FRONT END NOISE WHILE CORNERING AT SPEED

[BIG LEE]

When I roll into a relatively tight curve at 70 MPH I hear a wa-wa-wa type of sound coming from the front end. It is proportional to speed. I am wondering if it's a front wheel bearing. And how to check it out

[Gryphon Rider]

The way to check bearings is to remove the front wheel and turn the bearings with your fingers.  They should be smooth with some resistance and no roughness.  I think the culprit is most likely a tire.  Which tires do you have, and for how long; what pressure do you run them at; is there any cupping of the tread?

[Red Diamond]

Front tire.

[Tfrank59]

Yeah, my first guess would be tire – there is a write up in shop talk about the noise in cornering with tires.  How warn is your front tire?  If it's getting pretty bald in the center, then when you're in a corner its howling is more pronounced.  And that was my experience before I changed my rear tire, which was pretty warn.  On the other hand, if the tire wear looks fine, you should probably get the wheel off of the bike and check those bearings.  Can't be too careful when it comes to tires, wheels and bearings.

[BIG LEE]

I am running Dunlop Elite 3's.  They have about 8K miles on them and still have a reasonable amount of tread.  Unusual for my bike - I only got about 8K total on previous brands of tires.

I don't see any cupping.  Think I will pull the front wheel and check the bearings just for peace of mind.  Would not enjoy a bearing failure very much at  70+ MPH !!

[Tailgate Tommy]

The last 2 sets of E3s that I've had on my 2003 std make a "bad bearing" noise when cornering. The new Avon does not. Just sayin'

[biguglyman]

Same experience with my E-3's. They wear like iron but are noisy on those big, sweeping, expressway turns.