Bike Listing To The Right

[Abercrombie FJR]

Swing arm bearing? I'd check it if you are listing and getting weird wobbles.

These two occurrences are happening to Bill and I with new 2014 bikes immediately after installing a 23" CB windshield. I am beginning to think the changes to the Gen 3 fairing and the 23” CB aren’t playing well together in the wind. If this were the case, I would think this would have popped up before now, since the Gen 3s have been out for a couple of years. I guess we will find out when Bill tries a different screen tommorow.

 

[Fontanaman]

A long shot might be the road surface. Around here we use studded tires in the winter (yuck) and they leave ruts in the roads especially on the freeways. The ruts can be upto 6" deep and can affect how the cycle feels - it will tend to wander into the middle of the rut. Perhaps your situation is constant different roads.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I had no such issues until the new screen. Even then, I was reluctant to acknowledge them. And the symptoms appear from country lane to 4 lane interstate (which is crowned differently than the right lane of a two lane). Tomorrorow.

 

[FJReady]

Have you noticed any buffeting or other air flow differences in the 'cockpit' with the CB23? It sounds to me like aerodynamics are at play here if you changed nothing else.

Way back in the FJR early days I bought and installed a CB windshield that gave me the better wind/weather protection that I was looking for but it didn't give a smooth ride. Helmet buffeting and noise were my complaints, IIRC. I researched a little more and bought at XL windshield from CalSci. Been running that shield for 8+ years with no complaints. Except that it's big and not terribly good looking. Function is king!

Remember, we're talking Gen 1 bike here, so it may have little bearing on your issues. Still, I suspect aerodynamics are at play. Looking forward to your switchback experiment results.

Good Luck. And Happy New Year!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

The thing to do is to transport the bike to the Southern Hemisphere and try it again. If it pulls to the left once you are south of the equator then you know it is a wind related phenomenon like a hurricane or typhoon. I understand that even the toilets swirl backwards on the other side of the equator. Perhaps Cee Bailey sent you the Southern Hemisphere version of the shield...

Seriously, this is a new one on me. I know it is next to impossible to perform exact measurements on something with the complex curves of a Cee Bailey shield but I would be taking it off and attempting to measure from the mounting holes to the edges in every direction possible.

When I spoke with customer service at Cee Bailey I was told that ALL of the FJR reverse contour shields come out of one mold. ALL of them. After the shield is formed they cut the excess off the top and sides to achieve the various different height and width combos. I questioned this but was assured that was the case. Later I had an opportunity to overlay two different Cee Bailey shields and saw that this was most likely true.

IF they got their measurements off just slightly and the shield is somewhat out of alignment it would certainly create some "off kilter" behavior, particularly as speeds increased. If it is in the shield, Cee Bailey needs to know about it.

 

[Bogus]

Have you noticed any buffeting or other air flow differences in the 'cockpit' with the CB23? It sounds to me like aerodynamics are at play here if you changed nothing else.
Way back in the FJR early days I bought and installed a CB windshield that gave me the better wind/weather protection that I was looking for but it didn't give a smooth ride. Helmet buffeting and noise were my complaints, IIRC. I researched a little more and bought at XL windshield from CalSci. Been running that shield for 8+ years with no complaints. Except that it's big and not terribly good looking. Function is king!

Remember, we're talking Gen 1 bike here, so it may have little bearing on your issues. Still, I suspect aerodynamics are at play. Looking forward to your switchback experiment results.

Good Luck. And Happy New Year!

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[Bill Lumberg]

I've been pleased with the added wind protection, particularly given current weather. It's not smooth and quiet like I'm used to, but it's better than getting hammered on top of the helmet and shoulders. I've been running it all the way up. Lowering it a bit does not change the "lean", but makes the bike buffeting and oddness decrease. Much as you note, great protection, but notable cavitation if you don't tune it right. Re handling and lean- It's either aero or something has happened or settled since I firmed up my front end. Will see.

Have you noticed any buffeting or other air flow differences in the 'cockpit' with the CB23? It sounds to me like aerodynamics are at play here if you changed nothing else.
Way back in the FJR early days I bought and installed a CB windshield that gave me the better wind/weather protection that I was looking for but it didn't give a smooth ride. Helmet buffeting and noise were my complaints, IIRC. I researched a little more and bought at XL windshield from CalSci. Been running that shield for 8+ years with no complaints. Except that it's big and not terribly good looking. Function is king!

Remember, we're talking Gen 1 bike here, so it may have little bearing on your issues. Still, I suspect aerodynamics are at play. Looking forward to your switchback experiment results.

Good Luck. And Happy New Year!

 

[CAJW]

BillLast September, the morning I headed out to NAFO I installed my CB 23" for the first time. I wasn't more than 5 miles down the road before I was experiencing some crazy handling characteristics. I stopped, turned around to go home and replace the windshield and figured the feeling had to be in my head and decided to continue on to La Crosse. I was heading into about a 45 degree cross wind when I was feeling the sensations you’re talking about along with some head shake feelings. I only had 500 miles on the 14 and wasn’t sure if I was feeling things or if it was only in my head. I decided to continue onto La Crosse for NAFO with the Cee Bailey and don’t recall the feeling being as strong for the remainder of the trip once I got out of the wind.

Those wobbling feelings, along with the too large for my preference looks, caused me to sell the Cee Bailey at great loss because of my preference for the OEM touring shield.

This /\. My Cal-Sci Large exhibited the same characteristics, but mine was more along the lines that the OP described in that the bike just lists to one side needing a huge body lean in put to keep it straight. Mine pulled to the left in all conditions not influenced by road composition or much by wind unless a real blustery left crosswind was present. Problem was explored by dealer, checked front end forks, axle torque, alignment, pressures etc, but to no avail. I ended up getting my Cal-Sci cut down to a medium, which helped somewhat and finally put on a shorty 03' screen which corrected the problem. YMMV, but hope a screen change fixes it for you.

 

[Mudslide Miller]

Mine is a 21" CB and although I did notice a much different feel to the bike on the first ride with it, I didn't notice any pulling with it. After many rides with it and getting "used" to it, I have no problems with keeping it. It's a great improvement over the stock shield. I haven't experienced any heavy cross-wind riding with it yet, but that is a battle no matter what shield you have on.

 

[bluesdog]

Too much ethanol in the fuel?

 

[a.droid]

Mild stroke recently?

 

[RadioHowie]

Sounds like a bunch of girls discussing how to live with panties that ride up.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Little more serious than that when you're riding it. Hope to get a swap on tomorrow or Sunday. Mostly to see if the 23" is causing the need to counterbalance the bike to go straight. I know for sure the new screen caused the weird handling, but I'm not convinced it's causing a lean yet. It could be a suspension problem.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

Sounds like a bunch of girls discussing how to live with panties that ride up.

Little more serious than that when you're riding it. Hope to get a swap on tomorrow or Sunday. Mostly to see if the 23" is causing the need to counterbalance the bike to go straight. I know for sure the new screen caused the weird handling, but I'm not convinced it's causing a lean yet. It could be a suspension problem.

Don't let Howie get to ya Bill, he did put the little smiley face with the tongue hanging out. I think it was RadioHowie that gave me crap last year when I was whining discussing how my 13 cruise control didn't go over 80 mph. He is very insensitive and hurtful.

I am always happy to hear about girls with their panties riding up though.



I'm waiting to hear your results from swapping screens and if others have had problems with the 23" CB on a gen 3

 

[HotRodZilla]

It almost sounds like RFH might be onto something. At least Bill has only changed one thing before noticing a difference. If undoing the change fixes it, well...

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

Well Bill, have you had a some time to make some comparisons?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

In Boston. Shooting for Saturday.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Tested today. Weird handling went away with the Cee Bailey removed, as did a lot of wind protection. But as most of us suspected, the list did not. It's stll markedly off balance, with bar twitching on decel if hands aren't on bars. Something is out of whack. Either the tire or the bike. May be forced to take it in for warranty work.

 

[Fred W]

Bill, before you get too crazy over this, how many miles have you got on the front tire? The entire problem may be the OEM Bridgestone tire. The wobbling certainly would be. Maybe stick a decent quality replacement on there and see what happens?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

2,715 miles on the odometer. More alarmed by the fairly sudden change than by the symptoms being that hard to deal with. Thanks for all the suggestions. I do get a little OCD once I encounter a problem. No surprise from a guy that checks tire pressures every day.