What makes my front end wobble?

[Anonymous]

when i let go of the bars i have a little side to side wobble would it be the fork seals leaking making it do this?

[earlfor]

Re: What makes my front end wobble?

Usually, its just an excess beer gut. :-) :-)

Earl

when i let go of the bars i have a little side to side wobble would it be the fork seals leaking making it do this?

[earlfor]

Re: What makes my front end wobble?

The steering stem nut may not be tight enough, or the tires could be out of balance.

Earl

when i let go of the bars i have a little side to side wobble would it be the fork seals leaking making it do this?

[Anonymous]

does the bike vibrate?? does it happen at some speeds and not others???


Does it happen when you are not moving Like mine does.

[Katana]

If the wobble is more of a "sway" from side to side I'd say it is worn head stem bearings.
If it is a definite shuddering it could be:
tyre out of balance
overly worn tyre
front end twisted / loose triple clamps ?

cheers Katana

[saaz]

That sort of sway could be due to steering bearings (too tight, need greasing and adjustment, worn a bit etc), front wheel worn/type of tyre/tyre pressures), wheel alighnment is out between fron at and back) are the most obvious.

[Gary Lich]

I am not sure if the leaky fork seals also contributed but here is my story: I had a severe wobble when I let go of the bars...I had the front tire balanced, tightened the head bearing and the wobble went away. However the wobble started to come back after about 3K miles although not as severe as before. I put a new front tire on (even though the old one still looked ok)and I also replaced the fork seals (one had been slightly weeping). Now she rides smooth a silk with no wobble when I let go of the bars at any speed.

[kz]

I experienced on GS1150 1984, that it wobbled if I let go of one bar in approx. 40 - 60 km/h.

I could let go of the left bar in 90 km/h, no problem, as I reduced the speed driving with one hand, the bike started to wobble at approx. 60 km/h.

The problem was solved after I adjusted the suspension and settings and the damping force.

If I adjust it back, the bike starts to wobble again.

Don't know if this is common, or just a specific problem on my bike, but it is easy to change the adjustments and try.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the info ill take a look at those areas

but earl i already tryed to fill the gut with more beer and the wobble seem to get worse so i think that the carb belts just need to be adjusted

[earlfor]

You might consider trying light beer. :-) On my 750, I suspected the fork tubes had different amounts of oil in them, so draining and replacing the fork oil with the same amount in each tube may help.

Earl

but earl i already tryed to fill the gut with more beer and the wobble seem to get worse so i think that the carb belts just need to be adjusted

[robinjo]

My '79 GS750 would get a terrible wobble if you let go of the bars at around 50 mph, the one before that, a '78 GS750 didn't do that at all.
Bike number 2 had a Heidenauer front tire, some East-European crap while the first one had Metzeler Macadam tires so I would suspect a tire not matched to the bikes handling.

[Anonymous]

Different things

I had a wobble when letting go of the bars while slowing down on my 1979GS550. I tightened steering head and it went away.
I had a similar situation on my 1982 GS850. It also "scalloped" when in turns at high speeds. Like it would sort of go swoop swoop swoop around the curve. Although the front tire looked just fine, Metzler, when I had a new rear installed I had the same type installed in the front. The installation technician noticed that the fork pressure on one side was alot lower than the other. After I got the bike back she tracks very smooth. Don't know if it was the tire or the fork pressure.
Don't forget to check the fork pressure.
Mike N.

[Anonymous]

Fork oil levels and air pressures need to be almost even if not perfect or you will notice an affect on handling.

[Anonymous]

Fork oil levels and air pressures need to be almost even if not perfect or you will notice an affect on handling.

[Don Lobacz]

Front end problems often originate in the rear of the bike with bent rims, unbalanced tires, worn tires, worn shocks and loose swingarms.