Bike shakes and high pitch vibration

[06Vmaxfan]

My 2006 Vmax handlebars will shake at all speeds. I can let go with one hand and the handle bars will shake back and forth like a cars stearing wheel when a tire is out of ballance. When my wife is riding on the back the shaking goes away. Also when my wife is riding with me I get an intermintant feel that can best be described as a flat rear tire but the tire is fine as far as air pressure and overall condition of the tires.

I also get a high pitch vibration in the handlebars when I turn right or left into a parking lot or my driveway and on sharp curves. Going straite there is no vibration.

I bought this bike new in Febuary 2007 and to date have only put 5K miles on the bike. I have only noticed these strange vibrations this year when I started riding it more ofter as of March. Is this common for these bikes and I just never noticed it till now or do I have an issue with tires or bearings?

 

[[email protected]]

Sounds like some strange symptoms.

Some people are more susceptible to notice vibes than others. I spent some time on sportster with a solid mount engine so jumping on the max was like riding on a pillow.

I would check over the bike for any loose fasteners. Stuff like motor mounts, the removeable frame section, axles, forks, etc.....

I would also check the steering bearings via the "bump test" and also check the swingarm pivot bolts for proper torque.

Could be something coming loose. Could be tires out of balance

Have you inspected the tires to check for any irregularities? Any funny looking bulges. Not in your pants, on your tires :biglaugh: . Any indication that a wheel weight(s) was lost??

I'm grabbing at straws here

 

[naughtyG]

I also think the tires are the most likely culprits, with the head bearings being loose a close second.

 

[06Vmaxfan]

This is a tuff one to answer for sure. I have inspected the tires and they are in very good condition. I have checked a few bolts here and there and all were tight. I will give it a more thoughrow inspection of bolts and fasteners this weekend.

Local shops want $36ea. to ballance the tires (thats $72) so I am putting that off till I have checked everything else first.

 

[[email protected]]

$36??? Is that taking the wheels in or is that removing the wheels and then balacings. I could see if they are removing the wheels. If you don't find anything loose, maybe try some dyna beads in the tires. Should be able to get yourself set up for around $30 with the applicator, 3 oz of beads, a couple valve stem cores, and a valve core removal tool.

 

[06Vmaxfan]

$36??? Is that taking the wheels in or is that removing the wheels and then balacings. I could see if they are removing the wheels. If you don't find anything loose, maybe try some dyna beads in the tires. Should be able to get yourself set up for around $30 with the applicator, 3 oz of beads, a couple valve stem cores, and a valve core removal tool.

I saw the post earlier today with a linc to a web sight that sells the beads so I saved it to my favorites for future referance. I realy want a set of radial tires and I see that some or having good luck with the Metzler 880's with a wider foot print. I am going to price these tires tomorrow and if I buy a set I will get the beads and install them as well.

The price for ballancing is the dealer removing the wheel. I told him it was for a 2006 Vmax and it was a Yamaha dealer that I spoke to. I asked why it is so expensive and he gave me the whole labor intensive line which is what I expected him to do. What I did not expect was him telling me how it takes time to remove the "CHAIN" and then re-install the "CHAIN" and get the "CHAIN" and "SPROCKETS" lined back up strait. I then asked him how much to ballance the front tire as well since he just gave me the $36.00 fee for the rear tire with all that labor and he said $36.00. I asked him if the front chain and sprocket was as hard to line up as the rear and after a short pause he said " that bike doesn't have a chain and sprocket on the front" and I said " and it doesn't have a chain ond sproket on the rear either, its a shaft drive" then I hung up. Needles to say that shop will not be working on my Vmax.

 

[GlennsVmax]

I have an 06 that handled like yours. I did the bounce test to the steering head bearings. Mine bounce way more than the video Sean Morley has on this site.

Check out his video and give it a try, only takes a few minutes. I did not have the spanner wrench so I just used a screwdriver and hammer as Sean says you can do.

 

[Rollie]

5K miles in 4 years means a lot of time spent sitting. Could have a flat spot on the rear tire , if it's the original .

 

[firefly]

Sounds like steering head castle nuts need to be tightened, from factory they are set but as we ride the bike they settle in & become slightly looser. easy fix.

 

[06Vmaxfan]

I am going to check the steering head bearing in a few minutes. I should have checked it last night while I was installing the red LED light bulbs in the gauges but I forgot.

Rollie, The milage is low because up untill December of last year I was paying a greedy ex wife child support along with having to keep medical coverage on them and since I don't live in thier state I had a payroll deduction and my employer was allowed by law to charge me a fee every week and the circuit court in the county they live in was charging me a yearly fee to keep records of my payments. Seeing as how all these people had their hands in my cookie jar I had to work alot of overtime to make enough money to keep my head above water. But now that is over and I have been riding the Vmax just about every day since I am no longer working overtime.

 

[Fastatv]

I also get a high pitch vibration in the handlebars when I turn right or left into a parking lot or my driveway and on sharp curves. Going straite there is no vibration.

QUOTE]

Mine does this also ......very slow speeds with bars turned...goes away when straight but if I lean to either side, its noticable at slow speeds. I know I'm not helping you here but I would also like to know what this is. :ummm:

 

[06Vmaxfan]

Steering head bearings were loose. The handlebars bounced in both directions. I tightened the bearings per Sean's you tube video. Goint to ride out to a pool party in a few minutes and will see if that corrected the problem, I suspect and hope it did.

 

[06Vmaxfan]

Happy to report that the Vmax handles like a new bike. Both the high pitch vibration and the shaking are gone.

I also synchronized the carbs while I was working on it. They were slightly off but not out of spec. Being the anal type of person that I am I wanted to get the carbs as close as possible so I did a little adjusting and got them spot on. The engine seems to be smoother but the idle did increase slightly to 1000 rpm's. I turned the idle down while waiting on the light to turn green and it is now perfact.

Thanks to all the VMF members that replied to my thread, you guys are awsome.