Comment by taneq
8 years ago
The geometry is set up to be stable at a higher speed. Even then some sports bikes require a steering dampener to prevent "speed wobbles" (which, yes, are an actual thing and are much worse at 260kph than at 30kph on your BMX when you're a kid.)
Is "speed wobble" anything like the Jeep "death wobble" (actually can happen on any 4wd vehicle, but Jeeps seem to have the problem more as steering and suspension components wear)?
I hadn't heard of the "death wobble" but it sounds like the same thing. Basically your suspension geometry is set up to be dynamically stable over a wide range of speeds, but if you go outside that range it's possible for oscillations to build up. Example on a bike: https://youtu.be/SAnjjHKclZs