Ok, so I'm still getting used to the feel of my 94 GS, I only have 500miles on it.
So today, as I was cruising at 35-40mph. I let go of the handlebars to stretch my back, and I was in for a wobble. Didn't tank slap but definetly scared the heck out of me.
So here is my question:
What can cause the handlebars to go ballistic like that. Tire pressure? Road condition? Bent frame(ouch hope my frame is ok)? speed? wind? weight? who knows....they don't teach about stuff like that at MSF.
Scared the living heck out of me...and that was just a wobble that stoped as soon as I grabed the bars.
Ride (fast) safe,
Jonah
tire pressure, fork oil level, swing arm bearings, neck bearings, mis-aligned rear tire. (might be other reasons, but that's the ones I can think of right this sec)
You can take one afternoon and check all these pretty easily.
check over all of that and i would imagine it would be all how it is supposed to be. but your handlebars might be too light. I filled mine with bullets but I would have used some small lead pellets instead if I would have had those on hand. The bar ends will hold it all in so you dont have to worry about it falling out. The extra weight wont mess with your steering any, and if it does it would only make it less twitchy and let you take you hands off the handlebars when riding.
bullets? sounds kinda... dangerous
the bullets not the whole case with powder.
If your bike wobbles then its stability is compromised. I would check everything that has to do with front-end; brakes, steering, wheel/tire and suspension. Get to the source of the problem. :cheers:
Quotebut your handlebars might be too light
the weight has nothing to really do with the wobble, clipons are Far lighter and are often more narrow meaning less mass then stock bars. Many are even used without bar ends. the bar ends help absorb Vibrations and give the pavement something to chew on Prior to the expensive clipons themselves.
oil levels differing, spring rates/sag differing, height of the tubes in clamps differing between one another
wheel bearings front and rear, rear wheel angle alignment, tire pressure, sposively mixing Bias and radial ply tires between front and rear
bent fork leg, bent fork brace, loose or bent axle. swimgarm bushings stearing head bearings worn. bent rims, bent swingarm
some items are less likely then others but still are posible
ok 94suzie, your retarded, all adding weight to the bars will do is change the frequency that they vibrate at. front end wobble when hands are removed is caused by a number of things, low tire presure is the biggest one, then fork oil, and then springs. every bike will have a point that it will do the wobble thing naturaly. it is just a result of a combonation of rake angle, fork damping and tire presure and voila your bike does it at 35 mph.
my two cents about riding; every time I get on my bike if I have to think about what I am doing I will die. plain and simple. you don't have time to think and react. only react.
it scared you because you hadn't delt with this situation before and you had to think before you reacted.
I'll let you all know when this theory of mine stops working so you don't use it anymore either
Ok thanks, that should get me started.
I just got the bike used and I'm definetly just getting to know the bike and it's "real" condition.
fork seals were rebuild just before purchase. Darn it really shakes me hard every time I ride over a speed bump.
I did find something pretty scary though:
Front tire looks like old rubber. There are cracks all along the tire where it pinches under the rim.
sounds to me like regardless what else is wrong...I'm going to need a new tire. What do you guys think?
Ride(fast) safe,
Jonah
how whould you like a custom title, something like "lives in a flat world"
Ok...so I think I'm gonna got with nitroglycerin for the added weight in the handlebars that way...if I lowside it will be like striking a match....
hehehehhe
Ride (fast) safe "in a flat world"
yeah, get a new tire, check also to make sure your forks and triple tree arent alittle twisted
start with the basics.
check tire pressure.
check tire balance.
get new tire.
check REAR tire pressure. trust me on this one.
Just keep your hands on the bars where they belong.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Seriously, I had a 85 Nighthawk 650 that I traded on the first GS that did the same thing. Only when coasting and letting go of the bars at about 35-40mph or so. The cheapo Honda bicycle type steering head bearings had become notchy and felt like there was a detent in the straight ahead position. I replace brgs with a tappered roller brg kit and problem was gone. The Suzi though comes with tappered roller brgs.
Quite a few miles later problem came back not as bad and the new brgs were still good. I replaced the worn and cupped front tire and problem was gone again. Put the bike on centerstand and push down on back with one hand and turn bars with other to feel for notchiness in steering particuraly near straight ahead position where most brg wear occurs. Then go get that new front tire. :thumb:
Hey, there's a reason the chopper types like that extra rake...super stable. Truth is, the steeper the rake on a bike, like a Ninja, Baby G, CBR, etc. the more the tendency to wobble when your hands are off the controls. It's the same thing with airplanes. Planes that are airbatic are very unstable in nature. If you let go of the controls the plane tends to go wherever it wants. But if you have a stable airplane it will pretty much fly along straight and level with you off the controls. It just makes it harder to force the plane to go away from straight and level. So, there are trade-offs in the sport-biking world...you can't have your cake and eat it too. Love the Baby and this forum.
C.......
putting weight in the handlebars will help, it will make it harder for them to wobble. take stock bars and hold them in the middle and twist your wrist, easy to move. now fill them with weight and try, alot harder. It will make the bike more predictable and less twitchy.
I'm with everybody else - First check the tire pressures, then replace that front tire. Proper suspension setup for your weight is very important.
Quote from: gsJackJust keep your hands on the bars where they belong.
Not like this:
http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11184&highlight=handlebarsMy bike is plenty predictable with the forks down in the triple clamps 1mm and a 110/80 series front tire (130/70 rear), now.
again, Install billet alum clip ons with no weights. with a bike PROPERLY setup and key parts in spec you will not have a wobble. weight or lightness of the bars doesnt CAUSE Nor CURE a wobble issue, you can fill it with hot lead and let it cool, the wobble hasnt gone away, At BEST youve just masked it with applied inertial Physics which would only be a temp fix.
No bike that i know of was Designed with 5lb handlebars to kill wobbles.
what is the most common issues referd too here as likely cause? all these folks saying much the same thing.
tire pressure, forks, suspension = check, check, check
Front rubber is old. Saving up for new tires..hope this will help
Thanks to everybody for the input. I'm going to work on it one step at a time. :thumb:
ride (fast) safe
Jonah
ok...so turns out my front tire keeps losing pressure...and back tire is an old exedra (stock one with ok tread).
Just ordered pirelli sport demons 110/70 and 140/70.
I don't know how you guys feel about this, but I'm willing to stay of the bike until I have trustworthy tires. (I only got two wheels..and then it's the pavement). Especially since I'm as newbie as they come. The front end has been feeling so slow and lazy execpt for right after I add pressure to the front tire, it seems to be more willing to lean.
Ride (fast) safe.
Jonah
ok so take some glass cleaner and spray it on the sides of the tire, find the leak it can only be a couple of things, most likely it is a bead that isn't seated. or maybe a valve stem core that went bad. and hey, if your not comfortable riding on crappy tires stay off the bike. when you get new ones though I want your old ones I'll pay shipping.
Mine doesn't usually do it when I let go of the bars, only occasionally. I've had it happen at all varieties of speed. And from wobble to almost a full on tank slap. Haven't had anything bad happen but definitely makes you want to grab the handlebars again.
If the tires are hard, old, cracked etc, replace them.
I had a BMW that wobbled just as you described at about 30 mph. I thought that something might be wrong, and I asked other owners of the same bike. Turns out that everybody had the same wobble. It wasn't scary or uncontrolable, but it was there. That was just the speed that that model wobbled at.
Because of a low tire and overloading, the bike once wobbled at 65 mph. That was scary, but I controled the bike and fixed the problem.
I have heard many stories about older Harley Sportsters. They seem to wobble at 90-100 mph. At that speed, there is enough energy to rip the bars out of your hands and throw you off the bike. A guy I ride with witnessed this when a friend of his tried to "accelerate past the wobble". He got thrown, and a ton of road rash. Then the guy picked up the damaged but rideable bike and decided to get back on the horse and try again, with the same result, and a lot more road rash. He died a few days later.
If everything is in good condition, I wouldn't worry about a 30 mph wobble. It probabaly means that you don't have a wobble at 100 mph!
Yep, better to be safe than sorry. Good, wise choice. Also, one more thing, grip the tank with your knees.