when decelerating from freeway speeds the handle bars shimmy back and forth??
When cruising at about 35 MPH i have a wheel hop/bounce??
Help please
I don't have an answer to your question, but I am having a similar problem.
When I'm travelling at around 80-90kph (50-55mph) and take my hands off the bars they shake pretty violently. Above that speed it tracks perfectly, below that is no problems also. Very strange.
Decel wobbles like you guys are describing are common, and can be hard to sort out. Problem can be caused by a lot of things, some of them at the rear of the bike.
First things to check are tire pressure, tire alignment, wheel balance, engine mounting bolts and steering head bearing adjustment. Also, generally as the tires wear the wobble will get worse, so if your tires are shot put new ones on.
If that doesn't fix it then move on to wheel bearings, swingarm pivot bearing and fork bushings.
Usually the decel wobble is more common on heavier bikes. Back in the early '08s some bigger bikes would do it brand new. I had an '87 Concours that I could never get rid it entirely. It was fine on a brand new front tire but as the tire wore the wobble would reappear and then get slowly get worse.
Quote from: RichDesmond on May 08, 2010, 07:19:22 AM
Decel wobbles like you guys are describing are common, and can be hard to sort out. Problem can be caused by a lot of things, some of them at the rear of the bike.
First things to check are tire pressure, tire alignment, wheel balance, engine mounting bolts and steering head bearing adjustment. Also, generally as the tires wear the wobble will get worse, so if your tires are shot put new ones on.
If that doesn't fix it then move on to wheel bearings, swingarm pivot bearing and fork bushings.
Usually the decel wobble is more common on heavier bikes. Back in the early '08s some bigger bikes would do it brand new. I had an '87 Concours that I could never get rid it entirely. It was fine on a brand new front tire but as the tire wore the wobble would reappear and then get slowly get worse.
is there a steering head bearing adjustment DIY i searched it with no results?? I took the wheels apart to get them powder coated, put new bearings, mounted BRAN NEW sport demons, and had them balanced at cycle gear cause it was free, could they have done a bad job balancing them? as for alignment, i measured from the piviot point of the swing arm to the rear axle on each side, it is exactly even. chain looks straight from behind.
thanks
would a warped rotor cause my wheel hop?
Warped rotor usually just gives you a pulsing in the lever, not a hop or a wobble. SH adjustment should be covered in the manual. You can check the wheel balance yourself, just pull the wheels and axles, prop the axle up on something so the wheel can spin and see if there's a heavy spot.
Has the bike always done this or is it new since you did the new bearings and tires?
Just a side note to make the wheel balance more useful.... unbolt the brake caliper and hold it off to the side. The less resistance when the wheel is trying to spin the better. Try to keep the bars reasonably straight too, instead of just letting the front end turn to one side or the other like it naturally will when you lift it off the ground.
As you will eventually learn, motorcycle mechanics can screw anything up. I just about refuse to take my bike to one anymore.
I had a headshake on decel problem on the 85 CB650SC that I traded in on my 1st GS500 about 11 years and 150k miles ago. It would wobble noticeably when coasting down from 50-40 mph and was of course very serious if I let go or just relaxed my grip on the bars. I replaced the worn front tire and the problem was considerably improved after that for a while. Discovered notchy steering head bearings after that and replaced them and the problem was almost eliminated for the 50k miles I rode that bike but would return slightly after front tires became worn until I replaced the tire. That Nighthawk 650 was close in weight and wheelbase to the GSs. Rich mentioned both of those considerations in his 1st post above.
Your last post skudman mentioned your brand new Sport Demon tires and that rang another bell. There have been a few stability and headshake problems mentioned on the Ninja 500 forums with the Demons, a bike quite similar to the GS in many ways.
I replaced the loose ball bicycle type head bearings on 2 of my 4 Hondas with new taper roller bearings when they became notchy but never expected and haven't had any head bearing problems on my GS500's which come with the taper roller head bearings and have run many different types of tires on them but have never used the Demons and won't.
Quote from: gsJack on May 08, 2010, 03:50:07 PM
I had a headshake on decel problem on the 85 CB650SC that I traded in on my 1st GS500 about 11 years and 150k miles ago. It would wobble noticeably when coasting down from 50-40 mph and was of course very serious if I let go or just relaxed my grip on the bars. I replaced the worn front tire and the problem was considerably improved after that for a while. Discovered notchy steering head bearings after that and replaced them and the problem was almost eliminated for the 50k miles I rode that bike but would return slightly after front tires became worn until I replaced the tire. That Nighthawk 650 was close in weight and wheelbase to the GSs. Rich mentioned both of those considerations in his 1st post above.
Your last post skudman mentioned your brand new Sport Demon tires and that rang another bell. There have been a few stability and headshake problems mentioned on the Ninja 500 forums with the Demons, a bike quite similar to the GS in many ways.
I replaced the loose ball bicycle type head bearings on 2 of my 4 Hondas with new taper roller bearings when they became notchy but never expected and haven't had any head bearing problems on my GS500's which come with the taper roller head bearings and have run many different types of tires on them but have never used the Demons and won't.
why won't you use the demons? cause the headshake? tire defect? i know you know your tires i have read some of you post :thumb:
Quote from: tt_four on May 08, 2010, 03:22:41 PM
Just a side note to make the wheel balance more useful.... unbolt the brake caliper and hold it off to the side. The less resistance when the wheel is trying to spin the better. Try to keep the bars reasonably straight too, instead of just letting the front end turn to one side or the other like it naturally will when you lift it off the ground.
As you will eventually learn, motorcycle mechanics can screw anything up. I just about refuse to take my bike to one anymore.
i am assuming you just loosened the axle nut and left the wheel on the bike? is it better to take it off and place the wheel and axle on two car stands? do i spin the tire or just put the weighted section of the tire on the top and see if it rolls down?
I also am done paying to have the local thumbless fix/break my bike. last time i took it there they took the liberty of adjusting my chain and in the process of doing so bent the axle adjuster...
Quote from: RichDesmond on May 08, 2010, 02:20:19 PM
Warped rotor usually just gives you a pulsing in the lever, not a hop or a wobble. SH adjustment should be covered in the manual. You can check the wheel balance yourself, just pull the wheels and axles, prop the axle up on something so the wheel can spin and see if there's a heavy spot.
Has the bike always done this or is it new since you did the new bearings and tires?
arggg. but i have no manual :dunno_white:
it used to headshake but only sometimes, and now it does it way more often then it used to. there have been a couple times where it is straight as an arrow during decel. but other times if i let go of the bar it shakes all over the place. i just figured it was the road condition. but no, that is not the case.
The wheel hop is a new problem...
Quote from: skudman on May 08, 2010, 04:52:02 PM
arggg. but i have no manual :dunno_white:
I have a Clymer 98-02 I don't want or need since I got the Suzuki shop manual. I'll send it to you for the cost of shipping (like $3) if you'd like. PM me if you want it.
Quote from: skudman on May 08, 2010, 04:52:02 PM
Your last post skudman mentioned your brand new Sport Demon tires and that rang another bell. There have been a few stability and headshake problems mentioned on the Ninja 500 forums with the Demons.................................have run many different types of tires on them but have never used the Demons and won't.
why won't you use the demons? cause the headshake? tire defect? i know you know your tires i have read some of you post :thumb:
[/quote]
No, I don't think the Demons have any particular defect, many consider them to be the stickiest of the major brand bias ply tires available for the GS and EX bikes and are using them. The Demons and Lasertecs are both made by Metzeler which was bought by Pirelli many years ago and many of their tires are quite similar. Metzeler makes Pirelli's motorcycyle tires. I have used the Lasertecs and like them, the Lasertec front tire remains my favorite front for the GS and is a very stable tire that works very well with most any other rear tire and I didn't like the radial fronts I used on the GSs so I ran my radial RoadAttack rear with the Lasertec front and still think they were the best handling combo I've used on the GSs so far.
I'm on my 2nd set of Roadriders now and am quite happy with them, they meet my current needs and are quite a bit less costly than the Metzlers. I'll probably stick with them but am considering trying a 140/80 Azaro rear with the Roadrider front next when I replace the rear this summer. So many tires, so little time. :icon_lol:
Sorry for the hijack, but have you seen the new Conti Go ties yet Jack?
I get the shake on occasion and just chalked it up to the front tire. Was going to get a new one yesterday but all they had in stock locally was the roadrider. Think I'm set on the new continental and will have to order it.
Quote from: skudman on May 08, 2010, 04:52:02 PM
...is it better to take it off and place the wheel and axle on two car stands? do i spin the tire or just put the weighted section of the tire on the top and see if it rolls down?
Yes. You want the wheel to spin as freely as possible. Spin the tire a few times and mark with a piece of chalk the bottom each time when it stops. If the chalk marks are all close to the same spot then that's a heavy spot and the tire's not well balanced. If the chalk marks are random then the tire is in balance.
Quote
arggg. but i have no manual :dunno_white:
Why not?? :) One of the first things I do when I buy a bike is get a manual.
Wheel hop is likely a balance issue. I had a defective tire once that did that - not a Demon though. Replaced it and hop went away.
Wobble is likely a steering head bearing issue. Might not be tightened up properly, or bearings are worn out.
With a tire that is underinflated, you will get irregular tire wear that can lead to cupping. My VFR800 is particularly susceptible to cupping if you don`t watch the tire pressure.
My son wants me to put :2guns: in here :D
Quote from: RichDesmond on May 09, 2010, 07:39:23 PM
Quote from: skudman on May 08, 2010, 04:52:02 PM
...is it better to take it off and place the wheel and axle on two car stands? do i spin the tire or just put the weighted section of the tire on the top and see if it rolls down?
Yes. You want the wheel to spin as freely as possible. Spin the tire a few times and mark with a piece of chalk the bottom each time when it stops. If the chalk marks are all close to the same spot then that's a heavy spot and the tire's not well balanced. If the chalk marks are random then the tire is in balance.
Quote
arggg. but i have no manual :dunno_white:
Why not?? :) One of the first things I do when I buy a bike is get a manual.
alright i will try it tomorrow morning, thank you Rich
I have one for both my cars and my Yamaha C3, when i bought the bike i purchased the $1000 maintenence and care package for three years, :cookoo: what was i thinking, they messed my bike more and more every time i took it in there. Just stopped going. anyway just never needed one till now
Quote from: SAFE-T on May 09, 2010, 07:49:56 PM
Wheel hop is likely a balance issue. I had a defective tire once that did that - not a Demon though. Replaced it and hop went away.
Wobble is likely a steering head bearing issue. Might not be tightened up properly, or bearings are worn out.
With a tire that is underinflated, you will get irregular tire wear that can lead to cupping. My VFR800 is particularly susceptible to cupping if you don`t watch the tire pressure.
My son wants me to put :2guns: in here :D
what is the average life of a head bearing? i have just rolled the 16,000 mile mark. front (120/70/17) inflated to 21 PSI and back(150/70/17) to 22PSI tire says MAX 42 PSI where should i put these babies?
haha i will put one in for him too :2guns:
Pressures are recommended at 33psi front, 36psi rears. Sounds like your tyres are underinflated man.
If you PM me your email address I have a .pdf version of the Haynes manual which I can send your way.
My suggestion about pulling the caliper off was only in reference to someone elses idea of spinning the front wheel while it was on your bike. When I did mine I took them off and used a seperate metal rod through the wheel up on two stands. It was fairly easy, and wheel weights are pretty cheap. To save yourself time when you spin the wheel, there's no needs to give it a good 15mph spin, just enough to spin the wheel 2 or 3 times so it gets to make up it's own mind where it lands. Once you've got a couple spins and have been putting weights you can always just turn it 90 degrees and let it go to see if it rolls back. Look around youtube and online. There's a ton of info with pictures about balancing your wheels, as well as various ways to improvise or even make a nice balancing stand. You can also buy one at harbor freight for about $60, but I'm gonna wait till that one goes on sale, as I'd much rather pay $30-40.
Quote from: skudman on May 11, 2010, 01:35:00 AM
...what is the average life of a head bearing? i have just rolled the 16,000 mile mark. front (120/70/17) inflated to 21 PSI and back(150/70/17) to 22PSI tire says MAX 42 PSI where should i put these babies?
haha i will put one in for him too :2guns:
If the head bearings are kept in proper adjustment they can last a looooong time, more than 50k miles. If they get loose though you can destroy them in less than 10k, especially if you ride on a lot of rough roads.
As noted above your tire pressure is way low.
1. Adjust tire pressure
*Use the recommended pressure on the swingarm sticker, or in your owner's manual.
2. Check tire for irregular wear
*Underinflated tires tend to wear out more on the sides than in the middle as the tire shape will be distorted.
3. Check tire balance
*I liked the chalk method that was mentioned - simple and reasonably accurate enough to give you an idea if this is a problem
4. Check steering head bearings
*Put bike on centrestand. Have someone sit or push down on back of bike to raise front tire off the ground. Slowly turn the handlebars side-to-side from full left to full right, and see if you feel any restriction - particularly near the centre. You can also check to see if the head bearings are loose by moving the forks back-and-forth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On8WrqSj3rQ
Quote from: skudman on May 11, 2010, 01:35:00 AM
front (120/70/17) inflated to 21 PSI and back(150/70/17) to 22PSI
:o :o :o :nono: