Serious hi speed wobbles troubles

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naughtyG

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So I recently got my '86 V-max. Started riding it, and noticed a pretty bad high speed wobble problem. I took it to 125mph and it shook its head so bad I thought I was gonna die.
Through a few posts here, I found out about tightening the steering head bearing nuts. As I'm not home with all my tools, I've not been able to do the whole furbur fix yet. I can see that my two nuts are together and the rubber washer's on top, just under the triple tree. I used a blunt screwdriver and hammer to tighten the nuts, so that now a nudge on the bars makes them fall slowly and not bounce of the end stops.
However, it made no difference! I think I can feel a low speed weave now (too tight?), but at speed it's still the same: anything above 70mph - if the bike's turning or goes over a bump it starts shaking. And anything above 85mph and it starts wobbling like crazy in a straight line!
I have fitted a Slipstreamer Spitfire windshield, but it already shook b4 I did. My tires are Dunlop qualifiers, and look about half worn. I think the bike's lowered at the rear end because the shocks look non standard and I can't get it on the centre stand. It also has FatMax hard bags fitted - check out my picture. Other than that it's pretty much stock.

I really need help - I can't ride this thing on the highway like this, it feels like a suicide wish! :confused2:

And I just dropped $4k in this bike.. :damn angry::bang head:
 
The rubber washer is supposed to be in between the ring nuts. That could be part of the problem. If tightening didn't help and it made low speed worse (too tight) then I would suspect the bearings. Are you wheels balanced? What air pressure are you running in your tires?
 
Well first off the rubber washer is supposed to be between the two bearing nuts.
Some believe that putting a steel washer in between there is better (Furbur Fix). But then you would eliminate the rubber washer doing that, not put it on top.
So It would seem that someone has already taken the steering head apart and not put it back correctly.
So you need to get it taken apart and inspect the bearings and races.
My best guess is that an 86 is probably due for new bearings and races, and then re-assembled properly.
 
So I recently got my '86 V-max. Started riding it, and noticed a pretty bad high speed wobble problem. I took it to 125mph and it shook its head so bad I thought I was gonna die.
Through a few posts here, I found out about tightening the steering head bearing nuts. As I'm not home with all my tools, I've not been able to do the whole furbur fix yet. I can see that my two nuts are together and the rubber washer's on top, just under the triple tree. I used a blunt screwdriver and hammer to tighten the nuts, so that now a nudge on the bars makes them fall slowly and not bounce of the end stops.
However, it made no difference! I think I can feel a low speed weave now (too tight?), but at speed it's still the same: anything above 70mph - if the bike's turning or goes over a bump it starts shaking. And anything above 85mph and it starts wobbling like crazy in a straight line!
I have fitted a Slipstreamer Spitfire windshield, but it already shook b4 I did. My tires are Dunlop qualifiers, and look about half worn. I think the bike's lowered at the rear end because the shocks look non standard and I can't get it on the centre stand. It also has FatMax hard bags fitted - check out my picture. Other than that it's pretty much stock.

I really need help - I can't ride this thing on the highway like this, it feels like a suicide wish! :confused2:

And I just dropped $4k in this bike.. :damn angry::bang head:


I wonder if your bearing races are stop signed? Sounds like they are way too loose!Too tight gives you the low speed weave back and forth.
 
Well first off the rubber washer is supposed to be between the two bearing nuts.
Some believe that putting a steel washer in between there is better (Furbur Fix). But then you would eliminate the rubber washer doing that, not put it on top.
So It would seem that someone has already taken the steering head apart and not put it back correctly.
So you need to get it taken apart and inspect the bearings and races.
My best guess is that an 86 is probably due for new bearings and races, and then re-assembled properly.


The furbur fix washer is aluminum,about an 1/8th inch thick.
 
My best guess is that an 86 is probably due for new bearings and races, and then re-assembled properly.

Ok that sounds reasonable - it's got 37k miles and 22 years..

So what's involved with changing the steering bearing and races? It that a DIY job? (I'm pretty handy and been taking my bikes apart for many years)

Also, what's the best source of parts to get the new bearing?

Thanks guys
 
Ok that sounds reasonable - it's got 37k miles and 22 years..

So what's involved with changing the steering bearing and races? It that a DIY job? (I'm pretty handy and been taking my bikes apart for many years)

Also, what's the best source of parts to get the new bearing?

Thanks guys


I would inspect them first and see where you are at. At 37k, you might not need new bearings and races, unless corrosion has gotten in there.
At the very least it needs to be assembled correctly. With the rubber washer in the correct place, or the Furbur Fix, your choice.
FWIW... the hardest part, from what I'm told, is the old races can be a pain to get out. But I would wait and cross that bridge when you get to it.

Do things one step at a time and in a logical order, with some patience. And with the help of all the knowledge in the forum, you will get your problem solved.
The people in this forum are GREAT People and the experiences and knowledge is endless. But you have to do things one step at a time to correctly solve a problem. Otherwise your only throwing money and time willy nilly at it and it will take longer to fix it.
 
Yeah my washer was in the "wrong spot" and I had that beotch passed 10K in top gear, no wobble.

Let's start simple folks. What's the air pressure in the front tire? What kind of shape is it in?

Also, Nosboss on here just moved his washer to the "wrong spot" and his problem is now cured for the most part on his '85....
 
k I'm gonna ride it home on monday and check it all out on my day off tuesday. Will post the results and pics of my front tire.
Thanks for the help so far.
 
I wish you guys would be more descriptive about the type of 'wobble' you are experiencing.

This has been discussed elsewhere in the forum.

Head shake experienced as the front forks and handlebars shaking from side to side, like a horse shakes its head on a tight rein is caused by loose or buggered steering head bearings.

Lane weaving at high speed, which is the tendency for the bike to wander slowly from side to side when you attempt to track a straight ahead line is caused by overtightened steering head bearings.

A wallowing motion that feels like the bike is moving its front and rear end in a side to side motion similar to a fish swimming is almost always experienced when you have the bike learned over while cornering. Bumps on an uneven road surface will readily initiate this wallowing (or Wobble if you like) motion. It is caused by loose or worn swingarm bearings.

Don't discount your wheel bearings being worn out either. They don't last forever.

You can, of course, have combinations of these problems if the steering head bearings and swingarm pivot bearings are out of spec.
 
And last but certainly not least, always go get that BACK tire re-balanced. Each and EVERY time I EVER experienced the highspeed wobble you describe, not only on my Max, but also on my XS1100 before it, the wobble disappeared completely after I installed new rubber with a spin balance job on the BACK.

Seems odd to talk about the rear of the bike when discussing a wobble at the front, but it is true. My guess is that any play at the rear, whether it's the bearings, swingarm related or just worn tire or out of balance wheel, oscillates and gains momentum traveling to the front forks through the frame until ooops..... you're tank-slapping.

Tightening the head bearings will help minimize the effects and in some cases mask it altogether, but something caused it, and it ain't the loose steering bearing causing the wobble in the first place.

By all means, adjust the forks properly, but don't forget to go after, find and repair the culprit causing the wobble too.

Good luck.
 
This is my experience with high speed weaving on the Max. The first trip I took on my 95 was to Big Bend. My bike was loaded with soft saddlebags, a small luggage rack pack and a fairly large round tail bag with a waterproof liner on the passenger seat. It stored ice and "various" beverages for the three of us on the trip (all on Maxes BTW). This put a fair amount of weight at the rear of the bike. I had also installed "superbike" bars that had more rise and pullback, pushing me farther back on the bike and more upright. At 95 mph I started having a weave that got worse as speed increased. At about 105 or so I realized I couldn't ride thru it as it kept getting worse. The weave started at 65 mph on a sweeper. I had always heard that putting more weight on the front end helped reduce this problem but didn't help in this instance when I leaned forward. Probably my light weight couldn't have much effect with the bars and excess weight. My next trip (Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge) I had gone back to the stock bars with saddlebags and small tail bag (no ice chest). I could get to 115 mph before the weave started (about 85 in a sweeper). The next trip (Outer Banks - 3500 miles in one week) I had the same luggage with new tires (Dunlop 591's before they discontinued the V-Max size) and got to 125 mph with no weave in a straight line or sweeper. That was as fast as I went so do not know if I would have gotten into a weave at faster speeds. On all of these trips I had the Yamaha mini windshield (not the small one that just covers the instruments). My tires on the first two trips were the originals with not much mileage but were at least 4 years old as I bought the bike with 1500 miles in 1999. I noticed a much better ride and traction with the new tires. I think the originals had gotten hard with age.

All this seems to indicate weight distribution and tires can have an effect on the weave. Also, the different loads caused by leaning effect the onset of weaving. Over the years I have heard that front end weaves can be caused by something in the rear of the bike (shocks, tire, swingarm) and also if there is too much rearward weight distribution, ie; not enough weight on the front tire.

All this is just my experience with the Max. Not intended to be definitive....
 
I think it's the tires. What happens if you loosen your grip at say 70mph? Do the bars shimmy?

I can completely let go of my bars and track straight down the road NQA. Of course I have a Throttlemeister too... :biglaugh:

Replace bearings and race and even though the tire looks new it could easily be bad. I've been there before.
 
So I think I found the culprit for my high speed wobbles, although I'll only be sure once I got everything fixed and back together.
Basically there was a collar missing in my rear wheel assy (between the caliper bracket and wheel bearing), so that the rear wheel could move (!) sideways by almost half an inch. Only reason it didn't, was that the problem buggered my rear brake - it looked like a sticking outer piston in the caliper, but what was actually happening was that the whole caliper assy was being pushed out of alignment by the inner piston, so the brake was binding (rotor is dead - under 7mm), the inner piston was almost all the way out and the outer all the way in.

Kinda glad I found this b4 I died going too fast with a loose rear wheel... will post update once it's all fixed. Hopefully between that and tightening the steering bearing, the wobbles will be gone!
 

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