Head Shake

[Guest]

Hey all, I have a '77 GS550 and it has a quite bad head shake around 30-50 mph. Only noticeable if I take one hand off. (Won't try both :-) ) but it does vibrate a little more than normal.

Planning on getting the front wheel balanced today or tomorrow. I noticed the rear suspension is on the lowest setting, which I'll set back to stock.

Check the fork oil and wheel bearings too.
Have any of you heard of fork oil causing a head shake? Maybe one is lower than the other, etc. I know manufacturers are quite specific on the ML to fill them with.

And if that isn't it, hopefully the bike hasn't been wrecked and bent the forks. The seals don't leak.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

[rudeman]

Take your front wheel off and roll it on a smooth surface like the garage floor. You're checking for broken belts which can cause the tire to become out of round when mounted and inflated.

[ptegsotic]

Any suggestions are appreciated!

check the 'headset' bearings / bolt (where the whole fork mechanism attaches to the frame) ... making sure it's all snug.
With engine off ... you can pull front brake hard, and then rock bike back & forth ... you'll notice a decent clunking if it's really loose.
Common cause for 'head shake'

[steve murdoch]

Improper air pressure in the tire, worn tire and even something like worn swingarm bearings can transfer a vibration to the front end.

[Rob S.]

Improper air pressure in the tire, worn tire and even something like worn swingarm bearings can transfer a vibration to the front end.

When my CB350 started to head shake, the dealer told me to change the swing arm bushings. I did, problem solved.

[raygun]

I don't know much about "head shake" per se but when I overtorqued the front axle on mine by accident the front end tended to drift at slower speeds and follow road imperfections easily.