Rear vibration in turns!!????

[Kylenav]

Getting ready for the big trip and I've done every major/minor maintenance item I can think of. Got it all back together and now at any speed, any gear when I lean I'm getting a noticeable vibration from the rear end.

Before really noticing this I did the splines and driveshaft maint.  Changed out the rear shocks.  Changed the final drive fluid... Any ideas? Wheel bearings were checked as best as possible, the ol finger insert and turn to feel for play and they felt good. Dampners looked good. Only thing I can possibly think of is on my rear wheel it looks like there was some weight for balancing and now it's just tape. Looks fairly recent I think. Could an out of balance wheel only vibrate in a lean and not straight and level?

Any help is appreciated!

[Pete]

Out of balance usually shows based on speed not lean.

Does it do it on left and right turns both? Then check tire for wear pattern not in the center.

I am assuming that you did a proper assembly and torqued everything???

[Brian]

So you noticed nothing prior to the maintenance work? Did you loosen the 4 nuts that hold the pumpkin to the swing arm? This helps spline alignment during the reassembly. The nuts need to be torqued back down after the shaft is tightened. Maybe a loose rear end or cupped tires and out of balance. Just my two cents. I have never had this issue. It will be interesting to see how the members answer you and to hear back from you once you figure it out.

[Kylenav]

It's slightly worse in a right hand lean. I'm newish to the bike and did the entire rear end with 5 other valk guys, all of which are very good wrench's. That's the only reason I'm not certain they are linked.  It may have been there slightly before, never anything worth mentioning though...

Only other thing that will hopefully help is that when in a lean if I drag the rear brake it gets worse. Hopefully that will point someone right to the problem!!! Lol

The pumpkin was done as you said, loose until the wheel was tight then the pumpkin bolts were torqued down. I did swap my rear shocks with a slighty used set but the bushings are not worn at all.

It sure is sounding like I'll be pulling the rear end apart again but I haven't a clue what I should look for that I didn't last weekend.

[Jabba]

Sounds like a tire to me... but who knows?

Good luck man.

Jabba

[Westsider]

Sounds like a tire to me... but who knows?

Good luck man.

Jabba

+1. How bigs your tire wear patch? they can get noisey quick,.

[Kylenav]

Tire is an avon cobra and it's got a lot of tread left on it.  I was thinking the same but it doesn't really change when I lean it further.  Wouldn't it be less noisy the further I leaned if it was a tire wear issue?  I'm not sure so I'm not being a smart a**.

[Westsider]

Seems like when i get about 6-7-8 k miles on the rear,i get about a 1-1/2  to 2 inch flat wear down the center of the tire, with plenty of tread left also. I keep the pressure checked but still appears, must be the size of the bike, When that shows up- it starts getting really noisey in the coners at low speed, dont think it hurts a thing but its anoying. I'm on the fence again about going back to a ct, am not crazy about the handling, but man these monsters will eat some rubber!!


How many miles is on the tire/and how big of a trip ya planning?? Is ther a wear (chicken)strip on it?

[Kylenav]

Tire only has 3K miles on it tops. Chicken strips are what I'd like to think are as small as possible... I'm planning a 5K plus mile trip in a couple weeks.

I think I'll be pulling the rear tire again and replacing the bearings. They're relatively cheap and that seems to make the most sense. I don't think it's a tire issue but if I change the bearings and it's still there then that's the next pricey step in the puzzle.

I'm relieved nobody said U-Joint or splines as those are not easily obtainable!

I'll be doing this soon so I'll let ya know the outcome. Any other opinions are appreciated and thanks for offering your advice.

[Vinylguy]

I just returned from a 3200 mile trip to the Rockies on my 99 standard.
Towing an escapade trailer loaded and two up. Had brand new avon cobras
with 1000 miles on them. Also had new gears due to worn and dry splines
detected while changing tires. No vibration before or after this shop repair.
picked up a 1/4inch bolt through the new rear avon in Denver and luckily was 2 blocks from a large Kawasaki Dealer who had a Dunlop d251 in stock. The service tech on duty (Saturday) was
very young and had never changed a Valkyrie rear tire but called a Honda dealer
in Denver for the proper procedure and an hour later they brought the bike back out for test ride.
Said they guaranteed all their work and $285 later we were back in business.
 I have to say I do not miss the Avon. dunlop has a much more secure feel and really
feels good powering through tight corners. HOWEVER! we rode through Estes Park over trail ridge road in a light steady rain and I started feeling that vibration when leaning in turns both right and left. weird how it seemed much more prevalent when raining than when warm and dry.
 After the next 1000 miles on the dunlop the vibration seems all but gone. ????

[Valkpilot]

Tire only has 3K miles on it tops. Chicken strips are what I'd like to think are as small as possible... I'm planning a 5K plus mile trip in a couple weeks.

I think I'll be pulling the rear tire again and replacing the bearings. They're relatively cheap and that seems to make the most sense. I don't think it's a tire issue but if I change the bearings and it's still there then that's the next pricey step in the puzzle.

I'm relieved nobody said U-Joint or splines as those are not easily obtainable!

I'll be doing this soon so I'll let ya know the outcome. Any other opinions are appreciated and thanks for offering your advice.

Nobody has focused on u-joint or pinion joint because you said this was specific to turns.  I'd check them anyway if you're going to take down the rear again, unless that's what you mean when you say you did driveshaft maintenance.

When you have the rear apart again, check the bearings by also applying side load.  In other words, push in or pull out as you turn them.  This is the only way I could detect my bearings were bad when I was having a similar experience with vibrations in turns.

[Vinylguy]

I have an appointment the first of Sept to service the rear splines
so we can see what she looks like after 4000 miles instead of 8 or 10 k. will
have new bearings installed at that time. I think Valkpilot is right.
Any vibration felt is not good. It's a sure sign of excessive wear
and improper alignment somewhere.

[Valkpilot]

I have an appointment the first of Sept to service the rear splines
so we can see what she looks like after 4000 miles instead of 8 or 10 k. will
have new bearings installed at that time. I think Valkpilot is right.
Any vibration felt is not good. It's a sure sign of excessive wear
and improper alignment somewhere.

Make sure the rear spline service includes the pinion cup and drive shaft, not just the drive and driven splines in the hub.  The pinion is often neglected by DIYer and dealer alike.

[Ricky-D]

I guess while all the work was being done on your bike, you were there and watched very intently.

Have you jacked the bike up so the rear is off the ground and looked at it?

I would suggest to do that and see if you can feel any side to side play in the wheel.

It's worrisome that when you apply the brakes it gets worse.

Were the wheel bearings removed from the wheel when the work was done?

Have you checked to insure the axle is good and tight?

My feelings are that a spacer may have been left out or the axle is loose.

***

[Dave Weaver]

My bet is on the rear wheel bearings...mine had a slight vibration when cornering and I swapped out bearings, no more vibration.

[RTaz]

 I would guess left rear wheel bearing. 

[michaelyoung254]

Tire is an avon cobra and it's got a lot of tread left on it.  I was thinking the same but it doesn't really change when I lean it further.  Wouldn't it be less noisy the further I leaned if it was a tire wear issue?  I'm not sure so I'm not being a smart a**.

Shortly after getting my bike, I replaced both tires with Avon Cobra's, and after putting these tires on, I noticed an odd sound and vibration similar to what you have described. It was a slight vibration, and I felt it more in the seat than the handlebars so I'm assuming that it was more associated with the rear tire. It kind of sounded like when you run over those groves on the shoulder of the road to wake you up, but was nowhere near as loud. I replaced all of the bearings, and brakes on both front and rear, and also lubed the splines while I had the wheels off. It didn't take all that long for the noise to go away, and now with about 2000 miles on the tires, it's no longer there. Is it possible that this is something associated with Avon Cobra's?

[PhredValk]

Check the tire for a flat area in the middle. We tend to ride in strait lines, and the tires wear in the middle a bit. My front D404 bias (I have a car tire on the back, so it's all square) tends to 'sing' in turns and curves, so I just ignore it.
Remove the offending wheel and check the smoothness of the bearings with your thumb. If they feel solid and no grinding or feel like there's sand in them, I wouldn't worry about it.
Fred.

[Kylenav]

Verdict is in!

Pulled the rear tire again first and checked the bearings.  With ANY side load on the right side bearing, bigger bearing closest to the drive shaft, would "lock up".  It would turn again if you backed spun it back and forth but it's definitely the reason.  We went ahead and pulled the pumpkin, checked the driveshaft, the U-Joint, and everything in-between, again and it was all good to go.  Nobody had the bearings so I borrowed my buddy's rear wheel and CT.

Avon still has a ton of tread left and looks good, but after that wears out I'll be going dark side.  I enjoy the ride, and his has 25K + miles and looks new.  Plus it was $100 cheaper than my avon.  Just a side note.

Thank you very much to all the good information and pointers.  Really appreciate it!

[Jabba]

Very nice!

I am glad when a fellow Valker finds a troublesome problem and it's a cheap fix.

 

Jabba

[Brian]

Now that's a good friend to give up a rear wheel with good tread. 

I believe the bearings are standard and any bearing supply house in your area should have them on the shelve. Go back thru some of the previous threads here where the members give websites that have super fast delivery and good prices. I am glad to hear you found the noise before it stranded you out on the road.