Handlebar shake

[Ignacio]

This topic should be 'PINNED' in the Mechanical Problems section,so all the new members can become aware,

and don't have to wonder what happened to their post

when it gets instantly pushed to NEPRT.

No, not really.

If anything, a person needs to draft a definitive FAQ on the subject or at least all of the factors.

Alternatively, somebody can ask to have it added to one of the New User questions. But to be pinned to Technical/Mechanical would ideally have an associated TBS, recall, or at least least approach me on game plan on how they're going to research. It's not a non-issue....it very much is an issue. It's a Recurring subject on this forum that I've seen myriad of responses over the years and don't remember a consensus on the specific issue(s)--let alone cause(s) or solution(s).

It's an issue that needs a champion (kind of like the valve tick issue, spiders, model year comparison, etc.) to take charge. Send me a PM if you're up to the challenge.

Regardless, newbies are still expected to look around a bit, enter the easiest of search terms, read through the linked suggestion they agreed to when they signed up, etc. As you're signature notes, there's tons of data here and we have a bit higher expectations people wade through it a bit.

 

[Uncle Hud]

For what it's worth ...

I almost always ride with both hardcases and a Pelican case topbox. (The Pelican case is lots smaller than any alternative.) Occasionally -- when I want to exhibit my true badass self -- I will take off the hardcases. I have NEVER ridden without my topbox since I received it from Petey in 2015.

During a couple of trips "out west" (the other side of the Mississippi River) the motorbike was possessed by demons and traveled above 100 mph; one occasion, it behaved like that for two tankfuls of fuel before I could regain control.

Only once have I experienced any wobble: during the spring of 2016, my front PR4 was so badly scalloped that it took effort to keep the front wheel straight. That only occurred at speeds below 40; the wobble would disappear when I got on the freeway. The wobble permanently disappeared a week or so later when I strapped on Bridgestone T-30s.

And the Owner's Manual has a typo similar to that found on tire sidewalls: pressure in both tires should be kept above 40 psi or the aforementioned 2.76 bars.

 

[SunRider]

There is really no conspiracy to hide FJR flaws here!! This is NOT a major issue or a failing with the FJR. In 183,000 miles, I have experienced handlebar wobble exactly twice. Both times, it was immediately fixed by replacing a well-worn or scalloped front tire.

Perhaps the FJR is a little more susceptible to tire-induced wobble than other bikes due to geometry? Quite possibly people are not making sure everything is aligned properly after changing tires - see the following from the FSM.

CAUTION:

Before tightening the wheel axle bolt, push

down hard on the handlebars several times

and check if the front fork rebounds smoothly

Should there be a mechanical advisory on this? Maybe - if only to tell people that wobble is most likely tire-induced and that keeping inflation higher than the manual suggests will help with wobble, handling and tire wear (IMHO). Shouldn't have to tell people to follow the FSM directions when installing a wheel but the failure on behalf of the mechanic somehow becomes the fault of the bike/manufacturer. Installation of tapered steering head bearings is a Band-Aid approach that a number of people have used and it has served to suppress the tendency to wobble in some instances.

On the other hand, there's lots of information on this forum and not at all difficult to find references to this. By the way, something being banished to NEPRT doesn't make it go away. Some of the best reading on the forum is found there.

Claim: The FJR is prone to low speed decel steering headshake. (Wobble)Support: Dozens, maybe hundreds, of rider complaints across multiple forums.

To address your claim it is maintenance error.

I have maintained my six bikes over 30 years and 248k miles.

Only the FJR wobbles.

I have a 93k Aprilia that needed new steering bearings, but never wobbled.

My FJR wobbled on it's factory set of half worn tires.

I have run tires ragged on my Ducati, Aprilia, Victory, and Suzuki,

and yet no wobble. Only the FJR wobbles on more than half worn tires,

even when inflated to 40/42 F/R.

I have followed the suggested FJR FSM front end assembly. FJR Wobbled.

This forum suggested replacement of the bearings to tapered bearings made a great improvement. Now the bike doesn't try to kill me when I zip up my jacket mid ride. Yet, with a pillion & luggage, I can still feel the decel instability in the bars. Overload the Aprilia Futura with pillion and luggage, and it handles like a pig, yet it does not have decel headshake.

The three bikes in my local circle of FJR riding friends all wobble.

Two are dealer maintained.

So if it is indeed maintenance error and not design weakness,

the procedure is either obscure or finicky.

Addendum: My apologies for whipping that horse, again.

I have been eyeing a soon-to-be-leftover Black '17ES,

and the disclosure that ES's wobble too squashed that dream.

 

[Ignacio]

I have maintained my six bikes over 30 years and 248k miles.Only the FJR wobbles.

I have owned and maintained about eight bikes over 25 years and about 300k miles.

Every one of them wobbled at one time or another.

And it's usually related to a combination of front tire pressure, front tire wear, certain speeds, head bearing torque, and probably variables like fork maintenance and bearing condition. The FJR seems more sensitive to me than most of the other bikes I've owned, but also 80% of the miles I've covered. And I've always been able to remove the wobble with new tire, correct pressure, bearing re torque, and/or freshened forks.

 

[PhilJet09]

I've only had mine wobble badly once on a hard decel from illegal speeds. It was the end of a long riding season and I had much maintenance that needed to be done. My guess on the FJR is that the bike's geometry makes it prone to this issue and small variables (tire wear, inflation, steering bearing issues, bike loading, etc) easily "push it over the edge". This would explain the inconsistencies in reported cause/cures.

 

[BanjoBoy]

For what it's worth ...
I almost always ride with both hardcases and a Pelican case topbox. (The Pelican case is lots smaller than any alternative.) Occasionally -- when I want to exhibit my true badass self -- I will take off the hardcases. I have NEVER ridden without my topbox since I received it from Petey in 2015.

During a couple of trips "out west" (the other side of the Mississippi River) the motorbike was possessed by demons and traveled above 100 mph; one occasion, it behaved like that for two tankfuls of fuel before I could regain control.

Only once have I experienced any wobble: during the spring of 2016, my front PR4 was so badly scalloped that it took effort to keep the front wheel straight. That only occurred at speeds below 40; the wobble would disappear when I got on the freeway. The wobble permanently disappeared a week or so later when I strapped on Bridgestone T-30s.

And the Owner's Manual has a typo similar to that found on tire sidewalls: pressure in both tires should be kept above 40 psi or the aforementioned 2.76 bars.

Interesting; maybe thems w/ wobbles should try to duplicate the problem w/ 'n without luggage?

@JohnD, maybe you need to re-torque yer steering head bearings or get tapered?

In over 100K mi. on two FJRs neither wobbled. I always run 40 to 42 PSI front.

 

[AdamK]

My bike started wobbling after a rock strike in June. At any speed under 45 mph on even a smooth surface the bike would immediately start head shaking severely. When I return home from the ride I took my front wheel off to check the balance. I found I had a 1/4" bend in the rim and a flat spot. I figured this was the cause of the head shake. Insurance bought me a new wheel and after installing it the head shake remained. My dealer recommended I try a new front tire thinking any impact which could bend the rim could have also damage the tire. Installed a new front tire, no change. Next I tried re-torquing the head. No change.

I took the bike in to a local dealer two weeks ago and they serviced the suspension. I'm at 20k miles on my 2016ES. They also replaced the steering head bearing with All Balls tapered head bearings.

Picked up the bike today and took the long way home. I was only able to induce head shake twice and that was when I hit a bump in the road with my hands off of the bars. The front definitely feels tighter, but not so tight to effect turning. In a way it feels more stable, probably the damping effect of the tapered bearings. I took it through some twisted and had no issues getting it to tip in. I let go of the bars many times on cruise at a variety of speeds and only had the two instances of head shake. The front tire has 4k miles on it. Definitely better!

 

[escapefjrtist]

<<snip>> I took the bike in to a local dealer two weeks ago and they serviced the suspension. I'm at 20k miles on my 2016ES. They also replaced the steering head bearing with All Balls tapered head bearings.

@Adam What exactly did the dealer do when they "serviced the suspension"? Details?

--G

 

[AdamK]

<<snip>> I took the bike in to a local dealer two weeks ago and they serviced the suspension. I'm at 20k miles on my 2016ES. They also replaced the steering head bearing with All Balls tapered head bearings.

@Adam What exactly did the dealer do when they "serviced the suspension"? Details?

--G

Replaced the fork oil and 2 seals. Mechanic claimed the oil looked "faded"?? Greased the linkage and swing arm bearings. The bulk of the labor performed was to replace the head bearings with All Balls tapered roller bearings. Insurance is covering everything except the work related to whats called for at the 16k service. The "damaged" head bearings were attributed to the 'rock strike' and they are leaving it as a "comprehensive" claim as negotiated when I first contacted them.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Thanks Adam. One thing's for sure, the tapered bearings will help dampen the steering head and [help] with the shake. I had tapered bearings on my '09 and they definitely "felt" different than the OE rollers. Not necessarily better but just different.

--G

 

[AdamK]

Thanks Adam. One thing's for sure, the tapered bearings will help dampen the steering head and [help] with the shake. I had tapered bearings on my '09 and they definitely "felt" different than the OE rollers. Not necessarily better but just different.
--G

Yes, the tapered bearings definitely feel different. I remember the same feeling when I swapped out the head bearings on my ST1300 for the tapered type. If I had to explain it I'd say tighter, smoother?? I haven't been through a lot of twisties yet but the few I was able to find on the way home felt pretty good. The damping provided by the bearings does leave me wondering if the cause of the shake has been fixed, or if the damping is masking it?? Who knows. It' definitely better now.

 

[lele]

flywheel rotation on the left side of the bike on a certain speed..

 

[Millrat]

I though it was decel related on my '18ES at about 2000 miles. At any speed below about 45 with cruise on loosening my grip on the bars prutires terrible shake.

New bike & tires. Maybe a little worse now with 6000 miles on the tires.

Not willing to replace head bearings on a new bike.

 

[Bounce]

 

[Uncle Hud]

Millrat posted: ... New bike & tires. Maybe a little worse now with 6000 miles on the tires. Not willing to replace head bearings on a new bike.

Could be almost-worn-out tires.

If you're still riding on the factory-supplied Bridgestone tires, you're reasonably close to their end of life. I ride like a grandma and got 9,000 or so out of the OEM tires. Despite what the salespeople may have told you, the Bridgestone T-30s that come on the bike are not full-spec versions of the T-30.

 

[lnewlf]

buy tars [front] that have sipes even with each other on each side rather than staggered...as they wear cups will form and alternating cups will cause wobble. Michelin Pilot Road tars have even sipes...the Road 5's I just got have even sipes...I run 42 psi front which reduces cupping... [my 1/2 cent]

 

[SLK50]

6K mikes on the bike and you havent had the head

bearings adjusted? I would start there.

Right after getting a new front tire.

FWIW, some tires shake, even when new.

For me, Angel ST was the worst.

BT-023 GT was the best. RIP. YMMV.

 

[AdamK]

buy tars [front] that have sipes even with each other on each side rather than staggered...as they wear cups will form and alternating cups will cause wobble. Michelin Pilot Road tars have even sipes...the Road 5's I just got have even sipes...I run 42 psi front which reduces cupping... [my 1/2 cent]

Good luck with the Road 5s. They won't be coming out with the GT spec of it until January. RedNeckJay mounted a set just before we left on the WeSTOC recon. 9 days and 3,400 miles later they were toast. He also developed a pretty serious shake during the trip. Had to stop at a dealer and get the front wheel re-balanced. Didn't cure it but did make it better. He's coming by Saturday to mount some T31s I have which have 3k on them and look like they'll go another few thousand. YMMV

 

[lnewlf]

well that's great news..guess I'll find out soon if they suck that badly

 

[AdamK]

well that's great news..guess I'll find out soon if they suck that badly

It'll be interesting to see how they last for you. We were loaded on 5 of the 9 days and rode pretty hard the whole time. My new PR4s fared a lot better....