Very strange--hope you can help

[Maximum]

I just got new Metzler's put on my Max by an independant shop. I love them, and all was well, but I started to notice a little shake in the handlebars when I decellerate. Starts about 45 MPH and continues until 35. Nothing accellerating or just going down the road. Anyway, I looked at the front tire, and the contact patch is about 3/8 inch off center. I looked at my Clymer manual, and there is no adjustment for the front wheel that I can see--it's bolted in and that's that. So, how can this be? Is it a faulty tire, or did the shop screw up somewhere? I'm out of ideas. Hope you can help.

Thanks,

Chris.

 

[maleko89]

Yeah, the front wheel is normally off center. Mine is a bit but not sure if it's 3/8 inch. What air pressure do you have in your tire? Was it properly balanced?

 

[Maximum]

Thanks, Mark. 33 PSI--just like the book says. And yes, balance is fine. I've been to 80 with no evidence of wheel balance problem.

If I loosen my grip on the bars between 45 and 35 (slowing down), the bars will shudder back and forth. That's what led me to look around, and that's when I noticed the dust from my garage floor was off-center on the tire.

 

[Robbarrie]

Take the bike back to the shop and tell them to ride it and feel it for themselves. They may do something about it then, but don't wait too long get it in asap.

 

[KC Max]

It sounds like you may be suffering from loose steering head bearings causing a low speed wobble. The link below takes you to a thread about them and Sean Morley did a great write up on how to correct the problem fairly easily. My bike had it and after I preformed the adjustment, all is now good.

Low Speed Wobble

 

[jfeagins]

I'm not a tire expert, but it has been my experience that when a front tire is out of balance, you will feel handlebar, and/or whole bike shaking - up and down type shaking. When the REAR tire is out of balance, or the wheel is not true, then the bike will radiate this error to the front end and shake the bars side to side (tank slapping). Usually though, tank slapping is more evident at greater speeds than lower speeds. But it will tend to slap harder upon DECELERATION.

I've minimized my Max's tank slapping many times in the past by doing nothing but replacing a worn out back tire. (making sure it was properly spin balanced before re-installing)

Either way, if you didn't experience this before, and DO now AFTER they installed new tires, something is wrong with one or both new tires. Take it back and have then spin balance both while you watch for accuracy.

And DO tighten your head bearing according to other threads found here on this forum.

 

[Maximum]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I have some idea of where to go with this, now. You're the best.

Chris.