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Message started by Bubba1 on 03/10/13 at 18:37:49

Title: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Bubba1 on 03/10/13 at 18:37:49

Went riding today , first time on this bike that I actually was up to highway speeds . Seems like the bike is swerving from side to side as if I was riding over a bridge with grates or in high winds . I haven't ride much in the past but I don't feel like this is normal or people would be afraid to go that fast bike has a new rear tire and old front this happens around 50+ mph and only gets worse the faster I go ! Any help or ideas would be great thanks

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Charon on 03/10/13 at 19:42:03

Check tire pressures on both ends. If they are OK look for odd wear patterns on the front tire. You might be well advised to change the front tire "just because." It is also possible the road has nearly invisible ruts in it caused by heavy trucks.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Trippah on 03/10/13 at 20:05:43

You say on this bike..is it a new bike or new to you? With old front tire, must be new to you? I would also check alignment of bike after you check front tire and inflation per charon's comment. Sometimes you ca weave at speed when too much weight is distributed towars the back, like with poor shocks, and of course windshield/screen can help provide weaving. Good luck with the search and please keep everyone posted.
;)

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Charon on 03/10/13 at 20:23:50

There should be a sticker on the top of the belt guard showing tire pressures. Some folks feel the stickers are unneeded - for that matter, some feel the belt guard is unneeded - so the sticker might not be there. As I remember the front is supposed to be 29 psi; the rear 33 psi for loads under 200 lbs and 36 psi for heavier. I don't feel like going out in the cold to look at mine. If your tires are not the OEM IRC tires the pressures might differ.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by jcstokes on 03/10/13 at 21:51:25

Has the bike been chopped or bobd, is the original front mudguard still in place? Handbook states 29 front and 33 rear. Rear can be increased to 36 for heavy loads or pillions.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Paladin. on 03/10/13 at 22:01:47

Mine started that when I had some loose spokes, rear wheel.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by engineer on 03/11/13 at 05:16:18

I agree with all the comments here so far. If you want to make a quick check of wheel alignment there is a fairly simple string method. You can google it.

If it is an alignment problem it could also be due to a twisted fame, worn out bearings on the swingarm etc. Here are two PDF files that have more detail about wheel alignment and simple checks with illustrations.
http://www.rg500delta.com/RG500_chassis_files/chassis%20alignment%20part1.pdf

and part II http://www.rg500delta.com/RG500_chassis_files/chassis%20alignment%20part2.pdf

It is probably a fairly simple problem like wind gusts as Serowbot said or something relating to the mismatched tires or misalignment after installing the new tire.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Bubba1 on 03/11/13 at 10:13:55

Okay thanks guys here is a little more info, the front tire is in pretty bad shape so I will start there will also check bearings and spokes and pressures, the bike is bobbed with no front fender at all so I guess that could be a part of it too will first replace front tire check spokes and bearings then move on from there will keep posted thanks

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by bobert_FSO on 03/11/13 at 10:35:24

When I bought my Savage, it had 10yr old IIRC OEM tires on it. The front looked OK. The rear was about bald.

The bike tried to follow every crack, groove and tar snake in the road. It was really quite squirrely. I thought that if this is how Savages handled, I bought the wrong bike.

Changed to Metzler 880's and it turned into a completely different motorcycle. Steady as a rock.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by jcstokes on 03/11/13 at 11:56:18

Bubba, from one previous post a person who replaced thwe fender noticed an improvement in handling. If you don't intend doing this, please consider a TKAT or Super Brace fork brace.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by tomw on 03/11/13 at 12:40:51

also check oil level in front forks to make sure their full and most important equal amounts of fluid in each fork

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by WD on 03/11/13 at 14:00:01

It's the combo of bad front tire and no front fender. Change the front for something decent, meaning ANYTHING other than a stock IRC. Problem will be about 80% gone.

IRC makes the worst cruiser tires, bar none. Even cheapy Chi-Com Duro and Shinko are better quality. Shinko are currently on sale at Motorcycle Super Store.

I actually prefer the handling of my 98 w/o a front fender, but the grit and gunk on all the roads here is some kind of nasty... had to reinstall it.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by verslagen1 on 03/11/13 at 15:15:47

I agree about the IRC's bad handling especially when worn down to the nubs.
any little difference in road height and it wants to climb it.
even if it's only a coat of paint.
any worn out tire is better than a new IRC.

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Boofer on 03/11/13 at 20:34:26

Can't hardly argue with what I've read, but I'm not rich , so simple suits me. I rode in the wind three days ago and hated it. I hate March winds. I hated 'em when I worked construction and they tried to blow me off buildings. I hated when they mess up my hair...ok, is this gettin' out of hand? There is a high bridge on the Natchez Trace Parkway over the Tn River. You have a nice, leisurely ride along between pine trees. Then you hit the bridge and you're crossing the center line and leaning over as far as you can to get back. And if your jacket is zipped only halfway, forget it. All at once you're transformed from a rider to a physics experiment. Air your tires up, (Jerry Eberger told me mine were too low since they were Metzeler's, so now 40lbs for me--MAYBE NOT FOR YOU!!!), notice windscreens while riding, both man-made and natural. Coming out from a windscreen can be exciting when you're not ready. :)

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Bubba1 on 03/18/13 at 05:35:19

thanks for all the help Im gonna go ahead and replace the front tire, with that here comes another question? what size should I go with? I like the look of fatter tires up front but I want it to ride nice so please throw out some opinions thanks guys

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Oldfeller on 03/18/13 at 08:35:32

Bubba, a before and after test for you.

Get on to the crown of the road (all roads are slanted to get the rain off) and take your hands off the handle bars momentarily.

Are your handle bars square to the bike, or are they cocked slightly in one direction?

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by Dave on 03/19/13 at 05:12:40

Motorcycle Superstore is having a tire sale. Looks like an extra 5% off their regular prices.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/default.aspx?SiteID=em_03_18_EST_Header&WT.mc_ID=36456&WT.i_e_dcsvid=1504235995

Title: Re: Bike swerving at higher speeds?
Post by WD on 03/19/13 at 06:22:37

Size? Either stick with the 100/90-19 or do what is called a -1 or -2. You'll get a slight but noticeable improvement in handling by switching to either a 90/90-19 or 80/90-19. Can you squeeze a 110/90-19 in between the forks? Maybe, not every tire is the same installed width, and our rims are honestly too narrow for the oem 100/90.

Narrow rim, coupled with a too low recommended tire pressure, is the reason Savages tend to have front tread cupping. And terrible handling versus running a higher inflation pressure.