1st tank of fuel observations...

[Old Guy]

Maybe obvious, but a piece piece of 1/2" plywood under the center stand greatly aids in rear wheel removal.

^this^ Even a car tire is easily removed with 3/4" under the center stand.

I mounted a new set of tires today and had forgotten that a piece of plywood under the center stand even helps with the front tire removal.

 

[RossKean]

Just whipping the horse...

My 2012 was delivered new with a serious hands-off wobble.

Adding load in the sides & trunk made it worse.

Neither new tires nor suspension settings lessened the issue.

Tapered bearings fixed the wobble on my machine.

This. My 15A has the wobble. I have messed with tire pressures, steering head bearing torque, new tires, old tires, loaded, not loaded, suspension settings. It has a wobble. It's the bike. I haven't tried the tapered bearing yet, but will.

SunRider and Kingofix. I won't say your cases are unique but tires are FAR more often the reason for the deceleration wobble. I wonder if there is an issue with the bike's geometry (i.e. something not lined up in manufacturing). Not sure why a tapered bearing does any better job at reducing oscillation. Is it fixing a defect in the existing original bearing or is it masking a root problem?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Good question. I can say I had a little wobble from tire wear from a couple of different tires. But on the fjr, I have found that binding of some sort can occur when installing the front wheel. Loosening things and bouncing the bike on the forks a couple of times before torquing to spec, in my case, makes the wobble on handless decel disappear. In an extreme case, this "binding" can induce wobbling or wag on decel notable enough to feel through the bars. Easily fixed in my case.

 

[mcatrophy]

.... Not sure why a tapered bearing does any better job at reducing oscillation. Is it fixing a defect in the existing original bearing or is it masking a root problem?

Masking. A roller bearing has a little more resistance than a ball bearing, so it tends to damp any oscillation. Which is why over-torquing a standard bearing will also reduce oscillation at the expense of bearing wear.

All bikes I have had have exhibited hands-off oscillation, usually decelerating around the 40mph area. All have been affected by the way the bike is loaded, luggage and/or fuel. All immediately stop with a very light touch on the bars. With my last two FJRs that had/have cruise control, neither would oscillate hands-off whilst the cruise control was active.

Best advice: Keep at least one hand on the bars, then it won't oscillate.

Unless you have a REAL problem, of course.

 

[RossKean]

Good question. I can say I had a little wobble from tire wear from a couple of different tires. But on the fjr, I have found that binding of some sort can occur when installing the front wheel. Loosening things and bouncing the bike on the forks a couple of times before torquing to spec, in my case, makes the wobble on handless decel disappear. In an extreme case, this "binding" can induce wobbling or wag on decel notable enough to feel through the bars. Easily fixed in my case.

Very good point, Bill. The FSM explicitly states:

CAUTION:

Before tightening the wheel axle bolt, push

down hard on the handlebars several times

and check if the front fork rebounds smoothly.

I do this more or less automatically when I change a tire. Entirely possible that many service places do not.

mcatrophy - I haven't experienced the oscillation other then when there was a tire issue. Maybe I have been lucky?

 

[mcatrophy]

...mcatrophy - I haven't experienced the oscillation other then when there was a tire issue. Maybe I have been lucky?

Tyres can certainly be the "disturbance" required to start oscillation. It can be almost anything, gusting wind including following (or beside) another vehicle, road irregularities, passenger using a vi.. moving around. Once started, depending on all sorts of variables, it can sit gently wobbling, might reduce its amplitude until it's gone, or can grow alarmingly. In all cases, a gentle hand should be all that's needed to control it.
Warning: This is NEPRT territory.

 

[N4HHE]

Good question. I can say I had a little wobble from tire wear from a couple of different tires. But on the fjr, I have found that binding of some sort can occur when installing the front wheel. Loosening things and bouncing the bike on the forks a couple of times before torquing to spec, in my case, makes the wobble on handless decel disappear. In an extreme case, this "binding" can induce wobbling or wag on decel notable enough to feel through the bars. Easily fixed in my case.

Very good point, Bill. The FSM explicitly states:

CAUTION:

Before tightening the wheel axle bolt, push

down hard on the handlebars several times

and check if the front fork rebounds smoothly.

I do this more or less automatically when I change a tire. Entirely possible that many service places do not.

mcatrophy - I haven't experienced the oscillation other then when there was a tire issue. Maybe I have been lucky?

I don't have the FSM but can not fully agree with the above. There is no possible binding from alignment when tightening the axle bolt. The bolt only secures the axle to left fork leg. There is no free play or adjustment on the left, only the right. However one should make sure the ABS plate is properly positioned before this bolt is tightened.

Feed the axle through and immediately tighten the bolt on left side. At this point its good to put the bike's weight back on its wheels and exercise the front suspension before tightening the pinch bolts. Only the pinch bolts on the right fork have any role in maintaining the distance between left and right fork leg. Pinch bolts on the left simply keep the axle from rotating.

Before disassembly one might note the axle is flush with right fork leg? Position fork leg same with respect to axle on assembly and behavior will be same before and after. On KTM dirtbikes I find the right end of the axle is slightly recessed when forks are not binding.

If you lift with a stand under the bottom of the forks then its likely on reassembly both will be in exactly the same place as before. Not if the stand applies any side loads. If front is propped up from under the engine or otherwise forks are left to dangle then there is a chance their alignment needs to be checked.

 

[RossKean]

^^^

I just do what the FSM tells me. (I also listen to the voices in my head, sometimes)

Don't know if the procedure is needed or not but I have to think they do it for a reason...

 

[WTP07]

Once the snow flies here I will be adding the tapered roller bearings to my list of winter mods and maintenance. Unfortunately, that means waiting until spring to have an answer.

In the meantime, I will keep at least one hand on the bars and enjoy the extended riding season we have been given.

 

[gumba]

There has been tons written about this topic. Google 45 mph head shake. I had the head shake for at least 30 years. I don't have it anymore. In my humble opinion it's all in front end alignment. And specifically fork tube torque of the triple clamp. Torque down the lower triple clamp pinch bolts first. You can't get any more parallel than that. How the fork tubes clamped the front axle is a big part of it. I tried new tires, stem torque, a.k.20s, Penske's, and none of that **** worked for me. It's been a long haul.

 

[russperry]

Some thoughts after a full day with the FJR and about 500ish kms:

1. Wow. Comfy much? Other than some small ergonomic tweaks to be done, it was an awesome day of touring.
2. Holy smooth power batman! What a joy to drive.
3. Ummm...why am I being thrown around by transport truck air again? Lighter bike, higher center of gravity I suppose. I can live with this.
4. Hard bags. How did I live without them? So nice to lock my stuff away and not have to worry about it.
5. Power windshield. Why is this not standard equipment on EVERY BIKE MADE, EVERYWHERE? I'm a little bit in love with this thing.
6. She's toasty down.... there....in the city, at a light, it's a smidgen warm in the nether regions. And it was only around 80 F today. What's it like at 100F?
7. Took my hands off the bars to stretch them out...WHAT. THE. F&*% is going on there? Huge wobbles in the front end as soon as I take my hands off. Tire balance issue? That has to be fixed....

Overall, it's a huge improvement over the M109 for touring, and just a joy to drive. I hope the guy that got my 9 is happy, cuz he ain't gettin' the Feej back.

Now to do some research on lowering, moving the bars back (looks easy), removing/modifying the rear fender.

Thanks for all your help in making this decision boys, I hope I'm as happy at the end of next season as I am right now with her!

Cheers,

Randy.

The death wobble story is as old as the FJR as far as I can tell. I bought my '08 with 7,000 miles on the odometer and it had it BAD. Went through the usual list (as shown above) and there was no change. In my case, there was major reduction in the wobble when I had the forks serviced. I wasn't looking for any improvement but I had a badly leaking seal so into the shop it went, and it happened to come back with much less pronounced tendency to wobble - its still there but not nearly as bad.

Hopefully yours will be fixed by one of the common suggestions, but I'm not so confident as others that new tires or tightened steering stem nut is guaranteed to fix it.

 

[SunRider]

My FJR has hands-off decel wobble. The tapered bearing keeps it tame.

I have two local FJR friends, not on the forum, both with hands-off decel wobble.

After two dealer attempts, one went to a tapered bearing.

We have mitigated the other's issue with careful head bearing adjustment and top clamp torqueing, for now.

My Ducati does not wobble. Even with its front tire worn assymetrically.

My Aprilia does not wobble. Even with near bald tires and 90K miles.

My Victory does not wobble, even with worn tires. Albiet it is not a touring model.

I believe the FJR is borderline stable with the pilots hands free.

If your FJR doesn't decel wobble now, great.

 

[RossKean]

Front-end wobble simply isn't a chronic FJR problem.

No idea what's up with some of these bikes but there have to be some adjustment issues somewhere. Upper and lower fork clamps, steering head??? Not saying it can't be an issue but it is far more the exception than the rule.

 

[rbentnail]

Front-end wobble simply isn't a chronic FJR problem.
No idea what's up with some of these bikes but there have to be some adjustment issues somewhere. Upper and lower fork clamps, steering head??? Not saying it can't be an issue but it is far more the exception than the rule.

I respectfully disagree:

FJR front end wobble has been a problem for owners for at least 10 years. How is that not chronic? Maybe I'm jaded b/c I had to deal with it but no amount of tires or adjustments or routine maintenance solves this problem permanently for many of us.

 

[bowtie39]

+1 on wobble. Had a '14 with it until I sold it!

 

[N4HHE]

Front-end wobble simply isn't a chronic FJR problem.
No idea what's up with some of these bikes but there have to be some adjustment issues somewhere. Upper and lower fork clamps, steering head??? Not saying it can't be an issue but it is far more the exception than the rule.

I respectfully disagree:

FJR front end wobble has been a problem for owners for at least 10 years. How is that not chronic? Maybe I'm jaded b/c I had to deal with it but no amount of tires or adjustments or routine maintenance solves this problem permanently for many of us.

Perhaps if you were not so FJR-centric you would know Internet Folklore for EVERY motorcycle made in the last 40 years has tales of hands-off handlebar wobble.

Manufacturers primarily use ball bearings in the steering stem for precision low friction steering. Unlike a wheel bearing the ball stays in a very small region of the bearing race its entire life. The ball can wear out of round or be flattened on impact. The races develop pockets. All slight enough to be very difficult to diagnose short of outright replacement and observation, "That apparently fixed it."

Vehicle dynamics have a big effect. A Givi top case introduced hands-off wobble on my PC800. Took the top case off, no wobble. Put it back on and wobble returned. So noted, I no longer removed both hands from handlebar. Others reported same. Some found tapered bearings helped. Others said replacement shocks helped. Or fork oil. Or tire pressures. Etc.

Its not an unusual problem on any motorcycle, and its not unsafe so long as hands remain on handlebars.

 

[smithpa68]

My 2008 had a wobble when I bought it on decel.. not bad.. but enough to grab the bars quickly. After the tires were replaced, no wobble anymore. <shrug>

 

[RossKean]

Since this is almost certainly NEPRT-bound, I'll make my last contribution to the thread. My opinion, for the most part, but based upon experience, quite a bit of reading and some ability to distill some truth out of a mass of internet "wisdom".

• ALL motorcycles will demonstrate wobble or head-shake to one extent or another. Frequently attributable to some specific mechanical condition.
• A bike with less "rake" is more susceptible.
• The FJR does NOT have more serious wobble problems than most other similar motorcycles.
• A "bad" tire is most often the cause - usually excessively worn or "cupped". Inflation pressure is also important.
• A tire can be bad, right out of the factory. Misaligned belt or warped or out-of-round.
• Some tire brands are worse than others. The only new(ish) tire I had problems with on the FJR was a Pirelli Angel GT - other people had similar complaints and still others had nothing but praise for it.
• Can't prove it but I believe some tread patterns are more likely to induce or perhaps sustain a wobble.
• A tire can be mounted badly - make sure the bead is even all the way around and the same from side-to-side. Balanced properly too!
• Check run-out on the wheel first of all. A wheel can be subtly bent or out-of-true and it may not be detectable without a dial caliper.
• Check for run-out on the tire itself. Side-to-side and on the center of the tread (out of round).
• Check that the top and lower fork clamps are torqued properly and congruent.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing a new tire and when re-installing forks.
• Make sure steering head is torqued properly. Tapered bearings MAY improve things by increasing the resistance but do NOT fix anything. They perform a similar function as the pneumatic steering dampers found on many sport bikes.
• Make sure wheel bearings are in good condition.
• Make sure axle isn't bent.
• Check condition of the forks (extra play in the bushings?) or bent? Play with rebound and damping settings.
• Some have found conditions improve with changing a rear tire.
• Edit to add: Uneven (side-to-side) loading could exacerbate initiation of wobble
• Also added: Aerodynamics - topbox, tailbag, auxiliary lights or a different windshield could affect dynamic stability
• Anyone with a wobble issue they haven't been able to solve is going to disagree with everything I have said!!
• I'm OK with that!

No doubt, there are causes and points that I have not included. Just MY opinion and anyone is welcome to agree or disagree with me. (I think my opinion is shared by the majority of FJR owners, at least to some extent)

 

[HotRodZilla]

No wobble on my '07. BUT, if any of you have a bike with hands-off decel wobble, do you know how to fix that? Keep your hands on the bars during deceleration. Simple. What's the fascination with taking hands off bars during deceleration anyway?