The bike weaves like I have had a couple of beers.

[Nateskate]

My tires were worn out so I had a set of Stradas installed. On the ride home the head shake from 40-50 was unbelievable. After some discussion with the technicians, switched to Metzler M3s. No more shake but the bike felt different. I called Metzler who recommended removing the M3s which are not approved for the FJR. Installed PR2s. Head shake back. Tried another dealer who suggested Storms. New Storms, same head shake. Installed roller bearings in the head. Shake gone but the bike weaves back and forth on the highway and feels unsafe.

I have new head bearings, new Avons, run 40/42 psi, front preload 2 rings, rebound 6 out, compression , 8 out, rear pre-load, hard, 6 clicks out, re-torqued all the front suspension and wheel bolts, re-torqued rear wheel bolt, checked alignment, front tire re-ballanced. The bike weaves down the highway like I have had a couple of beers and can't keep it straight. I'm frustrated. I never had a problem until I changed tries. (purchased the bike with 9,500 miles, metzler tires cupped in the front) 11,500 now. What should I do next?

BTW, It's amazing to me after three different shops how varied the opinions are and how sloppy they all are. I went through the front end last night. Most of the bolts were not torqued to specs. The front axle bolt came loose with about 5lbs of pressure. One dealer sent me down the road with 38/32 on one trip and 39/45 on another. The shop that put the head bearings in sent me off with 36/38. Unbelievable.

I'm riding to Daytona tomorrow for Octoberfest. I would really like to ride another bike.

Thanks for the help.

 

[MojaveFJR]

Have you ridden it since you torqued the bolts proper?

Check to see that your forks are same length. I know you just had the tires changed but check anyways. Could be a smidge off and maybe causing the tire to weave to one side.

Brakes aren't draggin?

Theory here is this, if the bike was fine before the tire change, then something occured during that first tire change. Appears there is an alignment issue. Make a puddle or wet spot, drive through it, check your tracks. Ensure they are on top of one another.

 

[rfulcher]

Head bearings too tight can cause a bike to weave. Too loose you can get head shake and wobbles, too tight and you get weave. Kind of a goldilocks thing.

 

[SLK50]

Weaving, as OP described it, is usually the first indication of the steering head bearings being

too tight or "centering" on an indentation in the bearing race. Bearing could be defective or may

have been damaged during installation. Dirt or debris in bearing could also cause this to happen.

Before going nuts, carefully remove stem and inspect bearing for any signs of abnormality.

 

[SLK50]

Oh, and BTW, the new tires aren't the cause of the problem. They merely bring the problem

to light by magnifying deficiencies elsewhere. Tires wear "funny" as a way of compensating for

these problems.

 

[Rolavine]

Have you checked the front axle for being straight?

Is a small chance but my used bike had similar problems and a slightly bent axle was the problem!

 

[r1byker]

Head bearings too tight can cause a bike to weave. Too loose you can get head shake and wobbles, too tight and you get weave. Kind of a goldilocks thing.

+1. I've had this happen. It's a simple fix.

 

[Nateskate]

I road the bike about 60 miles after checking all the bolts. Still has the same problem.

Took the bike to two different shops today. Both did the "bounce" test and thought the bearings were good. They also checked for brake drag. One shop checked the rear bushings. The first shop suggested I lower the front end thereby lowering the center of gravity. They also reset the little black knob on the front suspension to one click. (I changed it to 5 after I left) The other shop suggested steering dampner. Does someone make one for it?

How high are your forks? Are the tops even with the tripple clamp? BTW, I'm 6'2", 240lbs

 

[BrunDog]

Maybe you should have a couple of beers and see what happens? :blink:

-BD

 

[escapefjrtist]

The other shop suggested steering dampner. Does someone make one for it?
How high are your forks? Are the tops even with the tripple clamp? BTW, I'm 6'2", 240lbs

You should not be having any weaving with the bike. I had one nasty Avon front that caused some pretty heavy bar shake up to 60 or so, but never the weave. Not aware of any steering stabilizer for the FJR.

Unless you (or the PO) lowered the bike, use the split between the cap and fork as a gauge for tube height. Flush it with the triple clamp. Since the problem began with a tire swap, take a good hard look at mechanical stuff.

Good Luck!

--G

 

[UHOH]

maybe take it back to the shop that installed your 'current' tires and tell them the bike doesn't ride properly since the tires.

have them diagnose it, and then repair it.

 

[johndaub]

Sell it and buy a new FJR. My last bike was a Suzuki GSX1100G and I got a new model of tire (Metzler Z6 radial) which I had never used before (since the old bias ply Metzlers were discontinued). I felt as if it slightly weaved back and forth. It dropped my confidence in the bike but the dealership said it seemed fine to them. So I sold it an bought a new FJR. Now I am very happy.

 

[Mr Bill]

[SIZE=12pt]I had that problem my first tire change too. More air in the tire helped a little. Torque the head helped a little. You could still feel it and hands off the bars the handlebar would shake about 2 inches at the ends back and forth at around 50mph.[/SIZE]

I've not had a problem after that, I'm not sure if it was a defective tire or because I didn't tighten the axle pinch bolt after bouncing the bike a few times. I bounce the bike before tourqing the axle now also, but I'm not sure if you need to do this part.

 

[Nateskate]

I stopped at the Yamaha tent in Daytona Thursday. They had a technical advisor who spent 15 minutes looking at my bike. He couldn't find anything but recommended having the head bearings checked along with the front tire. He suggested a couple of dealers, one in Jacksonville and one in Daytona whom he trusted. I waited for a couple of hours at the dealer in Daytona for them to check it. The head bearing was torqued too tight. The bike now handles better, (I was amazed that I could feel the difference) but the head shake is back between 40 and 50. I took the bike right back. Their tech rode it and couldn't feel anything. He's 175 lbs or so. The service manager, 210lbs, took the bike for a 20 minute ride, no head shake. My 240lb load causes the bike to shake.

I still think I have a tire issue since it never shook before. I called the tire manuf and they are replacing the front tire.

I guess the real answer is that I need to loose some weight...

 

[RadioHowie]

I stopped at the Yamaha tent in Daytona Thursday. They had a technical advisor who spent 15 minutes looking at my bike. He couldn't find anything but recommended having the head bearings checked along with the front tire. He suggested a couple of dealers, one in Jacksonville and one in Daytona whom he trusted. I waited for a couple of hours at the dealer in Daytona for them to check it. The head bearing was torqued too tight. The bike now handles better, (I was amazed that I could feel the difference) but the head shake is back between 40 and 50. I took the bike right back. Their tech rode it and couldn't feel anything. He's 175 lbs or so. The service manager, 210lbs, took the bike for a 20 minute ride, no head shake. My 240lb load causes the bike to shake.
I still think I have a tire issue since it never shook before. I called the tire manuf and they are replacing the front tire.

I guess the real answer is that I need to loose some weight...

It never shook before because the head bearing was too tight.

Good on the tire mfg. replacing the front tire, but the weight differences between you, the tech and the service mgr. could also be a telling factor. Not that you need to lose weight...hell I'd love to weight 240 again

With a lighter rider on the bike, the fore/aft weight balance is different than a heavier rider, since the rider sits behind 300# of motor, more weight is being subjected to the rear suspension, thereby unloading the front, making it effectively lighter and more prone to headshake.

The "weave" you originally complained about most certainly WAS the overtorqued head bearings, which is gone now with the re-spec'd torque, but now you have the infamous 40-50 head shake that disappears with a lighter rider. A new tire might correct some if not all your head shake, but there are two simple, FREE experiments to try for yourself if the new tire doesn't correct the problem.

First would be to set your rear suspension preload setting to "hard". That will prevent the rear from sinking with your weight as much, preventing weight shift off the front end.

The other easy test would be to loosen the pinch bolts on the triple tree and sliding your fork tubes up higher n the tree, transferring some weight to the front end. Not a lot. A quarter inch can make a big difference.

Back in my younger Kawi H3 and Z1 days, both bikes were very prone to violent head shakes under various circumstances, the least of which was simply riding them. <_<

If you were cooking down a back road at speed and hit a substantial bump, the front end of either bike could start wobbling violently enough to throw the rider off. We Widowmaker riders learned when that happened, you would slide up the seat as hard against the tank as you could, lean forward as much as you could, and throw as much of your weight as you could on the tank, thereby shifting as much weight forward as possible to re-load the front end. 9 times out of 10, the tank slapper would subside. 1 out of ten, you called a priest.

A good analogy would be a wobbling front wheel on a grocery cart. Move as much of the groceries in the cart as far forward as possible and the wobble stops.

You might luck out and the new tire kills the head shake. If not, try the rear preload trick first, then raising the forks in the triple tree second.

Third? Bring me your bike and I'll take that POS off your hands at no charge to you. I'll even pick up your gas and travel tab for you.

'Howie

ps: I only made the expense reimbursement offer since you only live a couple of hours away. :****:

 

[Nateskate]

I got up Saturday morning and washed the bike. A weather front had moved through dropping temps into the 50's. I checked the tire pressure before heading to the local Suziki, Ducati, Triumph shop that I'm going to use for the warranty swap. Humm... front tire at 35 psi. I added 5lbs and set off for town. I set the cruise at 50 and took my hands off the bars. No head shake. Slowed to 45, no shake. 70 to 30 mph on decel, hands off the bars, no head shake. Weight forward, no shake. The bike handles and feels like it should. Now I have to decide if I want to replace the front Avon.

I just want to ride it.

 

[mcatrophy]

... Humm... front tire at 35 psi. I added 5lbs and set off for town. I set the cruise at 50 and took my hands off the bars. No head shake. Slowed to 45, no shake. 70 to 30 mph on decel, hands off the bars, no head shake. Weight forward, no shake. The bike handles and feels like it should. Now I have to decide if I want to replace the front Avon. ...

Sounds like your original

... new Avons, run 40/42 psi ...

measurement of front PSI was wrong, did you re-check?
I run my front Storm ST at 40 to 41, prefer the feel (but will reduce ultimate dry road holding). Never had an issue (but get the normal no hands de-cel handle-bar shake around 45 to 35 mph, depending on fuel load, my stance etc etc). For the record, rear at 42-44.

There as as many opinions about tyres, pressures and handling, what is acceptable or dangerous and what will cure a problem, as there are riders ...