New tires..bad wobble..on my non KZ bike

Some tires just don't agree with some motorcycles geometry too, so may be just a mismatch there. I don't mean to discount any advice, but I ride 7 days a week with worn out, dented steering bearings/races, never balance my tires, never care if my shocks are worn out ect, and can tell certain brands of tires will cause more wobble than others although on my bikes it's never bothered me. I suspect possibly the motorcycle is factory marginal in handling, and add different brand of tire amplifies the situation.

Splandman wrote:

John T wrote:

Splandman wrote:

I also put a 200 rear tire on instead of the stock 180..

WHAT SIZE IS THE RIM?
How Wide?

also, how much weight did they use to balance it?

5 inch width on the rim. 1 ounce in the back. No weights on the front. When I got back from my first ride I noticed this..see pic. So I thought the weight came off. Called the guy and he said the front tire didn't need a weight, that it balanced right without one.

Pic wouldn't post, but there's some of that sticky stuff on the rim. He said it's where the old weight was. He didn't clean it off.

like previously said: A 5" rim is no place for a 200 tire. will it fit? sure, you can shoehorn it on there... especially if your using a tire machine.
But the profile of the tire is changed dramatically.
personally, I wouldn't feel safe with it on there...
but anyway..
pull the wheel(s) off and check them for balance.
you can set up 2 jack stands and use the axle ... spin it a few times... the heavy spot will fall to the bottom...
most tires have a colored dot on the tire... indicating the light spot. you normally put the light spot where the valve stem is.... usually the heavy spot...
you need to balance the rim with out a tire on it... to know for sure.

I mount my own tires. I got sick of dealing with dealers that put an inexperienced kid on the machine and either do it wrong... or scratch your rims.
not to mention the cost.
my harbor freight tire changer and home made balancer paid for itself within 2 tire changes.

looks like you really ride the Harley. it will probably handle better in the twisties with the stock size tire..
but not look as cool.

good luck.

I appreciate all the advice. Probably should have asked before going to the 200. I did read several threads over on HDForums where guys had done the same thing (200 on a 5 inch rim) and none of them said they had problems. I don't know if they are guys that just ride to Hooters every night or if they really ride a lot. Like I said the bike feels fine riding around town.

I did take the bike to a different shop today and they did not agree that the wheels were balanced. The front had 0 weights and they added 1/2 ounce. The back needed more weight (I think another 1/2) and according to them it was in the wrong spot.

On the ride back home the bike did feel better, but still not as good as before. It's strange, the bike isn't just wobbly all the time at speed, but if I squeeze the tank with my thighs and just kind of shake it the bike wobbles. I don't notice it going over seams or anything though.

I'm guessing those of you that say a 200 doesn't belong on that rim are correct and I should go back to the 180 and see if that fixes the problem.

I don't suppose the tire installer may have bent a wheel while installing the tires???

Another factor might be whether the tires are out-of-round. Borrow one of those stands that raise either the front or rear of the motorcycle off the ground by jacking up under the lower end of the forks, or under the rear swingarm. Then go for a ride to warm up the tires, and then pull in and jack the tire off the ground. Give the tire a spin and check to see if the surface moved in and out radially. It should not have runout more than 1/16", and preferably zero. If a tire is out-of-round, then no amount of balancing will remedy the situation. Check to be sure the wheels are running true while you are at it.

And also, I do not fully trust tire people about balancing. Wonder what method he used to verify balance. I'll bet that the balance is still not as good as it can be.

Just my opinion, but the wider rear tire might affect handling in a curve, but when going straight, I doubt that the tire size should cause any wobbling. Just my $ 0.02.

I have used that Brand/Tire on my Harley with great luck so far. I have also caused tire side wall belt damage trying to srtetch the next size tire on a rim. It was fairly obvious to me at any speed over 30mph and quickly caused a bulging sidewall. Made for a very long ride home when I found it. This may not be your issue but check your side walls.

Long shot, but...

Could also be a bunged up engine mount. On a lot of TC HD models, the swingarm pivots are mounted in the engine cases. Since the engine is rubber isolated for vibration reduction, well, you get the picture.

If you're gonna flog the bike like in your pic a lot, you may want to either get a cheapo sportbike or buy one of these True-Track bracing systems for your FB:


www.true-track.com/tt_home.html

If not already done (perhaps already suggested) would verify rear axle alignment.

There's some info here > www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-glide-models...-axle-alignment.html

Good Fortune!