Front wheel side to side woble

[Sean]

1982 gs850g
45000 mile
no recent work performed


At 30-40 mph i get a side to side wobble in the hadlebars.

i have purposely let up on my grip to see what will happen and the movement gets worse if i don't grab hold again.

I have also noticed the movement decreases dramatically on a fresh paved road.

which of the following would be a good starting point.
new tires (the current dont look bad, but they are 2-3 years old)

front wheel bearings (I have noticed that one of the bearing is leaking grease).

I have been told that warped rotors can cause this due to the rotor grabbing the brake pad and pullinng the bike one way or the other.

[argonsagas]

First check the wheel bearings, then stem/head bearings.

[KGB]

Or check/have the tire re-balanced.

Any weeping in the forks seals?
This can cause a wobble

[Sean]

Front wheel side to side woble

The front forks are very spongy.

The fork seals are not lealing, but i'm sure that they need to be recharged due to the amount of time the bike had been sitting.

[83'GK]

Change and refresh the fork oil. Do the tires have odd wear pattern? Have to look very close and feel tire. Check steering stem with wheel off the ground, see if you can move forks back and forth. If your wheel bearing is loosing grease, you might as well replace that too. Both of them.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Wobble is commonly caused by loose steering head bearings.
Grease and re-torque to correct torque and test.

[Sean]

Front wheel side to side woble

I have done the front wheel off the ground check and there is no movement.

[RacingJake]

I'd still try tighting them up alittle more and see if there's a differance.

[michel]

I had that problem with my bike. Changing the steering bearings solved the problem.

Before that I changes the oil in the forks and I also changed the wheels.

the most probable cause is the steering bearing I think.

[Buffalo Breath]

wobble

check your tire pressure, also check the rear drive on some shaftys the rear can cause the bike to wobble and it feels like the front but its not ie swingarm bearings, axle torque, rear shock leaks,

[duaneage]

I am really surprised to see we have a 1100 owner as far away as Beruit Lebanon. Welcome aboard!

[Cajun Cycler]

Re: Front wheel side to side wobble

The front forks are very spongy.

The fork seals are not leaking, but I'm sure that they need to be recharged due to the amount of time the bike had been sitting.

If they are spongy you are out of fork oil. Drain the oil and replace with fresh oil to the specs provided in the manual, usually about 30cc per side. Put the bike up center stand, have someone sit on it to lift the wheel of the ground and spin the tire while you are down there. Check for a side to side wobble of the tire and the wheel. If the wheel is having no motion but the tire does then the tire is bad replace it. If the wheel wobbles could be a bent wheel or the bearings are going. Also Keith is on to something too check the steering head bearings for play. You should not be able to get any movement at the yoke if you pull front wheel back and forth while the front end is off the ground. If there is any popping when when you turn the wheel back and forth while the bike is sitting on the ground too the bearings are definitely bad.

[Brando]

Wobble cure

type in "tank slapper" on Google and the answer coming from experts is the need for a steering dampner. I won't go into the physics but it has to do with harmonics the the wheel being lifted off the ground for a fraction of a second and going out of "balance" causing a vibration called a "tank slapper" or violent side to side movement. A steering dampner cures this. I'm currently looking for one for my 83 GS1100E as I have the problem during speeds over 100mph.

[BadBillyB]

Just found this video showing some very good footage of front end wobble and what it can do to you.....Its near the end of this awesome video

http://media.putfile.com/Long-clip-of-the-worst-crashes

[Brando]

You want to see a classic TANK SLAPPER VIDEO???

Liked the video...at least the part I could see. My Mac locked up half way through it. Have to use the PC at work to see the whole thing.
Anyway,,,here's a good tank slapper video.
Click on this website

http://www.joe250.com/motorcycles/ride/tankslapper.htm

Then click on the video. It's short but it really shows what a tank slapper looks like...at least like the one I get every time I hit over 100mph on a straight road. If I don't fix it soon I'm going to end up like the dude in the video. The good news is I've had so many of them I kind of know how to deal with them now (like DON'T hit the brakes just slow down SLOWLY and don't fight the bars).