caught zooming through Kill Devil Hills on the beach road.

In spite of all my claims of blindness to bikers by OBX cops, I found out that they take a very dim view of wide open launches from a dead stop, even if it was to give a little boy something to tell his friends about.

Or put another way, I now know I can hit 52 (in a 35mph speed zone) just as I get into second gear on my Road King...Big Blue is quick. $212.00 worth of quick.

I'll give the cop credit for not being a jerk, and he was actually very cordial and friendly, but not chummy enough to let me slide. I even got a "Welcome to Bike Week" along with my ticket. Mind you, this all happened within 5 minutes of leaving the hotel, first thing in the morning, on the first day of OBX Bike Week. Hell, I might have received the very first ticket! That oughta be worth something, right?

But I came home a little worried about points on my Virginia license, and yes they transfer up. Just days later, I got a nice note from Bernard "BJ" McAvoy who has a law firm in Kill Devil Hills. Apparently, traffic tickets get you on the public record, and BJ picked up that I had a ticket.

First inclination was to toss the note, figuring a ticket is a ticket, and it's best to just pay it. I was caught dead wrong, and I couldn't even get creative enough to make up a story for the judge. And I'm here to tell ya: With all the practice I've had in 44 years of riding, and maybe getting one or two tickets, not being able to come up with an excuse...even a lame one... was a "first" for me. So I let the note lay there on the table for a few days, just for the hell of it.

And a few days later, I called and got through to BJ who hooked me up. After listening to my whining, he said he could help me out, getting it knocked down to a non-moving violation with no points!

Really, I said!?

Yes, really.

Cool!

And the price was right. For just a couple hundred bucks, I was going to keep my driving record clean. Easily worth the small investment, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Another bonus was calling back and getting to chat with Sheryl on the phone. She's not only sympathetic to the cause, but I happened to find out she's got her own helmet! Just sayin........

So if you find yourself in a jackpot down in OBX, Bike Week or not, I highly recommend a call to BJ and tell him Cowboy sent ya! I promised him I'd put in a plug for him on the blog, so here 'tis, and well earned.

Bernard "BJ" McAvoy
2600 North Croatan Hwy
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Phone: 252-715-0267 Fax: 252-715-0269
mcavoy@theobxattorney.com
www.theobxattorney.com


Ride Safe!
Cowboy

OBX Bike Week 2012, Post Mortem

...and I'm back. I wish I had some great stories to tell about OBX Bike Week (it's actually still on as of this writing), but this time I don't have a lot of good stuff to share. One word about why: WEATHER!

Fearing the worst, I got a half-day head start and left Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning which turned out to be a blessing. Saturday was like a warm summer day.....sunny and almost 80 all day. It was t-shirt only day for sure, but even that day got off to a rocky start.

Williamsburg Time-Out!

Original Grave Digger at its Headquarters, Currituck, NC

After maligning the Ocean City Police Department about their war against bikers, and my comparison to OBX cops who (I thought) pretty much ignored bikes, I was proven wrong. As I was starting up the bike Saturday morning, a little boy and his parents passed me by, walking. He gave me the thumbs-up sign, and I returned the favor. So to give him a little thrill, I lit up Big Blue coming out of the parking lot. Pipes roaring, I hit second gear just as I was passing the family, and then looked right into the windshield of an oncoming police car. He did not ignore me.

Says on that ticket I had already hit 52 mph in a 35 speed zone. $212 bucks, in spite of an apology and admission of stupidity. The cop said he just couldn't let it slide since I was in primarily a residential area of Kill Devil Hills in broad daylight, with the whole world looking on. But after my explanation, he did say I did put on a good show for the little boy. Terrific. I can hear Mom and Dad now. "Look Billy. See what happens when you act stupid!"

But after that, I was on the way...and on the main road too! I started out at Outer Banks Harley which had the usual vendors and displays. Nothing special or new, but it was fun to see the crowd and all the bikes.

My date. Yes, even the quiet ones want something new. No such thing as a cheap date.

If you've never been to OBX Bike Week, you should know this: there's no single venue...no single location. It's stretched out in 4 or 5 locations for a stretch of about 10 miles. Each location has a collection of vendors, and all stops have some kind of food and drink nearby.

From OBX Harley, I started working my way down, finding Dan Kite Pinstriping back at the Longboards location. It was still early and his tent was empty, though he had several people milling around, looking at his artwork. I decided the vacant tent was a sign from above, and made the necessary inquiry about pin striping Big Blue.

We agreed on a price, I rolled it in, and with minimal direction on my part, I turned Dan loose to work his magic. I simply told him I wanted subtle colors, an Old School look, and the rest was up to him. He promised not to use pink or neon green and went to work!

THE Man! Dan!

Outstanding. When I first when back to see it, I actually thought he'd missed some spots since the stripes had breaks in them. And when I looked closer, I realized they actually weaved in and out of each other. Cool. And he added some black fill that really set it off. He has an amazing hand and does this stuff without a template! As you may remember, he also did the art work on the Joker. Dan will be at Sturgis this year, so if you're there, look him up.

From Longboards, I hit the Hot Leather location, on a mission to find a cargo net, bungie thing like Jeff had. They had them at Longboards, but the damn things were PINK! No way...not on my bike. Hot Leathers came through, so I got a couple of those, Jeff. Thanks for that great tip on an inexpensive way to tie down a jacket on a hot day. $6.95 for a 15"x15" stretchy net deal with a bunch of hooks. Takes up almost no space and good to carry along. I recommend black, but if you're into pink....they come that way. Just don't ride with me, boys......

Here's a couple shots from the Hot Leather location. This is also a church parking area and a Christian motorcycle club headquartered at that church offers great hospitality, food, and as much brotherhood as you're likely to get anywhere. Nice people.

From there, I rode down to Lucky 12, the must-do destination. It's a great hangout, and is what every bar should aspire to become. It's a perfect biker bar.

And from there, a little more riding and a little more eating and enjoying the hot day. Good thing too, because that heat wasn't gonna last long...

And after that, skies darkened, the wind picked up, and I called it a day. Not a bad one, at that. But this is what I woke up to and it poured down almost all day.

Big Blue, under wraps

How I Spent my Sunday at OBX Bike Week. Reading.

 

Not a Bikini in sight. Or even a person!

I got out once all day sunday for food, but didn't escape the rain. While I was munching away and watching the Caps game, the rain poured down again. I had no choice but to ride back in it and park.

Hotel let a couple of us park under the entranceway overnight. 

Monday morning rolled around and I was due back in DC. It was 44 degrees and raining, which is no way to start a 275 mile ride. I put on the chaps and rain gear, also glad I'd tossed the long johns in at the last minute. Just in case. All the gear came in handy and was much appreciated. Otherwise, I'd have run up a big bill at the Harley dealer for new clothes to ride back in.

I literally ran the wheels off the bike coming home, rain or not. Two gas and bathroom stops, and 4 1/2 hours later, I pulled up at my condo in Alexandria, Virginia. It was no fun at all and I just wanted to get it over with. Big Blue handled like a dream in the wet weather, and kept a lot of the rain off me. I had those crash bar chaps on too, and that kept water off my legs. Big Blue gets two gold stars for the trip. Comfy and helps out when the going gets rough.

So I won't bad-mouth OBX Bike Week for weather related issues, except to say it rained on me last year too, but just not as bad. And I also remember Fred, Beth and Mark rolling into the hotel looking like they'd been swimming instead of riding. Hey, maybe I'll check the weather report more carefully before doing OBX Bike Week 2013.

Cowboy

But Before We Go (to OBX), How 'Bout a Tax Weekend Ride?!

I was just sitting there minding my own business, daydreaming about the ride to OBX Bike Week on April 21, and out of the blue Denise sent around a last-minute email to see who wanted to get together for a little ride, destination unknown.

Hey, I'm always up for a "destination unknown" event, so I signed up along with a few other willing participants. After a flurry of messages, and a little route suggestion work by Chip, we agreed to meet at Battley's Harley Davidson, in Gaithersburg, Maryland for a starting point, with the general idea of heading into West Virginia and from there, south into Virginia.

Charlie and Linda were down in Roanoke, Virginia, at the Blue Ridge Bike Fest and tried to entice me into dragging everyone down there at some point, but that would have meant an overnighter. I decided to let Charlie judge the BRBF bikini contest all by himself. He's up to the task, Linda assures me, never missing a key detail.

Some of the bikes at Battley's...That's my new Big Blue in the front!

And the lineup: Sol, Chip, Loretta, Paul, Denise, & Chuck. Jeff was still shopping and missed the photo op.

And off we went...

From Gaithersburg we hit 270, Northbound, but ran into yet another DC traffic jam, so we detoured onto much more scenic Rt 355 into Frederick before turning west.

Monocacy River

Cowboy, flirting with the girl right alongside in traffic. And busted by Denise...she's fast on the camera!

Chip and Denise, aka Runway Model

...and to 340 southwest which got us into Charles Town, West Virginia. Or more accurately, to Longshot's Billiards where the crowd consisted almost entirely of us. Somehow, Longshot's wasn't the high point for the trip, and seems to have escaped being caught on film, and if you know Denise, that's a small miracle. Not even a Potty Shot to prove we were there. 

Away we went, heading south to Winchester, Virginia. This entire area is just one big Civil War historical site, and every crossroad seems to have a historical marker of a battle. If you're a buff, riding in this area, you'll be constantly distracted and wanting to stop along the way. I highly recommend it. That makes for a great day of riding too. I've done it many, many times.

Crossing the Potomac on Rt 340 near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. That's me on the left riding Big Blue.

Winchester! We're holding up mail delivery and traffic hamming it up for the pictures!

Jeff and Loretta, on the center bike

Chuck

Like a homing pigeon, Chip got us to Piccadilly's Pub in WIhchester for beverages. Turns out this was a great biker hangout, and a good choice. As this day, and the next, unfolded, it also turns out that Chip knows the precise location of every biker-friendly bar in the civilized world. He could easily write a book on the subject. 

Piccadilly's: The stories are just getting good...

Cowboy and Loretta!

Jeff

Chuck and Paul, telling lies......

....and more lies. Jeff, Chuck and Paul go back 40 years!

Sol...with "the look". He's zeroed in on something. A woman or food....

Cowboy, being instructed on how to use a SmartPhone.....Or playing dumb.

Group shot, and my favorite photo of the weekend....

From Piccadily's we made a management decision, and decided against running further west, instead trusting Chip's homing instincts to get us to Payne's Biker Bar in Leesburg, Virginia...And away we went. Chuck split off near Leesburg, riding the Grape (his Fat Boy) home to see his day-old granddaughter! Congratulations to Mom, Daughter, and Grandpop!

Payne's. Somehow, I never knew the place existed. I was definitely missing out on some fun!

Payne's is a TOTALLY cool bar. I'm mildly embarrassed to say that in all my years of riding and living in the area, I never knew it existed. The frickin' floors probably date back to the Civil War! Hell, this was probably a hangout for an 1%-er outlaw horse club in the pre-motorcycle era. Veterans of Col. Mosby's crew, maybe.

We hung out there for a while, laughing it up and Loretta resisted all efforts to have her picture taken on, or near, the pole. At least not while standing. There was even money raised to help her with the decision and she turned it down flat. Now ya gotta admire that kind of resolve! I'm here to tell ya, there was no room for negotiations in that "no". She wasn't budging.

Loretta again, and this is absolutely the closest I could get her to that pole. 

And back home. We split up, with Sol and I running back into DC and the rest of the crew heading back across the Potomac via White's Ferry, to the Maryland 'burbs. But we didn't get away without agreeing to meet for a rematch the next day....We just had to do it again.

Sunday, 4/15

We decided on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge area for the Sunday ride...The weather was unseasonably warm....mid-80s in April.....so the waterfront seemed like the perfect backdrop for a day on a Harley. We met at Annapolis Harley Davidson, and started the ride from there. I rode my Softail Custom Sunday, giving Big Blue a rest.

Right about here, it's appropriate to mention that two other crews I ride with were also going into the same general area, maybe hitting some of the same spots we'd stop at. Timing was uncertain, but it seemed like a great idea to get three different crews together for some laughs. Then I had a moment of clarity, remembering that the aforementioned three crews were BIKERS! Getting three groups in one place at one time would prove to be near impossible, so I forgot about it, deciding to have a good, stress-free day instead.

So off we went, sans Loretta, but with a couple other riders, Arron and Tim. Now these two guys ain't nearly as cute, but she couldn't be persuaded so...... And we still had Denise!

The rest of this post is just a collection of pix...they speak for themselves. All I can add is that is was a great day, and if you look at the route map at the very end, you can see the territory we covered. 372 miles of fun for me on Saturday and Sunday, and a great warmup for OBX. Did I mention it's even more fun on a Harley? And with some really great people? No? I should have...I have some awesome friends. If you don't have friends like mine, I think you oughta go out right now and find yourself some...

On the road...probably on Rt 2

 

Rt 2 Running south towards Galesville, MD. That's me, on the left.

Thursday's for Seafood and Drinks! in Galesville:

I ordered a crab cake from Thursday's and got a HUGE crab ball...

Chip and Denise

I got in on it...

Jeff!

Donna, our barmaid. I'm sure I have a picture of her face somewhere.......

Tying up the boat...The subject of much discussion at the bar....

Sol and Tim!

Apehangers was next, which was a solid hour ride from Thursday's. During some of this leg, Chip pushed the average speed up a few extra notches. Sol reported he had to run 90mph to catch up dropping a little behind!

ApeHangers Bar, Bel Alton, Maryland

Just a word or two about ApeHangers. It's one of the few bars where there's actually steps so the girls don't climb up on the barstools to dance on the bar. And there's a horizontal rail up top so they have something to hold onto. Now if you're wondering if this is a fun bar, just stop reading and pick up Better Homes & Gardens.

And then a little further south to Newburg, Maryland to Gilligan's Pier and Tiki Hut! This place is crawling with bikes, street rods, and cigarette boats tied up to the pier. The place runs on hi-test, 100 octane, just like everyone who goes there. Awesome scenery too!

Gilligan's Pier

Sunday Group Shot

Chip and Jeff, with sore fingers....

The crew again...that's Sol's Sporty.

The weekend route....372 miles for me, and one hell of a ride. 

And from Newburg, a nice hour ride back to Alexandria, Virginia. Sunburned face, and a smile that lasted until....well, hell, I still have it!

OBX next for me....stay tuned.

Cowboy

PS I just read over this post, and it's a little choppy, far from being a literary masterpiece, but I'm publishing anyway. I'm sure even Steinbeck took a few shortcuts, right? If not, fuck it, he should have...