All speed Wobble

[79XS11F]

I have this other issue to address in case the bike EVER really runs as it should .. or as I remember it.. That could be the issue lol lol . Anyway. I have a very slight wobble in the front end at all speeds. It can hardly be felt but can be seen if I look down at the gage's. However .. If I let off the throttle and take my hands off the bars the bars REALLY wobble a lot.
I have already checked the head bearing and they are OK. If anything they might be a little tight.
The wheel bearings are new from the rebuild. They went in smooth and easy with no damage.
Brakes are not binding and disc are centered in the calaper opening. Wobble dose not increase with braking so discs seem OK.
Rear swing arm displayed no free play during the rebuild but was not removed for a complete inspection of the bearings.
Forks were flushed and refilled with 10 weight bell-ray fork oil.
The forks also have after market air fitting at the top and I run them at about 9 pounds but air in or not the wobble remains.
The front tire is new as well and was installed and balanced by a dealer.

Any ideas on this issue.

Rob

[DeanR]

Don't know if it's the same wobble that you're referring to, but I noticed a similar condition when I got my bike.

Put on a Tkat fork brace based on people's recommendations here, and the looseness or 'wobble' vanished.

[Targetman]

I had a wobble aswell, especially noticeable with a passenger on at low speeds...
was looking at different fork brace designs, and finally decided to bend up a piece of sheet metal (bout 1/8" thick) and bolt it on with the fender bolts. We bent it to conform to the underside of the fender.
Not much clearance under there but it worked great.
The wobble is alot less, almost gone...

[GNEPIG]

.. it sounds like to me that your brand new tire is bad, i have had that happen to me before also.
put your bike on its center stand, jack the front of your bike up, take a pencile and hold it against the fork tube[pointing at the edge of the tire] and spin the wheel. this should give you an idea of how off it is. you can do this with the rim also to see if it is warped.
hope this helps

[Ken Talbot]

Re: All speed Wobble

Originally posted by 79XS11F
I have already checked the head bearing and they are OK. If anything they might be a little tight.

That might be your problem right there. Scott from Calgary came over a few years back so we could work on his carbs, do a doog tune-up, etc. I hopped on his bike for a test ride and couldn't believe how poorly it handles. You could not keep in a straight line at any speed. Turne dout his head bearing was 'a bit' too tight also. We back it off to what it should be and the handling improved instantly.

[79XS11F]

The bike tracks OK and the wobble is at its worst when the front end gets loaded up by sudden reductions in speed. It's not like it's a battle but with hands off the bars she will wobble a lot. I would guess 3 inches total movement at each side of the bars. So something is happening at the front end when that weight transfer occurs. I will as has been suggested check the rim and tire for issues on Sunday.
Rob

[mason79]

mine tracks decent when i let my hands go, but at 70 or 80, i try to induce a wobble and she wants to dance, nothing too extreme, come on now,when i was a kid we put dampers on the bikes, is there a coustom fit out there for this common problem?
would it mask the bad smell of wobble?

[DiverRay]

Try this:
Loosen ALL the bolts holding the forks, triple clamps, fender, pinch bolt and Axle.
align the fork tubes in the top triple clamp, and tighten bolts. line up fork tubes at axle, then tighten the LOWER TRIPLE CLAMP BOLTS. check the fork alignment, and tighten the fender bolts.
THEN tighten the axle bolt, and finaly the axle pinch bolt.
That will put everything back into alignment, and put the handling back to stock.
A Tkat fork brace WILL help!!
Ray

[Douglas Money]

I had this same thing happen on another brand bike and it was a tire. Couldn't see it but could feel it. The new tire solved it. Good Luck.

[prometheus578]

"Quit jackin' me around!"

Good tip from Diver Ray... but before you loosen all the bolts on the front end, put a jack or something under the engine. If not, when you loosen the fork bolts, the bike will dive to the floor.
I've also seen new tires that we're bad... or not fully seated on the rim. Look on the tire where the bead meets the rim. There is a small raised line that runs around the bead area. Make sure that it's the same distance from the rim all the way around, and doesn't dip in and disappear, meaning that the tire isn't fully seated.
Wobble is usually tire related.

[79XS11F]

All righty then. I lowers the bike on the forks by about 3/4 of an inch and that made my issue worse when I was out on a test ride. So I stood up on the peg and look down over the front fender to check out the moving wheel. i don't know why I did not check it this way before. I guess I am getting old. Anyway YES there is something going on with the tire or the rim. Now from what I understand the rims on these bike are near indestructible and rather difficult to warp. I will check the rim in any case but it dose in deed look like a tire issue.
I will have to call the shop that sold me the tire and see what they have to say.
THANKS for all your input guys.
Rob