Okay. I have had the bike running for a few weeks and I have clocked about 600-700 miles. I just got back from a 180+ mile trip (in some rain, no-less) and I have a question:

What would cause the front end to shimmy? It's not bad but if I take my left hand off the bars, you can definitely tell it is there. The bearings seem fine, the front wheel was balanced to 0 (according to the local shop), and the rotor "seems" to be straight.

I installed drag bars and I have gotten really used to them but I have a slight issue with the position of my hands. The bars turn back toward me and are installed in a "flat" position. This puts pressure on my palm at the base of my thumbs and seems to cramp my thumbs a bit. (Both hands.) I can change the way I am sitting and how I hold the bars but should the bars (at the end) point downward slightly?

I am sure I have other questions but it was a long ride and I can't think of any at the moment.

Oh yeah! Shift Fuel 3/4" boots / shoes are great! That's what I went to go pick up in Hattiesburg.

yer tire might be shot/seperating/broke.

if you make it up to b'ham holler, we'll ride twisties and eat bbq.

I was actually up in B-ham about a week or so back. I cover the whole state for my job and have a new install there that I was doing. Almost thought about riding the bike up there that week but decided against it.

I'll let you know when I get back up there cause I love me some bbq.

The shop that did work will never Admit to anything wrong. Kinda like Doctors. But they'll certainly take your money to look for and maybe fix a problem they don't admit to creating.

Anyway. Assuming the wheel was balanced correctly, was it put back on correctly?

Michael

You might also check the steering head bearings - put the bike on the centerstand, weight the back or have an assistant sit on the back to get the front wheel in the air (or prop up the front with a board or jackstand, leaving the forks free) and check for smooth motion as you turn the bar from lock to lock, with no "detent" (usually at the center) indicating worn/dented steering head bearings.

Mister: Yeah, I took the wheel off and in to have it balanced. It is very possible I didn't do something right putting the wheel back on but not sure what. All the spacers are in place. Not sure if there are any steps I missed which would cause an "alignment" problem. I haven't changed the front bearings yet now that I think about it. I am wondering if that could cause this sort of issue?

DoD#i: I will check that out. Steering seems smooth and solid but I will check again.

EDIT: Also, I went out today and rotated the drag bars down a bit. So far, they seem MUUUUUCH more comfortable and changed my riding position a bit, but a good ride around town will tell the truth.

Thanks.

+1 with above.

-tire wear (could be rear tire too).
-bad balance of tire/wheel assy.
-tight or worn steering head bearings.
-Parkinson's disease.

har har.   

Start simple, check the tire pressure!

Then move on to the other stuff.

Depends on how "not bad" that shimmy is. I think a little bit of it on some roads is normal. Some times it's caused by a combination of the tire design and the rain grooves in the road surface. Unless you can trace it to a real mechanical problem, just keep a loose grip and not worry too much.

There's one sectin of the road (Hwy 85 in San Jose) that causes my '01 GS (with Maxxis Promaxx tires) to shimmy/wobble nervously, enough for me to pull over and check for loose nuts/bolts. Then I found out this road does the same to my car and my '07 SV650 (with stock Dunlop D220). I think the rain grooves are causing this. Once I know it's the road but not my bike(s), I can relax and let the bike wobble, and it's fine at over 100 mph (briefly  .) In general, I feel the steering in the GS and SV are so light they tend to shimmy a little on the freeway.

However, on my '03 YZF600R (very nice suspension, with Bridgestone Battlax BT021), it feels rock steady, even at 120 mph (again, briefly). Better suspension/tires, maybe?