Why do I wobble like a weeble?

[Ivan]

Edit, never mind that.

Did they balance your new tires? Lots of places just line up the dot and call that good enough.

JAT.

[trbig]

As I recall I still had the top end on you with that wobble.

Yeah, and as I remember, you were maybe 130 pounds soaking wet.. (Behind the ears).

Smart-azz young punks these days..

Hobbyman's tire wouldn't wobble all the time either when his was loose.


Tod

[Guy_b_g]

What I don't understand is why, if it is anything besides the tires, does it never set in around town or for the first 10 miles of highway speeds. Maybe the engine, when it warms up, has just the right harmonics to make my tire oscillate funny, kinda like that bridge that twisted until it fell whenever the wind blew.

That is probably correct, a wobble is generally a harmonic oscillation, and will only rear it's ugly head at certain speed ranges, under certain conditions (too tight steering head bearings, etc.).

Again, be very careful until your sure you've fixed it, a high speed weave or wobble can amplify into a violent "tank slapper" faster than you can react, and it can certainly spit you off if that happens!

[draketrumpet]

Edit, never mind that.

Did they balance your new tires? Lots of places just line up the dot and call that good enough.

JAT.

Well, I wasn't there when he balanced the front tire, but I watched him balance the rear. He does it by hand, and he did give it several spins and what not, so I can only assume he did the same to the front too.

[draketrumpet]

I think it might be like cBug says b/c once it starts, it doesn't stop completely until I stop for a while.

About to go try and yank the rear tire around, so I'll see if that's the problem...hmm, I'll have to make sure he put the rear axle bolts and such back on in the correct order too.

[DGXSER]

Hey Drake,

If you can get to the steering head and possibly remove the bars and pull the top triple tree off, you can adjust the bearings without pulling the rest of the stuff off. But to pull them out and grease them like I would suggest since you have no idea when that was last done, it does require pulling the entire front end off. Honestly it is not that tough to do, nothing to freak out about, and can be aken apart and put back together in less than a day even the first time you do it.

I second the swing arm as well. Again, if it were mine, I'd pull the swing arm and regrease those bearings as well then put it back in and reset the thing as Tod described. Again, this is less than a days work even the first time and there is almost no way to screw anything up badly. If in doubt come here and ask questions. Answers are free and come quickly and are typically good stuff. If I can take one of these down to the frame with the engine in it and a wiring harness on it and put it all back together, anyone can.

[draketrumpet]

So, the rear wheel only wobbles as much as the whole bike on the center stand. Pretty solid. However, using my hex tools as a measuring stick, I was able to determine that the spacings between the frame and swing arm on each side is not within the margin of 1.6 mm proscribed in Clymers. However, I'll have to hunt down a 27mm socket before I can do anything about it.

From the manual, I couldn't tell if I can repack the bearings in the swing arm without taking the rear wheel off, but I'm going to guess that they either need replacing or repacking.

As far as redoing the steering bearings, true, I should be able to do all that in a day, but the first day I have that I can expect to have the majority of it to work on my bike is the weekend of MOM...sigh. I might be able to get half a day next saturday, but other than that it's an hour here or there.

So, for now I'm looking at these things for my wobble:

• Steering bearings that need maintenance/replacement/adjustment
• lack of fork support due to flimsy front fender
• possible misalignment of swing arm
• swing arm bearings that need maintenance/replacement

I'll attack the swing arm alignment and bearings first, as soon as I get a bigger socket. I should be able to work on those in my hours here or there. Then, if that doesn't work, I'll see if I can get to the steering bearings.

[DGXSER]

To repack or regrease the swingarm bearings, you wil need to remove the swingarm. Which means removing the rear wheel, and opening up the rubber boot at the joint of the middle drive to the drive shaft and removing the four bolts that hold that joint together.

You can pull it with the final drive attached, but I like to remove the FD so I can grease that joint where the drive shaft goes into the FD as well.

[draketrumpet]

*sigh*

So, it looks like all I can do in the immediate future is try to readjust my alignment and tighten/loosen my steering bearings. I'll go pick up a socket here in a bit and try to adjust the swing arm.

Thanks all.

[Larrym]

Cannot be shunned so embrace it.

Yeah...That whole pulling off the front fairing and diving into the front suspension/steering system combo doesn't fall into the "easy-in-and-easy-out" category.

Like I said before, likely that the PO would have looked at it and made the call to just let the whole bike go rather than take that problem on. I mean having a bike with a speedo that can go up to 160 mph yet only being able to do 40 mph is an exercise in frustration that I couldn't put up with for very long.

His loss equals your gain and I mean that if you are successful (Like there's any doubt that it would happen with your skills and the "virtual pit crew" here at channel 11...) you'll be the one flying down the road with the greatest of ease.

That'll be cause you've earned the right to do so.

[DiverRay]

With the swing arm adjusted, and the steering head bearings adjusted you SHOULD be safe to ride to MOM. John and everyone can probably help you get it all fixed properly once you get there.
Good luck, and take it VERY EASY until the problem is fixed!

[tarzan]

You know after reading this thread, I think I would start with a fender or fork brace. The front end could feel stable temporarily and then hits a small bump or something and starts to wobble.Then it just gets worse. Then slow it way down or stop and it straightens out.

[John]

Has the fork oil been checked or replaced lately?

[draketrumpet]

Swingin' Swing Arm

So, it was the swing arm. I was trying to figure out how I was going to measure the space between the frame and the swing arm when I had a stroke of brilliance. I got my allen wrenches out and would slide them down between the two. I adjusted by 1/2 turns like it said until neither side would fit my 4mm wrench and both sides would barely fit my 3.5 mm wrench. I'd have to say it worked really well. It must have been like Tod said that the nuts had just come a little loose and worked their way out of alignment, but the locknuts were sure hard to break.

So, I got that done and went to on a ride to try it. After about 15-20 miles, most of it 50-70, and NO WOBBLE...well none that I couldn't attribute to the wind or bumps in the road anyway.

So I'm thinkin' to myself I've gone far enough and better turn around so I can get ready for a church thing I had tonight and I hear a *pop* *fweeeeeeessssshhhhhh*. As soon as I heard it, I pulled over freaked out that I had a flat on my 1 day old tires. Luckily no.

So that fender some PO put on there, I mentioned it's only held on by 3, not 4 bolts. Turns out one of those bolts had worked itself loose and the sound I heard was it hitting the wheel and then, since it only pad 2 bolts (neither done snugly) the fiber glass fender had tipped onto the tire (that would the the fweeessshh).

So, I ride up a block to a parking lot and go "hey, my rear tank mount bolt fits in there" (DAMHIKIJK). So there I am in a sonic parking lot 10 miles out of town with some kids playing catch, talking about their favorite pitchers and dreaming about when they get to the big leagues. I rip off my seat to get the bolt and have a whole lot of fun since it's a 13mm, and I only had a 12 and 14 mm wrenches. I don't know if you've ever put a fender bolt in with pliers while the wheel is on, but it sure is fun. What was more fun is I'm not entirely sure that the bolt was the same thread size, because it sure fought going in most the way. But, eventually it got on and I could come home.

Still no wobble that I could tell though!

Now I'm just waiting 3 days to see if I win my eBay bid on that fender. The manual says to take off the front wheel when changing the fender, but if I can get to the bolts without doing so do I need to? Does it help the forks line up better if the fender is put on without any extra weight? Or can I just swap them out while it is on the center stand?

Here is that onerous fender for those who haven't seen it:

It sure is ugly.

[DGXSER]

Awesome job getting the swing arm centered!!

If your confident the front end is straight, you can just bolt the new fender on without pulling anything else.