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Message started by pgambr on 06/10/13 at 17:04:52

Title: 65 mph wobble
Post by pgambr on 06/10/13 at 17:04:52

When i go over 65 mph my front end wobbles a bit; although, it still feels stable. I recently put on new tires & tubes. They are balanced and it is not too bad. As far as I know everything should be in good working condition. Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks, best regards.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by Rembrandt on 06/10/13 at 17:12:37

It's funny you posted this. I didn't know how to ask my somewhat related question without looking like a complete dolt. My bike doesn't feel to vibrate too much other than the handle grips, but at highway speed I get a vibrated vision if this makes any sense as I look at the road and the landscape. I'm just wondering if I'm the only one with this view.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by jcstokes on 06/10/13 at 17:17:30

Is the front fender still in place?

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by paulmarshall on 06/10/13 at 17:23:31

0631393626353A3020540 wrote:

Ah yes the joys of a big single. ;)

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by pgambr on 06/10/13 at 17:25:29

Yeah, i checked that as well. A better way to describe it as a very slow, stable, yet deliberate vibration or wobble. I plan on going on my first road trip and it conerns me a bit. Sometimes it is smooth, barely noticable, and sometimes it isn't.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by Serowbot on 06/10/13 at 17:58:57

Do you have a fork mounted windshield?...

Also,.. what kind of bars?... the wind can catch your shoulders a create oscillation...

TMNT...
For vibration,.. always check the motor mounts,.. especially the top one...

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by pgambr on 06/10/13 at 18:09:41

An OEM windshield, everything is stock. Incidentally, Tucson is a great town. It has been a long time but I miss the desert.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by Charon on 06/10/13 at 19:07:29

Check your tire pressures - nominally 29 psi front and 33 rear. If those are good, remove the windshield and retest just to see if the windshield could be causing the problem.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/10/13 at 21:34:04

Did it just become an issue when the tires got put on?

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by oldNslow on 06/11/13 at 05:55:00

Quote:

An OEM windshield

Iv'e got the OEM windshield on my bike and it's never caused any issues. As long as it's installed correctly I doubt that's your problem. It's not a very big screen.

I'd be looking at the tires, the wheel and steering head bearings, and maybe the alignment of the rear wheel with respect to being centered in the swingarm - especially since it was just off for the tire change.

Since you describe the problem as a wobble I'm assuming you mean the front wheel wants to turn from side to side a little bit instead of tracking straight.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by Oldfeller on 06/11/13 at 09:14:13

I have lots of experience with the 65-70 mph wiggle effect.

::)

First, it is a combination effect of tire construction, tire pressure and rear wheel alignment.

To start your investigation, find a hill on a major road so you can go 55-60 mph and take your hands off the handle bars. You don't want to get up to the wiggle range, you just want to see how far off kilter your rear tire is tracking. The off amount you see on your front handlebars hands off is mirrored exactly on your back wheel, so adjust your back wheel to make your front handle bar error go away.

Note while doing this test, all roads have a crest to them so they shed rain better. Get up on the top of the hump to do this test stuff.

Also note how far you have to lean your body to the side to keep the bike going straight. As you get the rear end aligned better this should decrease (but never quite goes away).

Air pressure. Keep your tires fully inflated. The wiggle is a way the bike has to telling you it is time to check your air pressure.

As you get your bike tuned in better, the speed at which the wiggle occurs goes up and the severity of the wiggle goes down.

As your tire gets older the wiggle goes down. When your tire goes past the half way worn out mark, the wiggle generally disappears.

This makes me think that tire construction "variance" has something to do with the wiggle (tires have run out inside their own construction, both radial and lateral run out, both of which would contribute to the wiggle effect.

Wiggle, you live with it until you wear it off.

A bike tire only lasts a year or two, so buy you a set of Metzlers next time and jest not have these sorts of issues.

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/11/13 at 09:51:55

If you have a sidewalk you can wet it & drive down it & see if the rear tire tracks in the front tires track, driveway, garage floor,,
we used to do that in the body shop before we had lasers, to see if a car was "Dog-walking"..

Title: Re: 65 mph wobble
Post by pgambr on 06/11/13 at 14:24:38

It has always been this way and I never really went outside of town much so I really never went above 65 to much.

Incidentally, the tires I put on were Metzler 880s. I'm very pleased with them. I don't think they come much better than those.

I took the windshield off and it helped quite a bit; although, something else is not quite right. I went about 100 yards and I thought I really need that back on. Thanks for all the insight, it is appreciated.