Hard tires

[wiseguy]

Hello everyone, I am new here. I purchased my 98 a few months ago. It has Dunlop E3 radials that had only 500 miles when I got her. I have played with the tire pressure a bit, still not happy with the ride. It seems there is no give at all. Any suggestions from you experienced owners?

[JC]

~42-45psi front and rear for best mileage, lower pressures will eat the tire. Part of your problem may be more suspension related, so check your shock bushings. 

[wiseguy]

Thank you JC,
 I have checked them as you suggested, no play in the bushings. It is just such a hard ride, I wonder if I could remove some oil from the forks. What do you think?

[R J]

What are the rear shock settings?

You might try lowering the # on them and see what happens.

2nd thing to  try.

Bike rolling very slow - STRAIGHT AHEAD - grab a big handful of front brake.  If there isn't much dive in the forks, I'd check to see if they are BENT.

Also call the Previous owner and ask if they had made any modifications to the front springs.   Like changing out to Progressive.....

Normally these old girls have a very nice ride.......

[wiseguy]

Thanks RJ,
 I have tried all of the different settings on the rear shocks. I have them set at #1 right now. There is travel in the forks The tires just seem to hard. I will contact the old owner, he did have the fork seals replaced. Another thing is, I hear the front caliper rattle whenever I hit even the slightest bump.
I am running 36 psi. in the front and 40 psi. in the rear.

[BF]

Elite's should be about 42 front and 45 rear.  Lower pressure WILL result in a very short rear tire life. 

[wiseguy]

Thanks BF, I will increase tire pressure as you suggest,

[Willow]

Elite's should be about 42 front and 45 rear.  Lower pressure WILL result in a very short rear tire life. 

That said, the E3's do have very stiff sidewalls.  They won't give you a cushion soft ride.

[Jess from VA]

Elite's should be about 42 front and 45 rear.  Lower pressure WILL result in a very short rear tire life. 

That said, the E3's do have very stiff sidewalls.  They won't give you a cushion soft ride.

Ditto that.  The E3s don't last longer than any other valk-specific tire for no reason.  They have the hardest compound extant.  You would probably like Avons, Metzlers, or Bridgestones better.  They will not last as long as the E3s.  I love Metz, for stick and ride, but they last the shortest.  6400 from my last front was the worst ever (42-45 constant). 

[PAVALKER]

All good suggestions..... and especially the tire pressure ones.  For proper wear and handling keep em no lower than 40psi at minimum.  Shock bushings might not appear bad by movement, but if you pull off a shock you will see the wear marks (or worn out marks).  Stock black rubber shock bushings wear out quickly and are easily identified as worn by an "off center" looking shock eye bolt, but sometimes do not give that indication.  Best replacement bet is new Poly Shock Bushings from a VTX 1800F, part number 52489-HN0-671 (order four and replace all bushings).    Since you indicated the fork seals were replaced, it could very well be that the forks may have been overfilled to some degree, so you may want to check the fluid levels and possibly reduce it if need be.   Those E3s are a very stiff sidewall and tire overall, so that could be the problem as well.  I had a set of those that never felt right the entire time I had them on, no matter what I did.   Good luck and let us know what you finally determine to be the culprit.

[Hoser]

JMHO, but I run 37 psi on my Dunlop bias tires for a softer ride and get 20K per set.  Thing is I weigh 160 lbs and ride solo, so it probly would not work for most.  Probly explains my 35 to 40 mpg.  Hoser 

[PAVALKER]

JMHO, but I run 37 psi on my Dunlop bias tires for a softer ride and get 20K per set.  Thing is I weigh 160 lbs and ride solo, so it probly would not work for most.  Probly explains my 35 to 40 mpg.  Hoser 

Hmmm... so what your saying is "go on a diet" and you will ultimately get a better ride, better gas mileage and longer tire wear?  I don't think we can argue with that....   

[wiseguy]

Thanks for all the input,
 I too weigh 160 lbs. Maybe I need to eat more. I guess I will have to live with the ride for now. Again, thank you for your time and input!

[Mr Steve]

make sure they are not real old, I had a set of dunlops start squealing in the corners because they aged before I wore them out (rare) and as a result hardened.

[PhredValk]

If you want a softer ride, look somewhere other than tires. Tires will always be hard as hockey pucks; it's their job to provide traction, not softness.

Softer ride comes from shocks and forks. Find out what fork oil grade is in the front, try a lower shock setting for the rear, or change out fork springs and rear shocks.

Tires stick you to the road, it's not like a car where they can affect the ride, unless you want to trade a cushy ride for tire life.
Fred.

[Hoser]

If you are a light weight and ride solo as I do, drop the pressure five pounds, 35 psi is still safe to ride.  Can't hurt to try.  Hoser

[9Ball]

Thanks RJ,
 I have tried all of the different settings on the rear shocks. I have them set at #1 right now. There is travel in the forks The tires just seem to hard. I will contact the old owner, he did have the fork seals replaced. Another thing is, I hear the front caliper rattle whenever I hit even the slightest bump.
I am running 36 psi. in the front and 40 psi. in the rear.

the caliper noise is normal......nothing to worry about there.

[wiseguy]

okay, Thanks guys!

[lucky_1_chris]

Thanks RJ,
 I have tried all of the different settings on the rear shocks. I have them set at #1 right now. There is travel in the forks The tires just seem to hard. I will contact the old owner, he did have the fork seals replaced. Another thing is, I hear the front caliper rattle whenever I hit even the slightest bump.
I am running 36 psi. in the front and 40 psi. in the rear.

I hear ya on the caliper rattle. It's driving me insane.

[lucky_1_chris]

Thanks RJ,
 I have tried all of the different settings on the rear shocks. I have them set at #1 right now. There is travel in the forks The tires just seem to hard. I will contact the old owner, he did have the fork seals replaced. Another thing is, I hear the front caliper rattle whenever I hit even the slightest bump.
I am running 36 psi. in the front and 40 psi. in the rear.

the caliper noise is normal......nothing to worry about there.

Hmm.... Is it really normal?? If I run over a piece a pea gravel I get a clunk from the calipers. I've had my front wheel off 3 times, and each time the rattling goes away for about 50 miles after reinstalling... I've talked to other guys who say they have no caliper rattle. I'm not gonna be happy if I can't fix it... The slightest little bit of pressure on the front brake lever and the rattle disappears...

[The Anvil]

I have no caliper rattle.

[Steve K (IA)]

What do you have for rear shocks?  They could be the problem.  When I got my '97 several years ago, it seemed like the front end was the culprit of the rough ride.  I changed out the shocks...they were the originals, and everything has been fine ever since.

From re-reading the posts, I'll bet a dollar your rear shocks are Shot!

[wiseguy]

The rear shocks seem fine, good travel and all. How can I find out if they are bad?

[Ricky-D]

I think that there should be no caliper noise such as a rattle.  Sure the calipers are a floating system but rattles???? C'mon, that indicates something is wrong.

More that likely if you think the caliper is rattling the actual cause of the noise is one of the pads banging against the rotor when it is in the rest position.  There are stainless steel clip/pad that need replacing which are designed to prevent that particular problem.

The particular part is:    SPRING, PAD  45108-ML7-922

***

[sugerbear]

i was gonna say come on ever and we'll look at it, but,, your 2 timezones away. sorry

[wiseguy]

I'll get it figured out, I really think it is the tires.