Why do I wobble like a weeble?

[draketrumpet]

Thanks. It's always a nice feeling to find something that is wrong and do something about it.

I forgot to mention. When I put the bike in gear on the center stand, I noticed a very, very slight out of roundness, I think, I'm still not sure, but I think there's just a brief moment in a revolution that it seems to move ever so slightly to the left and back again. I don't have one of those nifty gauges the manual talks about, but I guess this will just have to be a "wait-and-see" what the bearings look like.

[trbig]

If you're having trouble getting the fender out/in, you can loosen the pinch bolt on the right side of the front axle to give yourself a little bit of wiggle room by prying the forks apart.

Just have to add.. I believe that's the ugliest front fender I've ever seen on one of these... lol. Probably beats not having one at all though. A steel fender is going to give you more stability in the curves, but these front ends are notoriously weak at side flex. A fork brace helps this tremendously.


Tod

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Drake,

Congrats! Now, if you'll look at the Tire Change pictorial, you'll see an example of the bead line/marker that is on the sidewall of the tire and you'll want to look closely at your new tire to make sure that it's present and in the proper position all the way around both sides!! IF not, then the bead isn't seated right, and that could explain the sideways wobble in the tire you saw!?

T.C.

[Larrym]

Cause and Effect

but I think there's just a brief moment in a revolution that it seems to move ever so slightly to the left and back again.

That "little" side-to-side motion might just have been the reason the swingarm loosened up in the first place. May seem tiny but over time...well, persistence does win sometimes.

Might be worth the trouble to look closer.

Keep sticking your eyes and ears in and all around your bike. Best troubleshooting equipment is built right into your face.

[draketrumpet]

Is this the colored dot you're talking about TC?

It's inline with the stem, even though this angle doesn't show. Neither of my manuals seemed to have a diagram of that particular aspect of a tire change (both available on cBug's page), but they mentioned a colored mark, I just thought it was going to be on the bead itself where I couldn't see it anymore.

Or wait, are you talking about like a little rubber line that looks like its leftover from "casting" (for lack of a better word) the tire, like you can kinda see in this pic:

I got a little confuse with the colored dot thing in the manual. If this is what you're talking about, I'll be sure to check it is in the same position on both sides tomorrow.

I didn't ride at all today, so no further testing to report.

Thanks for the tip on the fender Tod. I don't imagine they'll be any less screwed up by not taking the tire off where they've had the ugly weak sauce fender for who knows how long.

Good thought Larry. I'll be sure to monitor the spacing until I can determine more about that.

[trbig]

I'm pretty sure TC was talking about that line.. the second thing you mentioned, not the colored dot. Sometimes, a tire will inflate all the way, but not be actually seated on the bead of the rim completely. Making sure you can see that bead line sticking out of the rim all the way around your tire on both sides... sometimes it likes to stay tucked in there a bit, and this would pull the tire a bit to one side at that point.


Tod

[clcorbin]

Getting the tire to seat fully can be a pain in the butt! When I put a new front on my bike back in January, I could NOT get the tire fully seated (very apparent for how the bead line ducked under the rim for almost 6 inches around). I was finally able to get it all the way home with lube, 80 psi of pressure and a 5 lb mallet I used to whack on the tire next to the rim. It took several good whacks, but when it did seat, there was a nice "pop" and the bead fully seated.

And no, I would rather NOT seat a tire like that either...

[draketrumpet]

So as best as I can tell, both tires are completely seated. That nifty line stays within 0-2mm of the rim all the way around. Could worn out bearings cause this as well? If so, another thing to look at during MOM.

Right now it's riding beautifully, though I haven't ventured far since the fender incident.

[DGXSER]

How far is the ride for MOM? I guess I am a bit of a pansy about such things, but my latest experience kind of emphasized safety to me. I'd be a little leary of taking a long trip on a bike that has any kind of bearing or wobble issues. JMHO

[crazy steve]

So as best as I can tell, both tires are completely seated. That nifty line stays within 0-2mm of the rim all the way around...

In my mind, even a 2mm variation means that tire isn't fully seated. All the tires I ever mounted, that 'guide' line was dead-nuts the same all the way around.

'78E original owner

[draketrumpet]

For now, I can't notice any wobble. I'll go on a longer ride this weekend to verify, and keep a very close eye on everything, including taking the tools I need with me whenever I go out of town.

Like I said somewhere, I've also got a friend in the Dallas area with a trailer who's said he'd come get me if needed, so if things start getting out of hand, I've got that option.

[draketrumpet]

I said 2mm cuz that's as hard as I looked, it may actually be right on. I'll look again to make sure.

[cycle builder]

cycle builder

My xs was great driving around town but after being on the highway for ten minutes it was impossible to keep in a straight line. Found out steering head bearings were rusty and tightened up as I rode. Replaced them and end of problem.
Have you ever checked your fork oil quantity to make sure both forks are exactly alike. One fork lacking oil can make it steer funny too and also can cause you to lose it in a high speed corner.

[draketrumpet]

A little follow up here.

Got my stock fender today. Looks soooo much better than that fiberglass thing that looked like it came from a Shadow's ugly, fat, big sister.

Not sure if it was just my imagination, but it seemed to lean into and out of corners a lot smoother, not to mention, look cooler. And that's with only 2 normal mounting bolts, and one improvised. Anyone got a couple of spare mounting bolts lying around? MikesXS has some for $2, but $9 shipping .

I'll be posting pictures from MoM soon, so if you want to see the new look, check back next week.

[psycoreefer]

take one of your good mounting bolts down to your local hardware store, they should be able to find you one just like it for like 50 cents or less.