I seem to have a certain amount of wabble on the bars even with the rig sorted out for toe in and lean out. Do people use a steering damper on Road Kings with side car rigs?
Yes they do. Usually only a Harley sidecar or other heavy or wide car will need one. If the nose wiggle is a slight one at low speed it's usually better to get used to it than to slow the steering with a damper since they make the steering cumbersome at low speed and you lose a certain amount of road feedback and steering "feel".
A damper should be a last resort item when all else fails.
Out of balance wheel(s), worn swing arm bearings, loose or worn neck bearings, many things can contribute to head shake.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
Lonnie
Thanks Hack'n. Good to know.
The bike is almost new so it probably isn't due to worn parts and isn't an excessive shake. Easily controlled with both hands on the bars.
Just a comment from a guy who has been working on the handling issues on my rig with the help of this group. Don't discount the head bearings being loose because your bike is new. I have an 2006 Ultra with 5000 miles, I found the head bearings out of spec and re-torqued them, it had a significant impact on my wobble, that torque doesn't show up as critical until you put the burden of the sidecar on the front end. I was in your boat looking for a damper and raked triple tree, now that I have more stuff sorted out I feel less of an urgency for either. I'd recommend checking the torque on the head.
Fred
Both hands on the bars is the rule for sidehacks. Even with rigs with no wobble an impact or stone in the road could cause a (fatal) tank slapper if you are driving hands off.
Lonnie
Another opinion. Until I put the damper on, I didn't realize that I really did have a lot of head shake, but at low speeds, 20 to 40. Have been riding with the damper for about 3 years now with 58K on the rig. Lost the bolt that holds the damper to the bike mount on vacation two weeks ago, didn't know it, took my hands off the wheel which I have been able to do since installatioin, and boy, at 70mph did I have a treat. The bars went nuts, not close to slapping the tank, but close enough to get my attention. Got it fixed this week, hard to find a 7mm bolt, and all is well again. I don't know if I would ride without a damper.
Uber.
