NEED HELP AFTER BOTTOMING FRONT FORKS OUT.

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Mass 2112

2004 MINT V-MAX 1200
Supporting Member
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Jun 19, 2020
Messages
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Location
KENTUCKY.
I need help please from any one that has knowledge about maybe damage to front rim or forks after hitting a pot hole and damn near breaking my wrist. Bike now has speed wobble,shimmy at about 45mph to 55/60mph. I would like info on what to look for first and work my way through the many things it might be. thanks very much.
 
Bend a wheel rim? That should be able to see with the naked eye. Jack the front off the ground, center the wheel, and spin it slowly, you should be able to easily-spot a bent rim. You also could have notched a bearing race in the steering head.

Disassembly of the downtubes from the triple tree isn't hard, then roll across a piece of glass the exposed part of the downtube and you should be able to-see if it 'hops,' indicating it's bent. That usually happens in an accident where the bike front wheel T-bones someone coming from the opposite direction who turns-left in-front of the bike. Hitting a pothole probably would-not bend a downtube.

You could also have broken cord plies in your tire, this is a very-dangerous condition, and it could result in an explosive decompression of the tire. You can imagine what could happen if this occurred while cornering. Look for an unnatural swelling on the tire tread or the sidewall, or some indication of tire trauma, like a cut across the tire.
 
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HI, thanks for the info. I put the bike on the center stand and took bunge cords to the handlebars back to the back hand rest above the rear finder to hold the front from moving left or right and layed a thick steel plate on the shop floor & used a magnetic stand and dial indicator set on the very outside of the rim while rotating the wheel. It stayed +- .0035 thousandth except for a 8" section that was +.0065 to +.008 th0usandths wider. I dont know if this is enough to cause the problem or not. I do know that it is pushing the limits if not over. There is no knot on the tire or bulge that i can see but i cant see all that well, LOL. The forks move from lock to lock with ease and no play. I took it out last nite and found out more info. on things it will do. Turning left feels hard, you really have to man handle it but not as bad turning right. If you go faster than when it shakes ( and you can feel it with both hands on the handlebars but if you let your grip loose it gets real bad and could get away from you at around 50 mph). Above that speed and this may be very importan it pulls to the right so bad you cant let loose the grips. This bike was so smooth before that you could let go the handlebars at 75mph and it would coast down till you had to start giving it gas again. Not a shake or wobble and go stright down the middle of the road. I hope some of this new info. can help you. i just dont know where to start except buy a inspection stand to check the tire and rim better. One other thing i know it is out of balance because the tire would turn on its own when you moved a certain spot to the top it would roll down a certan amount on its own. Thanks man i appreciate the help.
 
Yamaha give the maximum radial run out as (up & down) as 1.0mm and axial (side to side) as 0.5mm so it would seem that the wheel is within spec.
You should also check that the tyre is running true - no fancy equipment needed, just (say) an axle stand.
With the front end off the ground check that there isn't any noticeable axial or radial movement.
If that checks out OK next step would be to have the wheel balanced.

While you have the wheel elevated, lower it so that the wheel is just resting on the ground and loosen the yoke pinch bolts, mudguard mounting bolts and axle nut.
Give the bars a shake to settle the wheel and forks.
Torque the lower yoke pinch bolts, top yoke pinch bolts, mudguard and axle nuts.
 
Another resource, they will find your problem, if you cannot.

USA
Atlanta

GMD Computrack Atlanta
Kent Soignier
GMDATL.com
106 South Ave.
FAIRMOUNT, GA 30139
Phone (706) 337 4114

http://gmd-computrack.com/
 
Is the front wheel still in alignment with the bars/triple clamps? A big enough hit can misalign everything requiring it all (axle, axle clamp, triple clamps) be loosened off and aligned before re-tightening.
 
just a thought, could it be that it has been happening before but you never really noticed it, and now having had a big impact on the wheel your mind is telling you to look for something meaning you now notice it,
is it possible the impact knocked some air out of your tyre,
hope you get it sorted
 
Forks are bent i am sure. GOING to take all of front end off this winter and go through it all. I have a 1995 vmax that i had been keeping around for my youngest son to ride when he comes home from school on weekends to ride so i will not miss out on this great fall riding . Thanks to all who helped me and provided info. Think i will go for a ride and not think about it for a few days.
 
Just wanted to let everybody know that your help (all of yaws posts) helped me learn several things about my bike-2004 v-max . I appreciate all the help very much and i never would have fixed it without the help. It was a you tube video that I saw just by chance that along with the help here that i used to fix the bike. It was as simple as adjusting the tree and forks that has given me a smooth ride. I still got to buy a set of tire's , but all is good. thanks to everybody. Now lets see what else i can get into. lol:cool:
 
I THINK THAT MAY BE ME. No it is not me. This is all new to me. never been on chat board before. Got to learn how this all works.
 
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