So I'm not really complaining about this just trying to get an idea if this is just me or most people.
So, you know the splits in the concrete on the freeway, the lines where they put the two pieces of concrete together. Whenever I change lanes and pass over those lines, the bike wobbles left and right for about a second. Almost like a very subdued speed wobble but then the bike corrects itself.
When I first got the GS it was a bit un-nerving not expecting it, but now that I can anticipate the wobble, its not that bad.
Am I putting too much weight on the bars? Why does this happen? Skinny tires? Is this consistent with all bikes or just those with thinner tires?
Thanks!
-George :thumb:
This is mainly a tire issue. Depends on the rubber and profile style. I felt the Pilot Power is quite prone to those you mentioned, but you get used to it.
Ya it's almost time for a new set anyhow. Ugh, I know nothing about tires.
/me searches...
The one I dislike is when road crews Scabble/Plane the road in readiness for another layer of bitumen. Same process used to Shave off a few mm from the road to make it more level before adding another layer of bitumen. And you end up with a collection of grooves that run with the road and can be many meters long. The grooves are never straight. And the tires tend to follow them a little.
(http://www.hockleysurfacing.co.uk/images/gallery/road_resurfacing2.jpg)
And when they simple scabble the old line away. It leaves a rough spot that's a few mm below the old surface.
Michael
I'm the complete opposite of mister. I LOVE the way those roads feel. You can literally just feel your whole bike shifting back and forth a little bit the entire way across. I think it's a neat feeling. Same with metal grate bridges. My wife isn't so crazy about them, as I found at at the end of the ride the first time we went over some.
As far as the cracks on the freeway. I do remember hating that when I started riding. I'd always watch the road for the smoothest part to change lanes. You get over it though. I don't even think about it anymore. I usually also make a point to change lanes with some intention too. If you're slowly and gradually changing lanes it gives you more time over the crack. I usually look, and just throw some weight into it so my bike swerves right over it.
check your tire pressure, even 2 psi low can cause a slight wobble over any unsmooth surface. (at least on my gs.)
This is one area where tread design and also profile shape can make a big difference as well as tire pressure. I had a pair of those Avon AM51/52 tires on my GS about five years ago and with nearly 10k miles on them I hit a road with those construction grooves like in mister's pic above that were extra wiggly, the operator of that machine that cut them must have been drunk or something. Anyway my bike was almost uncontrollable and all over the road as I got slowed down and off of them. That AM52 rear tire had a profile that looked badly squared when new. They gave very good milage and were priced like the Chinese tires and Avon called them a Commuter tire and could be a bargain if you didn't hit those grooves. The rear looked like this when brand new:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/AM52-1.jpg)
Next morning I replaced that rear tire with a Lasertec and went back and could hardly feel those same grooves. About 2k miles later I put on a Lasertec front followed by another and they became my favorite fronts for the GS. Most even wearing and least affected by the grooves in the road or by those open steel grate bridges that raise heck with bike tires. Since then I've discovered the Avon Roadriders to be almost as good on the grooves and much less costly around here, those Metz tires have just become too expensive. And the Roadriders last longer too.