Galloping instability of dry inclined cables of cable-stayed bridges has been reported by Japanese researchers. A suggested stability criterion based on some experimental studies in Japan implies that many of stay cables would be expected to suffer galloping instability, which, if valid, would cause serious difficulty in the design of cable-stayed bridges. However, this is not the case in reality. Thus, it is practically urgent and necessary to confirm the validity of this criterion and possible restriction of it. In the present study, a 2D sectional cable model was tested in the wind tunnel, and effects of various physical parameters were investigated. It is found that the stability criterion suggested by Japanese researchers is more conservative than the results obtained from the current study.