Shimmy/ wobble in the front.

[Ked0607]

Ok so ive been noticing a minor disturbance in the handlebars. Not sure what to make of it. Thought it was all mental and I normally dont get on the highway at speed to often. With the 3 day holiday weekend I turned out a couple hundred miles. Caught a flat on the rear had it replaced. The shimmy/ wobble is still there. What and where should I look? I have 42psi all the way around. Just shy of 2700 miles on the odo. Ive never dropped it. No rotor warp that I can tell. Front tire ready to be swapped? Rebalance front tire? Im lost as Ive never had this on my last 3 bikes.

 

[sixpack577]

42 psi is too high for a front tire(also considere psi rises 2-4 as the tires warm up).
It makes a small contact patch, and a bouncy ride.
You are going to feel that, and it will feel as you described it.
Suspension sag needs to be correct as well, or may need small adjustments.

 

[Spudley]

Check everything. Make sure the front axle is seated and level, pinch bolts are torqued to spec, and tire is inflated to proper pressure. Make sure your rear is aligned and properly torqued. If wheels are proper, then headset bearing may need snugging up.

Other than tire delamination, bent rim, improper wear, or lack of balance, the headset steering bearing may be your culprit.

My first generation one came from the factory just loose enough that it started to cause a problem, I got the right tools, torqued it to spec, problem went away.

 

[TallTom]

Any chance you've had your front wheel off recently?

 

[scotty - 12]

Is front tire worn? Hard cornering will screw the shape and knock it off balance if cupped. Did you lose a wheel weight?

 

[Ked0607]

Any chance you've had your front wheel off recently?

No I have not

 

[Kiwi Rider]

Have the front wheel balanced for starters and have it checked for any unusual wear pattern in the tire. When the wheel is fitted back to the forks, it must be fitted with the correct method.
As said, 42psi is too high for the front, 38 psi max.

 

[prg]

I thought the handbook states 42 front and rear

 

[sixpack577]

I thought the handbook states 42 front and rear

It does, but it doesn't mean that's best.
Alot of arguments against that much, and for good reason.
I'll take Dave Moss's recommendation over a Suzuki engineer, or a tire manufacturer any day.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

I thought the handbook states 42 front and rear

That psi is the max psi recommended. As mentioned, tires gain pressure as they heat up. Starting at 42, within an hour your psi would be over 45. I’ve always run about 36 front and 38 rear. My guess for a slight front wobble is a slightly loose head/neck bearing.

BTW, where are you? Fill in your profile.

 

[prg]

Yes, as we all know, pressures increase with heat but I suppose the key word is 'recommended' so yes, inflate to suit own preference.

 

[Ked0607]

That psi is the max psi recommended. As mentioned, tires gain pressure as they heat up. Starting at 42, within an hour your psi would be over 45. I’ve always run about 36 front and 38 rear. My guess for a slight front wobble is a slightly loose head/neck bearing.

BTW, where are you? Fill in your profile.

My profile says Maryland on my screen......

 

[mark3evo]

when my front tire gets a little cupped - and you let go of the bars
they can wobble a little
but it should not feel noticeable when gripping the bars

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

My profile says Maryland on my screen......

Great but I was quoting someone else.

 

[QFry]

Do you have anything attached to your handlebars? If you have a phone mount or something attached, it could be catching wind as well especially at higher speeds.

I would get death wobbles on my other bike above 70 and checked everything several times until someone pointed out my phone was off center and causing drag just on the left side. Never had a problem since.

 

[RedBusarider]

As far as tire pressures - don't most places state COLD tire pressures - meaning that it has not been used for a few hours or so. If that is the case I would ASSUME (I know that's dangerous) that they KNOW that the tire pressures will rise when being driven - unless it's winter time and then I don't think they would rise much if at all when temps are well below freezing. JMO.

With that said I'm not saying that a lower front (or rear) pressure is bad or wrong.
I also know that when on a track they tell you to lower your pressures (quite a bit) for better grip etc,
Then to raise them back up before street riding - or you will wear them out pretty quickly.

 

[Ked0607]

Bumping this again. Had nice trip to MEXICO. The bike doesnt feel extremely stable above 140. I know slow down its to fast. But anywho..... I got new tires since 1st post and still same. Not dangerously unstable but noticeably there. Ive had two GSXR750 and a GSXR1000 and they were solid all the way to speed limiter. Ive never been on anything other than these bikes at speed and this one is the oddball. I am down to 38 PSI in both front and rear.

 

[ZeePopo]

Bumping this again. Had nice trip to MEXICO. The bike doesnt feel extremely stable above 140. I know slow down its to fast. But anywho..... I got new tires since 1st post and still same. Not dangerously unstable but noticeably there. Ive had two GSXR750 and a GSXR1000 and they were solid all the way to speed limiter. Ive never been on anything other than these bikes at speed and this one is the oddball. I am down to 38 PSI in both front and rear.

Have you increased the speed of your rebound adjuster? Open up the rebound 3 clicks and test it. Increasing the rebound speed will change how your front tire tracks. Your wheel might not be tracking on the road properly so with new tires and lower tire pressure you should see a difference.

 

[dadofthree]

What tires are you running ? A long time ago, I lost a rear tire on a trip. The local speed shop only had Shinko, started a problem like you describe in triples. Replaced rear tire. Issue went away. Never even thought a bad rear tire would make you think you had problems up front but it did.

 

[groran1000]

yeah, I'm with Wuzza on this at 36psi cold front. Must be a rough squirrelly ride.