I've experienced a weird handling problem and I can't tell for sure if it's from the road or the bike. Some times during the ride, on different roads, but always in the hills, I get a weird sensation that the bike SLOWLY twists and weaves under me, out of synch with my steering input. It's not the normal quick and sharp feedback from a rough road. Rather, it feels like the bike is alive and doing its own thing, like sitting on a big fish, and this big fish is slowly twisting. Even when I straighten out and totally lighten my grip, I can feel a slow and gradual twisting force in the handlebar. If I don't make steering corrections against this unseen twisting force, the bike would actually weave when going straight. This could be anywhere from 15 mph to 40 mph. It's enough for me to wonder if the wheels are loose or the tires are flat, so I'd stop and wiggle the wheels, kick the tires, and see nothing wrong. The bike doesn't do this on normal city streets and freeways, so the only thing I can think of is there are some weird undulating camber changes on the road that I don't see but could feel.   

Have your experienced anything like this? Your thoughts?

Pretty much how a flat rear tire can feel; 'cept its on city streets too.

Wild guess; loose/notched head bearings.

prs

Had a similar problem, but the weave was always apparent (uphill - downhill - straights) at multiples of 25Mph.

Overtighten head bearing made the problem worse.
The cause, in my case, was a dent on the front wheel.

Have the same problem appears out of no where,feels similar like a flat tire......and on freeway couple of days was dragging to one side on a windy day (25mph),coudn't make out whether it was due to wind(at what wind speed can bike gets side swept ).what is the head bearing.
Manoj

I had a similar handling issue, especially in corners. I aligned the wheels and it feels like a new bike. I have a trick that you can tell if your out of alignment while riding. Wanna hear it?

Quote from: centuryghost on December 11, 2009, 10:00:42 PM
I have a trick that you can tell if your out of alignment while riding. Wanna hear it?

Nah. Keep us in suspense until this thread gets to page two. THEN come and tell us. or... wait until page three and let the suspense really build up.

Of course tell us 

Michael

sounds like alignment to me... although there is one hill on my way to work that does similar things. if you ride JUST on the edge of the crown that big trucks make in the asphault you'll get a similar experience.

Also check to see if the tires are properly seated on the wheels.  My first bike 25 years ago was delivered to me with a rear tire that wasn't properly seated and a car driver stopped me to tell me my rear wheel was wobbling.  There is a line around the tire close to the rim that will be equal distance from the rim all the way around if the bead seated properly.

Quote from: manoj on December 11, 2009, 09:56:09 PM
Have the same problem appears out of no where,feels similar like a flat tire......and on freeway couple of days was dragging to one side on a windy day (25mph),coudn't make out whether it was due to wind(at what wind speed can bike gets side swept ).what is the head bearing.
Manoj

The head bearing is the steering bearing; actually two bearing sets, on the steering stem.

prs

Like I wrote in the original post, this slow twisting sensation seems to only happen on certain roads (in different areas) in the hills during a ride. Can't say for sure, but it could be from a few hundred yards to a couple of miles. No twisting before, no twisting afterward, during the SAME RIDE. The first couple of times I got this sensation, I half-thought my middle-ear equilibrium got out of wack from all the tight cornering over an extended period. The last time this twisting happened after I hit a big pothole and I thought I messed up the front end somehow, and but again, it went away as I continued the ride. The next time this happens I'll stop and examine the road carefully. Also, I'll have the mechanic check out the suspensions/wheels/alignment/head bearing, etc. 

Quote from: centuryghost on December 11, 2009, 10:00:42 PM
I have a trick that you can tell if your out of alignment while riding. Wanna hear it?

Go from wet to dry and look at the front/rear tire tracks? Please enlighten us.

On a motorcycle, only the rear wheel needs to be aligned, right?

I could be riding in the hills for hours and not feel that SLOW twisting sensation, but I felt it on certain sections of 3 different roads in different areas. If the bike's out of alignment, would I only feel it on certain sections of roads?

Quote from: ohgood on December 12, 2009, 03:39:47 AM
if you ride JUST on the edge of the crown that big trucks make in the asphault you'll get a similar experience.

I'm not talking about a short section like 10-20 feet where you see those tire track depressions in the asphalt. I'm talking about this twisting sensation lasting several hundred yards, at least, long enough for me to be alarmed about impending mechanical failures. What I really suspect is a gradual and repetitive left-right-left-right camber change on those roads. 

Quote from: gsJack on December 12, 2009, 06:51:17 AM
Also check to see if the tires are properly seated on the wheels.  My first bike 25 years ago was delivered to me with a rear tire that wasn't properly seated and a car driver stopped me to tell me my rear wheel was wobbling.  There is a line around the tire close to the rim that will be equal distance from the rim all the way around if the bead seated properly.

Thanks. The tires appear to be seated properly.

By the way, I've own this '01 since Jan 09 and put just over 5k miles on it. Odometer is at 13,700 now. The tires are stock-size Maxxix Promaxx Street, almost new when I got the bike. These tires always give the bike a wiggle on the freeway when I change lane and cross over seams that run in the same direction of the road.  

Quote from: mister on December 12, 2009, 12:44:16 AM

Quote from: centuryghost on December 11, 2009, 10:00:42 PM
I have a trick that you can tell if your out of alignment while riding. Wanna hear it?

Nah. Keep us in suspense until this thread gets to page two. THEN come and tell us. or... wait until page three and let the suspense really build up.

Of course tell us 

Michael

Now, this is my experience and I am in no way endorsing this kind of tom-foolery...

I ride on a nice (relatively) flat street, with nobody around preferably. Then let go of your handlebars (look ma - no hands!). You will notice one of three things: The bike will pull to the right. The bike will pull to the left. The bike will stay nice and straight.

If it pulls to the right, then your rear tire is tracking left and vice-versa.

This works for me because I know how to ride without my hands on the bars, save the flamage people!