Lee - If your comparing the Surly's, LongHaulTrucker to a UTE. you'll get a more conventional ride/steer from the LHT - as it is a HD Touring frame. As far as a shimmy, yea, if I shake the bars as a "sprinter" might during a bike race - I get some shim'in. But as far as an everyday problem on the UTE - I don't feel it. I have noticed riding upright without hands-on-the-bar can get wiggly. Hope this answers your question, and the trip south went pretty smooth. No issues with bike itself, as the heavy stuff was placed on the OMM rack with 3 dry bags - one per side and one on top. Cheers.