Every motorcycle rider is aware, and shudders at the sound of, the death wobble. When you’re riding a motorcycle at high speed, you might lose control of the bike, and find yourself spiraling out of control. This is every rider’s worst nightmare, and is unfortunately easy to find yourself in if you don’t ride with caution at all times.
The Death Wobble: Motorcyclist Nightmares
A video hit the web a few years back that showed a rider heading down the highway at top speed. The clip was eighteen seconds long, and shows the bike swerving back and forth quickly. You will notice the wobble because it goes fast from side to side. It’s hard to come back from, and often results in a biker having to lay his bike down as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the bike will spiral and take you with it.
The motorcyclist was finding a way to stabilize the bike by using one hand. Therefore, he continued to make the bike move in this way, until one time he was not so lucky. The biker, as many bikers do, could not find a way to correct the ‘death wobble’ and found himself being drug to the pavement, and sent on down the highway. In the end, even though he’d found a way to correct in most cases, he wasn’t successful in them all. At the end of the day, it only took that one time to cause injury and ruin the bike.
How do I avoid wobbling?
In the video, it seemed that every time the rider hit a certain, high speed he would begin to lose control. So, how do you avoid this issue when you ride frequently, and sometimes at a high speed? This occurrence is common amongst motorcyclists, and can be dangerous if you don’t know how to handle it. First of all, this issue typically occurs at high speed; higher speed than most speed limits.
Therefore, your first line of defense is observing the speed limits that are set forth for you. Many motorcyclists experience the wobble in their front tire. You’ll feel it start to waver, and then it puts you into a dangerous position. Keeping your tires properly inflated, and maintaining your speed with the flow of traffic can help you maintain your spot on the road— and the integrity of your motorcycle.