Okay... so, since I bought it, my GS has had blown fork seals. Replacements are in the mail, but for the last few mmonths I've been riding around with a knackered, seriously underdamped front end.
I'm just wondering if the lack of oil in my forks (I havent measured, but judging by the amount of oil coating the legs of my forks every day... its gotta be pretty bad) would account for some of the handling issues I've been experiencing. See, today was the first real combination of 1) good weather, and b) free time that I've had since buying the bike.. so I set off for a twisty road. I had a great time, but the front felt funny. Symptoms included:
Wobble on any kind of agressive (quick) turn in.
Crazy pogo-stick action when getting back on the gas.
The extremely disconcerting sensation that the front end of my bike was 'hopping' outwards over bumps in the road during corners, rather than following the road.
Mild... headshake? I dont want to call it that... but the front got wobbly when it wasnt pogoing or slipping.
I never got the impression that the front of the bike wanted to take a bite into the pavement. Of course, I didnt ride very agressively at all, I just focued on line and enjoying moving the bike back and forth.
I assume that fixing the forks will alleviate these issues, or is this something that the GS just does? My main concern here is that wobble on turn in. It seems to me that to take the delayed-apex line that is so widely taught, one has to wait a bit longer before begining the turn, then lean over quickly. My bike gets very upset doing this, and then feels unplanted throughout the turn. Consequently, I was apexing early, turning just about every corner into a virtual decreasing-radius affair that had me coming closer than I'd have liked to a wide exit.
Still, I had a great time. It really is a pleasure to work the bike in and out of corners, and so different than in a car. I was easily outdistancing the autos behind me, and it didnt even feel like I was working hard. I know that if I'd been in a car, I'd have felt as if I was going much faster... but on the bike it seemed... well.. not slow, but just so much smoother, no huge lateral force pulling you outwards (which I miss.. since I'm used to using the 'bite' of that lateral force to gauge grip, turn in sharpness, and overall tire-road interactions)... highly addictive. :)
It's entirely possible that you have leaked a significant amount of fork oil, and that the resulting "underdamping" is causing some of your problems. I guess you won't know for sure until you take the forks apart and measure.
richard had a "weeping seal" for quite a while, but when we opened up the forks for a seal replacement, the measured height of the oil was negligible. :dunno: So we put it back together for a while.
While you're waiting for the new seals...
* Check the air pressure in the tires, particularly the front.
* What tires do you have, and how is the tread wear?
* Have you installed Progressive fork springs? If you haven't you should. They will remove most of the symptoms you describe even if your stock setup is working "flawlessly" as designed.[/list:u]
Well look at it this way, I have NO oil in my forks (yea i know its bad) with blown fork seals (new ones on the way as well, gotta love ebay) and stock springs. I do not get tank slapper (head shake) at all...except when riding with no hands at high speeds (kind of expected). I DO get the pogo Feel, i DO bottom out in aggresive turns/stops but i dont feel the jumpy motion. You REALLY might wanna check all your fork braces and bolts/screws therein. your Tire pressure is a definite must, I was 10 psi LOW and wow what a dramatic difference. uhh...if I can think of anything else i'll let ya know.
I dont have any kind of slap-happy action going on, just a wiggle in the bars. I tend to ride with a pretty relaxed grip, so it only lasts a brief second... but its still annoying.,
My tires are... well id say they've got 75% life or so in back, 40% in front... but theyre getting up there. Not sure about pressure... what exactly should I be running on this bike? I always kept my car in the 30-32 range depending on conditions, but I really dont know what to set the GS to. As for brand / type... the rear is a Bridgestone Battlax BT45R, the front is a Bridgestone Exedra G601r.
Progressive springs are on the to-do list... and now, I think.. matching new tires. -_-
Quote from: EisenfaustNot sure about pressure... what exactly should I be running on this bike? I always kept my car in the 30-32 range depending on conditions, but I really dont know what to set the GS to.
Check out this handy-dandy page from the Haynes manual:
Various Maintenance Specs[/list:u]
No oil ... OK that's impossible ... they will atleast have 200ml ... ~2/3 the specified amount ... and all the bits are well coated in it ... looks and feels like grease ... Hurts damping yes and handling ... but not permanent long term hurt to bike.
Cool.
Srinath.
Well iw asssuming it had NO oil, simply because braking with the front will bottom them out. I understand there will always be SOME oil in the forks, but in my case not enough to do anything.
Quote from: EisenfaustThe extremely disconcerting sensation that the front end of my bike was 'hopping' outwards over bumps in the road during corners, rather than following the road.
Sounds like mine with the Progressives, but before I set rider sag. Are you sure the forks are stock?
Quote from: EisenfaustMild... headshake? I dont want to call it that... but the front got wobbly when it wasnt pogoing or slipping.
Check tire pressure, steering head bearings, and where the forks are set in the tripleclamps. Too high and the bike gets a nervous feeling.
Quote from: EisenfaustI never got the impression that the front of the bike wanted to take a bite into the pavement.
I get that with the Progressives, but I'm 125 pounds. Proper Suspension-to-rider set-up is important.
Quote from: EisenfaustI assume that fixing the forks will alleviate these issues, or is this something that the GS just does? My main concern here is that wobble on turn in. It seems to me that to take the delayed-apex line that is so widely taught, one has to wait a bit longer before begining the turn, then lean over quickly. My bike gets very upset doing this, and then feels unplanted throughout the turn. Consequently, I was apexing early, turning just about every corner into a virtual decreasing-radius affair that had me coming closer than I'd have liked to a wide exit.
Slow down until you get them fixed. You're giving yourself a pucker moment in every turn.
Reminds me of the time a penguin drove into the auto shop, complaining of an oil leak. The shop guy told him it would take at least an hour to check things out, so the penguin walked across the street and bought an ice cream cone. Poor guy, he got a little messy since he didn't have any hands. But he finally finished it off, saw his hour was almost up, and walked back across the street to inquire about the leak.
"Looks like you blew a seal," said the shop guy.
"No, that's just some ice cream," said the penguin.
:lol: