Steering pull

[Mike M in ohio]

I took a chance and bought a 98 standard from my brother’s neighbor , who had passed on. It had 60K on the clock and had been setting for over a year and I settled with the family for $2700. The bike cleaned up beautifully, I added fresh gas and oils. (Along with a dose of Techron). She fired up after some resistance, (cranked real strong) Then, I held my breath and took her for a test run. She shifted smooth, the engine felt real strong and overall, things seemed promising. The one big problem:
    On all slow turns, right or left, the steering feels heavy and it feels like something is trying to pull the front wheel further into the turn than I want. The front tire will need changing in a 1000 miles or so, but it’s evenly worn and I set the pressure to where it should be. (Both tires had only 15-20 lbs) Any ideas as to the cause of this poor steering in a turn? Thanks, in advance. Mike

[Chrisj CMA]

What pressure?

[sandy]

Where it should be depends on who you ask. Nobody uses Honda recommendations. What brand of tire: how old on the date code. Also, check your shock bushings. Most folks run approve 40 psi.

[hubcapsc]

Hi Mike...

I run less than most here... the 15lbs would be getting to the point
that your steering would be heavy. I shoot for 32 when I set my pressure
on the front.

This is very interesting (to me)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_j5bd5uIWY

-Mike

[Mike M in ohio]

The bikes running Dunlop’s. As said, they were low. Front had 12 lbs, rear about 20. I filled them to 40 rear and 32 front. But the heavy effort , pulling inward turns stayed the same. (Only slow speed turns into corners, not at high speed maneuvering. I’m wondering if a steering head bushing could be worn Or something loose in the steering head? Thanks for past and future ideas. Mike

[Willow]

Was it sitting on the side stand for that long?  Change the tires and see if the issue remains.

[Chrisj CMA]

I would increase the front to at least 38 or so. I use 40 front 42 rear

[Cracker Jack]

The nature of the beast. Because of the steering geometry and weight distribution, at walking speed, the handling transitions from slight understeer to severe oversteer. This means that at speed, the bike requires a little handlebar pressure to hold it in a turn. How much varies with air pressure and the brand/condition of the tires. Release the pressure and the bike tends to stand up and go straight. A car tire with a flat profile requires more pressure to hold it in a turn than a motorcycle tire or a car tire with a rounded profile. 

When you get to near walking speed, the understeer transitions to oversteer and you have to apply pressure to keep the bars from turning too much. I believe you will feel the oversteer regardless of the condition of the tires or the amount of pressure.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the nature of the beast.

[Jess from VA]

A lot of guys found that adding taller risers helped with slow speed maneuvers and smoother straight stops (and sore shoulders on long rides).  Do you have OE or other risers?

The riser clamps can be loosened and the bars tilted up a bit (pad the tank, or dent it). 

But mostly you probably just need more practice (and 40psi in both tires). 

[..]

Get the bike off the floor on a jack.

Now push the steering gently to the left or right.

It should move smoothly.

If if suddenly flops then the head may need tightening.

That's the extent of my help.

Front tire 40psi

[Jims99]

My bike (tourer) handled great at all speeds. The tires are getting to the end of their life’s. Looks like I could get another 1k miles or so out of them, but do notice a big difference in the handling. I would suggest new tires. Enjoy the new ride.

[9Ball]

As mentioned, the steering stem needs to be torqued to spec...too loose and the forks flop and the bike tends to wander on straightaways, too tight and the handlebars need too much force to move them.

If you don’t have the Honda service manual then I recommend either buying one or using the online manual that you can find on this forum.  The manual gives you precise method to adjust the torque and it is wise to follow the instructions exactly.  This is a recommended maintenance on the service schedule in the manual...most don’t do it every 8k as suggested, but rather as needed.

Update: 4/16/2020

Per the Honda service manual, the pre-load on the steering stem bearing is an “I”, inspect every 8k miles.  This is most likely legal overkill as the only time it really should be necessary To adjust the steering stem bearings is if you are having steering issues or you have a bike that has an un-documented service history and/or evidence of front end damage.

The manual has a method to check pre-load, and if the pre-load falls out-of-spec then there is a section describing the adjustment procedure.

This was only suggested as a thing you might want to check in diagnosing what you describe is an issue.  There are a number of other things to diagnose that may lead to an improvement.  It could be however that riding experience with the Valkyrie will be all that is needed to feel comfortable in the unique handling.

Good luck...keep this thread updated with your actions taken.

[sixlow]

All good suggestions, also check the rear shocks (shock bushings already mentioned) to see if they are at the same setting. Increase them to at least the 3rd notch for most people to ride comfortably.

[rug_burn]

I noticed the same thing when I first got my Valk, too.     I haven't noticed it in a long time now;  it's one of those things you just get used to.   It seems to me it's because of the greater amount of angle to which the forks are kicked out.

[WintrSol]

All good suggestions, also check the rear shocks (shock bushings already mentioned) to see if they are at the same setting. Increase them to at least the 3rd notch for most people to ride comfortably.

I was thinking about posting this, too, but couldn't recommend what setting. I have the Goldwing air shock system on mine, and if the pressure is too low, it increases the rake and trail to the point I get that same flop sensation. This would correspond to a low pre-load on the springs, which may have the same effect: tilting the bike back a bit.

[RonW]

I like to know how to go about adjusting the steering stem bearings. After a certain mileage, I believe it's suppose to be done anyway. Not that it's necessary. I'm almost a month in shelter in place as we speak.

If memory serves, there was some debate on how much the steering bearings should be overtorqued before the final torque.

[WintrSol]

According to the service manual, it should be torqued to 30 lb-ft, the steering head turned left and right, then re-torqued to 12 lb-ft for the C and CT, or 9 for the CF. Then, after the lock nut is torqued down (76 or 74), you are to use a pull scale to measure the pre-load - the amount of pull it takes to rotate the head - at 1.8-2.6 lb C/CT or 1.1-2.2 lb IS.

[Ricky-D]

If the steering head has never been touched, there is no reason to mess with it if there is no problem.

There is no recommendation to do anything like tightening it unless your have a real problem.

All processes were finalized at the factory during production and the steering stem needs no further adjustment, ever.

The only problem that can occur with the steering stem is the bearings becoming indexed. This is an extremely rare occurrence.

You increase the probability of handling issues when you tighten the steering stem bearings.

Listening to all the scare words and hype regarding the steering stem is foolish and dangerous.

Finally, there is no such thing as pull on a two wheel conveyance. It's called out of balance and is a rider problem.

[h13man]

I'd start with new tires and aftermarket neoprene shock bushings. Do bearings check when doing tire change.

[rug_burn]

  Knowing where to lean is the key to a lot of dynamic type sports like skiing, surfing, motorcycle riding, hang gliding, skateboarding, and more, I'm sure.    Once you know that, it becomes intuitive.     
  I find that on a Valk, in a slow turn, you don't want to lean very much at all, but it's a fine line, you have to lean a little.   
  Now on high speed turns, canyon carving, etc, you want to lean forward and into the turn, more than the bike, and leading the turn by about 1 second.  Generally, I lean about to where I'm over the inside handlebar.   And then you can keep that speed up.  But don't drag your footpeg.

[dpcarson]

She is just a big heavy bike with a lot of weight forward.  When I move from the Valk to the Wing, it is almost like re-learning to ride they handle so different.  Getting on the wing is like moving from a big heavy cruiser to a sport bike when you get use to that Valk weight.  If you have been riding lighter bikes and not spent time on a Valk, I can easily see how you would feel like something is wrong.  Not saying that nothing is wrong, but she handles different from anything else I have ridden.

[WintrSol]

Not only is the Valk heavier, it has a lot more rake and trail, which makes turn in harder.

[6adan]

  I am glad this came up, I have been riding a 95 Gl1500 for years and when I got the Valkyrie I found it seemed heavy in the front so glad to know this is normal.

[..]

  Knowing where to lean is the key to a lot of dynamic type sports like skiing, surfing, motorcycle riding, hang gliding, skateboarding, and more, I'm sure.    Once you know that, it becomes intuitive.     
  I find that on a Valk, in a slow turn, you don't want to lean very much at all, but it's a fine line, you have to lean a little.   
  Now on high speed turns, canyon carving, etc, you want to lean forward and into the turn, more than the bike, and leading the turn by about 1 second.  Generally, I lean about to where I'm over the inside handlebar.   And then you can keep that speed up.  But don't drag your footpeg.

The footpeg will fold up when dragged.

Good for putt buckering.

One can also roll weight off a butt cheek and lean the upper body slightly into the curve. this enables the rider to keep the bike slightly more upright.

Try it on a loooooong sweeping curve to feel the difference in the bikes position.

[rug_burn]

  One thing I have noticed about the greater head angle and trail is that the bike is actually pretty good off road, in spite of weighing over 1000 lbs with fuel, cargo and rider.   
  I've had some street bikes where the front wheel would dig in and dump you if you weren't very careful on any kind of soft surface...  but not the trusty Valk. 

[Mike M in ohio]

Thanks all, for all the tips. I did increase the front pressure From 32 to 38, which seemed to make a difference. I am also going to mount that new tire next week. And, as suggested, I may just have to get used to the feel of the phat lady again, as I’ve been lacking a Valk in the garage for three years. Thanks again, Mike