Steering wobbles

Hi I was going down the road about 40 mph and wanted to see if my motorcycle would go nice and straight own it;s own. Well when I let go of the steering it started to wobble. Slowly at first but then it really started to wobble bad. Any Ideas what would cause this ? Thanks The bike rides nice
with my hands on the handle bars.

 

Worn tires or unbalanced wheels are my guess. Probably wrong but it's only my guess.

 

My XJ750 Maxim does the same thing.

 

How are the steering head bearings?

 

Me too. I thought it might be fairing related.

Balanced before riding last year.

No idea about bearings. Was considering replacing at same time as front brake system. Need to find/borrow tools to remove it.

 

You can try the standard head-bearing test ... it goes something like this. Put bike on centerstand.
Sit on seat.
Have friend push on back of seat until front tire comes off ground.
Check if there is any forward and back play.
If you give the bar a slight push, handlebars should easily fall to that side.

My 82 Seca did this wobble.
When I did the test, I could feel a detent in the handlebars, and that must have been causing the problem becuase once I had the bearings replaced it went away.

If you do replace the bearings, go with tapered ones from our sponsor chacal or
http://www.allballsracing.com/

There are alot of resources on this site from folks more knowledgeable than me that have tips on how to do the work yourself.

 

I would say 100% certain, steering stem bearings. Get rid of the ball bearing worn-out set and put a new set of ALL-BALLS (or whatever your fav. choice is) Tapered roller bearings in. That'll be the last set you ever have to do on the steering stem.

Dave

 

+1 on the bearings part.
When doing 30-35, try to squeeze the brakes harder than usual. If there is a knock on the steering, the bearings need to be replaced.

 

All of the above are correct. Over on the Vstrom forum, we've debated this for a couple of years. Most owners have found that even on new bikes with solid front ends, less then correct pressure or a worn front tire can cause the gentle oscillation that you are referring to. Yes, once it begins to build in amplitude, it can seem pretty intense but it’s really nothing compared to the high speed wobbles most racers have experienced at some point and can be ended simply by grasping the handlebars again.
High speed wobbles…or as called them back in the day, tank-slappers can be very deadly.
So check your wear patterns and pressures…and yeah, check the head-stock too…

jeff

 

Thanks for the replies. It must be the bearings because sometimes when I hit a bump I do hear a "KNOCK" sound. Thought it was the instument panel.
Gonna rework the front end over the winter. Thanks

 

I get the same thing on my bike but only at highway speeds. Once in a while when taking a curve at speed I'll hit a conture in the road or a crack just right and the front end will wobble. I usually just have to tighten the bearings and its fixed. Since the bearings are just a year old. simple road vibrations seems to loosen thm.

 

As xjazzz said:
If you do replace the bearings, go with tapered ones from our sponsor chacal or
www.allballsracing.com/

I replaced mine in the spring. The allballs are great and worth the cash!

Hate the wobbles!!!

 

Worn out rear shocks can contribute as well.

 

Has anyone tried mounting steering dampeners to XJs?

 

I'm sure it's been done; but the bikes are so inherently stable (if all parts are in proper condition) as to make it largely unnecessary.

 

next time you feel like running that test, do this. Instead of just taking your hands off the bars put them on the tank and lay on it/them. Next time after that lean back and put your hands on the passenger grab handles.
notice anything different?

(ok honestly most clowns are liable to dump it on test #2)

guess what,
your bike is stable as a mofo when late braking diving deep and hard into a turn and light and lively on "on throttle" corner exits. These are the properties that cause your "steering wobble". Congrats, you have a kickass awesome bike. XJ's rock, the (most likely) end.

 

...or lack of oil in the front forks. Had that problem before I replaced my blown seals.

 

You have to check everything wheel bearings swing arm tire pressures even a dragging brake will cause this, lose engine mounts, shocks, cracks in the frame, tire cupping. Check the bike over real good. Do some reading on suspension setup think about this your weight is probably 30% of the loaded bike when riding just like I couldnt jump in your car without probably re-adjusting the mirrors and seat you cant jump on a bike and get the best out of it without making it fit you and your weight.

 

Ya, I am kind of a fat bastard. Thanks

 

Yes, I agree all the things mentioned can cause the wobble. But, I'm still gonna go with the 100% sure it's the steering stem bearings.

Dave

 

And an odd man out answer: maybe your chain. When my chain gets loose, it tends to start a chugging or pulsing at highway speeds, and when it is in the pulse moment, the handlebars vibrate. Not enough to really deviate the path, but enough to tire out my hands. If your wobble is really minute, you can check that out too.

 

I have a shaft drive. Thanks

 

Post in with odomenter porn pic, read text below it:
http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2 ... rt=15.html

--Replacing my detented stock head bearings with tapered rollers didn't nearly make as big as a difference to tendency to wobble-- than getting heavier tires did.