XS1100SF front end chatter

[cbosworth]

My 79 XS Special ($32K miles) front end chatters when ridden over bumpy roads. It sounds loose - like a bad shock. The fronk forks were rebuilt 6000 miles ago but, I suspect the problem has always been present even after the rebuild. The bike feels solid on the highway and in the turns. What would cause the chatter? Can a loose head bearing cause this also?

[fredintoon]

Q & D fork check

Hi Boz,
here's what I do to check the forks:-
Sandbag the seat or jack up the frame so the front wheel lifts off the ground. Grab the front wheel and pull it back and forth, feel for anything shaking. Pull the front wheel and check each fork leg separately, again feeling for movement.
If the steering head moves in the frame at all it needs to be tightened. Slack off the top triple clamp pinch bolt and the big nut on top. Underneath are the two locking peg-nuts that tension the head races. Best you use a pair of peg wrenches ( C-spanners, spanner wrenches, hookythings) to adjust these. (McMaster-Carr/tools/spanner wrench) Some have gotten away with using a hammer & punch on them but that will likely mark up the nuts.
Tighten the bottommost nut until the steering noticeably stiffens up. Slacken the nut until the bars will stay centered but will fall to the side with a slight nudge. Tighten the top locknut & recheck the steering movement. Re-tighten the top triple clamp fasteners. Check the fork oil level (& air pressure if your forks have that feature). Road test.

[fredintoon]

OTOH

Hi again Boz,
I just had this thought, have you checked that your front fender is fastened up properly? A loose fender can rattle real good on a bumpy road.

[cbosworth]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them.

The chatter is a deep low sound from solid heavy metal not like a tinny sound from a fender.

[newc4]

While remounting the front tire on my 79SF I noticed that fork caliper case could rub against the brake disc. If your clearance is small this could happen in the turn. The calipers themselves are protected by the pads.

Darrell

[ELDR]

I found that the brake pads can chatter when worn or the retaining spring clips that hold the pads are rusted or missing

Good Luck

[acof911]

Mine did something like that - a clunking on bigger bumps that I noticed more at low to medium speeds - and it was loose head bearings.

Andy