What else can I do for the 45mph wobble?

[HDKILA]

I have brand new steeting head bearings and I adjusted the bike jacked up on the centerstand so the steering will barely bounce in either direction. The wobble is still there!

What else can I try to fix this issue?

Thanks,
Abe

 

[pegscraper]

Tighten the steering bearings up more, to where the handlebars will stay put when you let go of them off center.

 

[4gasem]

If you make them that tight you'll have a problem with weave at speed. What's the front tire like? Well balanced? I know tires can cause this which is why I always buy good, name brand tires.

Chris

 

[one2dmax]

Also, check the rear swingarm bearings. You would be surprised at how much the rear effects overall stability of the bike.

Sean

 

[4gasem]

I was trying to remember that Sean... I had this thought it was rear shocks but I KNEW that wasn't right so I didn't say anything...

Yeah, grab a manual and tear into the rear swingarm bearings... I'm sure they need torqued after all this time...
Chris

 

[gamorg02]

hey abe, i still have mine and i think it may be do to the oversized shinko. there is a slight wobble in it that you can see when its on a balancer, but its perfectly balanced as far as their machines go.

you may also want to try loosening your rear axle nut. i know 44 magnum solved 90% of his wobble issue by loseening i think two notches... not sure about what kind of torque that is.

another way guys test it is to run the bike, get the rear diff all hot and then tighten the nut down until u feel pull when u spin the tire then back it off slightly...

my swingarm bolts did nothing to help my wobble and my steering head bearings helped def, altho its moved from low 40's to high 40's only when decelling from 55 or above.. its still very odd... frame braces def helped too

mine seems to be worse at higher RPMs (in 2nd or 3rd gear) at those speeds too, and roads seem to contribute... anything liek that on yours?

can you try another max'ers front rim/tire for a few miles? that was danny and mine's idea at some poitn to see if we can figure otu whats doing it

 

[HDKILA]

hey abe, i still have mine and i think it may be do to the oversized shinko. there is a slight wobble in it that you can see when its on a balancer, but its perfectly balanced as far as their machines go.

you may also want to try loosening your rear axle nut. i know 44 magnum solved 90% of his wobble issue by loseening i think two notches... not sure about what kind of torque that is.

another way guys test it is to run the bike, get the rear diff all hot and then tighten the nut down until u feel pull when u spin the tire then back it off slightly...

my swingarm bolts did nothing to help my wobble and my steering head bearings helped def, altho its moved from low 40's to high 40's only when decelling from 55 or above.. its still very odd... frame braces def helped too

mine seems to be worse at higher RPMs (in 2nd or 3rd gear) at those speeds too, and roads seem to contribute... anything liek that on yours?

can you try another max'ers front rim/tire for a few miles? that was danny and mine's idea at some poitn to see if we can figure otu whats doing it

Everything you say above is same as me! My wobble is only at 45 mph. I have had the bike nearly topped out with no wobble. Seems worse on decel.

 

[HDKILA]

BTW I have brand new shinko's on both ends. Balanced by the local HD dealer. The wobble was there with the old tires and old steering bearings as well...hmmmmm

 

[Shuriken]

I got rid of the 45mph deceleration wobble by just getting rid of the crappy tires that were on the bike and replacing them with brand new ME-880 tires.

This leads me to believe that either the old tires were not in balance or that due to the way the bike rides, the old tires developed certain wear patterns that contributed to the wobble. ...Or that new, more-in-balance tires stress the bearings less, so it takes more force/speed to create the wobble now?

I *do* still have a wallowing wobble going on above like 90mph so I *do* think that eventually, the 45mph wobble will come back. My problem feels like a lack of damping relationship between front and rear suspension, but these problems can be hard to sort out without touching every part of the suspension with new parts.

I find it curious that 90mph is exactly twice as fast as 45mph, and the wobble returns at twice what it used to! If the bike wouldn't start to wobble until 3x45, 135, I wouldn't complain!

 

[gamorg02]

all interesting points. my bike is solid during accel from 0 - 130. its only during engine decel at 48 mph as long as my hands are off the bars no later than 55 mph. hah its surprising how often that actually is. if my hands are on the bars no problems...

i think shinko's may contribute slightly. abe, try ur swingarm bolts and rear axle nut

 

[4gasem]

I found mine did it stock but I did the "Furbur Fix" with the aluminum washer and I never had it again. I did it for a buddy a couple weeks ago but this time I just removed the rubber washer and put it on top of the top nut and of course adjusted the bottom nut until I felt it was right. He told me the wobble is gone and the bike feels totally different... Can't beat that I say... lol

Radials and frame braces as well as full suspension replacement REALLY helped mine... lol

Chris

 

[gamorg02]

hmm maybe its worth trying the furbur....

 

[4gasem]

Maybe the bearings have broken in and need RE adjusted... I'd try that first...

 

[maleko89]

+1 to Chris. Make sure when you tighten that the top triple bolts are loose. Then, torque the triple tree and lastly the steering head nut. Kloker used loctite on his nuts. Huh-huh.

 

[gamorg02]

i did that all correctly. it helped a lot, but its still not perfect... i did it about 2k miles ago tho, can't hurt to try again.. maybe i'll order a furbur washer either way...

 

[4gasem]

i did that all correctly. it helped a lot, but its still not perfect... i did it about 2k miles ago tho, can't hurt to try again.. maybe i'll order a furbur washer either way...

So you moved the rubber to the top of your nuts and not between them right? :rofl_200::rofl_200:

That should work fine... I didn't buy Furburs 13 dollar spacer. Someone else on eBay at the time had them for 3 bucks... Same damn thing... lol I installed and it works great.

 

[gamorg02]

no no i kept the rubber where it was, i just tightened them down. i coudl try that as well. did u just finger tight the two nuts together so the slots lined up?

 

[davidon]

Is Kloker still around ? I have'nt seen him post in a while.. then again maybe he has his Kloking device on

 

[4gasem]

no no i kept the rubber where it was, i just tightened them down. i coudl try that as well. did u just finger tight the two nuts together so the slots lined up?

No I smacked them with a hammer a little bit and then stuck the rubber on and then the clip to keep them locked together.

Kloker got a new job I think... He's been pretty busy with it.:confused2:

 

[DanQuin]

Also, check the rear swingarm bearings. You would be surprised at how much the rear effects overall stability of the bike.

Sean

Very good point, Sean.

It's interesting how the folks here find ways to adjust and tune until the headshake is cleared, but in the sportbike world the first thing half the people consider is new parts (ie steering dampers).