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pancho
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« on: July 14, 2019, 09:42:19 AM » |
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At speeds below twenty or twenty five MPH with hands off the bars, my bike starts a slow oscillation or wobble. Has anyone attempted to fix this or know what causes it? I run balance beads in both tires, but noticed it years ago when the wheels were balanced with weights.
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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Bighead
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« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2019, 10:08:21 AM » |
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Check your rear tire for cupping. Had the same thing a few years back. A new rear tire fixed it.
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1997 Bumble Bee
1999 Interstate (sold)
2016 Wing
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Jess from VA
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« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2019, 10:36:01 AM » |
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This is most often the front tire. But not always.
Have any wheel weights (from balancing) come off?
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Bighead
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« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2019, 11:32:15 AM » |
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This is most often the front tire. But not always.
Have any wheel weights (from balancing) come off?
You would think front tire. I thought the tire guy was crazy but it was the rear. |
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1997 Bumble Bee
1999 Interstate (sold)
2016 Wing
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Jess from VA
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« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2019, 12:15:12 PM » |
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Well, it makes sense that any (significant) tire defect on a two wheel vehicle might cause a wobble.
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pancho
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« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2019, 01:19:50 PM » |
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In my case, it doesn't seem to be a tire thing at all. I believe it has happened since I got the bike, new tires, old tires, MC tires and car tires. It is very slight, and will go away immediately if you put a hand on the bars, but left to it's own it will eventually put the bike down if it is allowed to go on. Slow speed parking lot acrobatics can only be done with a hand on the bars. I've never ridden another Valkyrie to see if it is the same, but my old Harley would drift and creep up to a stop in neutral with no hands and no wobble or oscillation, which makes me believe something is wrong.
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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Barnstormer
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« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2019, 02:11:33 PM » |
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Have owned 3 valk sand never had this problem. Did have a high speed wobble on one that was corrected by replacing steering stem bearings. Good luck. Hope you find the cause.
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pancho
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« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2019, 03:22:44 PM » |
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No high speed problems of any kind here, it will zip right up to over a hundred with complete stability.
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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jdp
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« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2019, 05:46:51 PM » |
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I had a slow speed wobble as I come to a stop and found my fork stem was loose, I replaced the bearings and it went away, most of the time it’s either that or tires
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Bigwolf
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« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2019, 05:54:35 PM » |
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Early this spring, I put a new Cobra on the front and soon after found the handlebars wanting to wobble between 25 and 35 mph. Pulled that tire back off with less than 1500 miles on it. There has been no such wobble with the E4 that replaced it. I run balance beads in both tires. Also, everything seemed fine above 40 mph, but I just couldn’t bring myself to trust it.
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pancho
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« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2019, 10:57:06 AM » |
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We were having a bit of rain yesterday morning, so I removed the fairing, threw a horse blanket on the tank, and removed the bars and top triple clamp to take a look at the head bearing pre-load, still looking to remove the low speed instability. The adjustment nut seemed to have the proper torque, and no looseness or binding anywhere. I went ahead and removed the top bearing, just to take a look and of course the grease was yellowed and thick. I didn't really want to take the time to remove the wheel
fender
brakes
tubes
to get at the lower bearing,, I knew the sun would be back out today and it would be riding weather,, I mean I'm just looking for some obvious problem, not really expecting to find it here. So, I clean up the bearing and seat, re-grease it and assemble the stem and adjusting nut. I run through the procedure of for adjusting steering head on page 13-40, guesstimating the torque since I'm using a large pair of channel locks as I don't have the proper socket, and am surprised at how easily the forks now move compared to before. (no fish scale, just guesstimating the pre-load again). They move so easily, I up the torque on the adjusting nut from the recommended 12 ft lbs.,to around 15 ft pounds (scientific guess with the channel locks) and assemble the bike.
Went riding this morning, and it handles like a new bike, I wasn't aware I really had any low speed issues other than the hands off low speed wobble, but the low speed stability is so greatly improved that it took a bit to get used to it as I had been compensating when coming to stops. Didn't really do anything other than clean and relube the top bearing and maybe a bit of extra pre-load...???
Come winter I will disassemble it all completely and clean and check it all out, but since the bike is a 97, I should have been in there long ago. I took the bike down when I first got it, but didn't go into the head bearings because I didn't have the proper socket,,,, still don't have one and won't get one now.
I may make one someday.. you got it jdp
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« Last Edit: July 23, 2019, 10:59:44 AM by pancho »
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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Bagger John - #3785
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« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2019, 11:51:48 AM » |
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...but didn't go into the head bearings because I didn't have the proper socket,,,, still don't have one and won't get one now.
I may make one someday..
07916-3710100 - OEM for $124 and knockoffs for $40-50 currently on eBay. Given what I can make @ my day job in the time required to fabricate such a tool, it's cheaper for me to buy the thing and be done with it. Same with all the other Honda service tools I've purchased over the years. |
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pancho
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« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2019, 01:00:59 PM » |
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Everyone has their own way to go about it John.
In my case, I've thrown out and given away more special tools than you can shake a stick at as I have gone from Yamahas to Moto Guzzis to Harleys and now Honda flat sixes. Since I don't do a "day job", I have the time and the machine tools to fabricate specialty items when needed,, I actually get a kick out of it.
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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Barnstormer
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« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2019, 01:07:03 PM » |
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Glad it is fixed for now. People don’t understand the importance of proper stem bearings.
Replace the bearings and races this Winter.
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vanagon40
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« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2019, 01:23:07 PM » |
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I've got an "82 SilverWing with the exact same problem. Just can't find the time to replace the stem bearings (at a cost of less than $50 from Amazon). I tried tightening with no success (there was no tension--the forks flopped in either direction). Glad to hear the problem with the bearings. Some day . . . .
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rug_burn
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« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2019, 03:53:49 PM » |
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I've had the same problem on my '97 Valk- except mine oscillates between about 40 to 45 mph with hands off bars. The oscliiation goes away as the speed drops below 40, since you're decelerating with your hand off the throttle.
I always have the guys installing my tires use clip-on or centerline weights, and not the stick on variety which by necessity go on either one side of the rim or the other. I've even had the guy split them up, and put two on one side, and one on the other, but mine still vibrated. They usually assure me it doesn't make any difference, and no: they do not know, obviously.
With my last set of tires, Bridgestones, and clip on weights, my bike's front end just barely oscillates if at all while decelerating thru 45 to 40. It sometimes won't unless you bump it a little to check it, and sometimes it will a little all on its own.
In engineering terms, this is a characteristic of a lightly damped system. Notice the vibrations or oscillations go away all on their own with speed changes, and don't go out of control.
I think any small amount of damping one could add would probably fix the problem.
One solution you could try would be to add a spacer tube (if it doesn't already have one) up in the steering head between the bearings, ideally this could be something like PVC tubing. Make it just a little shorter that the length between the bearings, and somehow fix it to the outer bearing race or bike frame so that it won't rotate. It would want to be a pretty close fit to the bolt shaft, say .005 to .010" clearance over the bolt's OD. (You have to have a lathe to do this)
Then add some sticky viscous grease between the PVC tube and the shaft, reassemble, and go. The grease would add add damping proportional to the rate of rotation of the steering head, and kill the oscillation.
That'd be a first step in solving the problem... but me? - I'm lazy enough where I just live with it.
I remember reading that the later model Valks used bigger, more stout front bearings than the 97s. Maybe the bearing issue solves this oscillation problem, too.
Anybody else know about that?
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...insert hip saying here..
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Bighead
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« Reply #16 on: July 23, 2019, 04:03:42 PM » |
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I will bet your problem returns.
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1997 Bumble Bee
1999 Interstate (sold)
2016 Wing
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old2soon
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« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2019, 04:52:46 PM » |
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When something similar happened with my I/S found the shock bushings were toasted. RIDE SAFE.
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Logged
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Today is the tommorow you worried about yesterday. If at first you don't succeed screw it-save it for nite check. 1964 1968 U S Navy. Two cruises off Nam.
VRCCDS0240 2012 GL1800 Gold Wing Motor Trike conversion
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Bighead
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« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2019, 07:56:14 PM » |
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Look at the easy things first.
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Logged
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1997 Bumble Bee
1999 Interstate (sold)
2016 Wing
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pancho
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« Reply #19 on: July 24, 2019, 04:29:42 AM » |
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I think you might be missing it fellas,,, the hands off low speed wobble I had is gone and I have greatly improved low speed stability. This was accomplished by cleaning and greasing a stuck up top bearing and seat, and upping the pre-load on the bearings by adding a bit of extra torque on the adjustment nut.
When winter comes, I will disassemble it, inspect clean and relube the lower bearing and seat, I don't expect to find any problems.
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The most expensive things you will purchase, are those things you would not have needed if you had listened and obeyed.
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