GS850 Front end wobble

[mafd2]

Recently bought 850G with under 6,000 miles. The front end wobbles when coasting on deceleration and especially when I take my hands off the bars. The tires are new and I see weights on the wheels so I assume the previous owner had them balanced. I read where this could be from tire balancing, tire cupping, wheel bearings, head bearings or rear wheel not aligned (it's shaft drive so I'll eleminate that). I also learned from msgroup forums someone changed a front tire (still wobbled), head bearings (still wobbled), then the front wheel thought it was ought of round and it still wobbled. Come to find out the rear wheel was out of balance causing the front to shake . Who would've thought?

Hard to believe the stem bearings are worn at only 6000 miles but possible? The forks are straight and doesn't look like it has been wrecked. Anyone ever had this problem or any suggestions on where to start? [-o< Thanks in advance!

[Steve]

OK, the first thing to do is NOT take your hands off the bars. :shock:

Your comment about the rear wheel not being aligned is not quite correct. Although it can not be moved like a chain-drive axle, it can be mis-aligned if the swing arm bearings are shot.

I recently saw a nice procedure to help find the looseness that is causing your problem. With the bike on the centerstand, jack up the front so the wheel is off the ground. Grab both sides of the front axle and try to move the axle fore and aft. This tests the head bearings. From either side, grab top and bottom of the front wheel, try to rock (tilt) the wheel side to side. This checks the wheel bearings. Lower the front wheel back to the ground, move to the back of the bike. Grab the very back of the wheel (near the license plate) and try to move it side to side. This tests wheel bearings and swing arm bearings. Now grab either top and bottom or front and back of the rear wheel and try again. This limits the test to the wheel bearings.


.

[lurch12_2000]

Check this first...taken from another post:

"do you align the fork tubes on to the front axle?
it is done after you tighten the axle bolt and before you tighten the fork tube lower pinch bolts.

with the axle tight and the fork lower pinch bolts loose one grabs the front brake and compresses the front suspension a couple of times. then tighten up the lowers. this step is almost never done by mechanics who think they know how to work on bikes. it is a near forgotten detail to proper alighment of the front tyre and forks"

[mafd2]

Thanks, I'll try those things. I hope it's something simple.

[80GS1000]

Check the torque on your steering stem locknuts too.

[mafd2]

Check the torque on your steering stem locknuts too.

Thanks. How tight should the steering stem adjusting nut be (not the locknut)?

[80GS1000]

Thanks. How tight should the steering stem adjusting nut be (not the locknut)?

The adjusting nut should be at 26-37.5 ft/lbs per my GS1000 service manual. Check your service manual for the value for your model.

Also check to make sure the rear wheel is straight in the swingarm, your chain isn't too tight and that your tire pressure is good too.

[chef1366]

The tire may look new but it may not be. Front tires keep their tread but do cup as you mentioned.
I would take it in and get it balanced. It could be a weight that was already on there and doing more damage than good.

[bwringer]

I would also be suspicious of the front tire -- is it actually new, or does it just have a lot of tread left? I've seen a few people riding around on low-mileage bikes like yours with original 25 year old tires, and it's pretty frightening.

Next on the list would be the bearings, spacers, etc. on the front wheel. Unless you've done it correctly a couple of times, it's easy to get the order of the spacers wrong and booger up the wheel bearings. This could be very dangerous, so check it out ASAP and make sure it spins freely with no play. A little bit of brake drag/noise is normal.

You'll also want to check the steering stem bearings as suggested. A dented bearing race, too tight or too loose could cause this problem.

I've never had any luck with using torque specs to set these -- I have to set them by feel. With the front of the bike raised, there should be no play but very little resistance to turning the handlebars back and forth.

You'll want to raise the front of the bike a bit (a small jack under the engine with a hunka wood on top works well). Move the handlebars back and forth. If you feel a click or detent in the straight-ahead position, you likely need to replace the steering stem bearings, but you could try loosening them a bit first.

It's pretty rare for the swingarm bearings on an 850 to get out of whack, but put it on the centerstand and wiggle the back tire around anyway just to make sure things are OK back there.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I would bet their is play in the steering stem. Had the exact problem with my 850. For a quick check Retorque the steering stem. if you don't have the special wrench ? just tighten the stem nut 1/16-1/8 turn. Check it again

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. mafd2,

It seems you're kind of new around here so...

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)! :grin:

You may have seen some of this already, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the garage section via the GSR Hompage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help you get with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr.

I think you have acquired one of the finest all-around classic motorcycles in the world (but I may be a little biased). Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Speaking of folks with good experience, here is a list of online vendors compiled by our beloved Mr. bwringer, along with his comments. I've used most of these resources and trust his opinions.

***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer***************
http://denniskirk.com
Put in your bike model and see what they have.

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.

http://oldbikebarn.com seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.

OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

http://www.babbittsonline.com/

Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.

http://bikebandit.com
Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.

http://flatoutmotorcycles.com
Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.

http://alpha-sports.com
Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.


Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc.:
http://mcmaster.com
Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.


http://motorcycleseatcovers.com
Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.


http://newenough.com
You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************

Here's the links for a couple of the sources mentioned above:

Cycle-Re-Cycle Part 2

http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

The ever popular Z1 Enterprises
http://www.z1enterprises.com

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)