Bike's been sitting in the parking lot, covered, since March 29. On the beach for a training class until Friday so I was thrilled to be able to ride her back and forth from the company housing to class.
Yesterday I noticed a slight front wheel wobble. It occurs at all speeds. It's not severe, just noticeable. Front tire is a Shinko with slightly more than 3K miles and was balanced when mounted. When I parked the bike on 29 March I had ridden over 450 miles without any wobbling. Any ideas, suggestions, things to check, etc?
Check your psi. It should be around 36 (avg). It seems too early to start cupping. But underinflating can take a tire out quickly. I've used 'cheaper' tires on my bikes, with bad results. I had a Dunlop on the front and a Maxxis on rear. The bike was a nightmare on wet corners. It felt like the rear was wanting to pass the front.
Be sure to use a matched set of tires at all times. I'm sold on E3's but there are several good companies.
Flat spot could be but it was on the center stand. I've got a Dunlop on the rear, but no handling issues in 3,000 miles of running with the un-matched set. I also noticed that the front makes a little noise in the curves that wasn't there before. I'll recheck the psi (I run 40psi front and back) then see what happens. Thanks guys!
PSI checked. Wobble is still there. Curious to know if a tire can fall out of balance just sitting on the front stand for a month. Or, is there something more ominous I should be concerned about. Also noticed a mild scraping sound on the front at slow speed. Almost sounds like the tire is rubbing against something. Thanks all!
If you hear a scraping noise then by all means check the tire for any wear marks. It might be hitting the fender... which it shouldn't do.
There are a lot of things that can cause a wobble in the front end. Tire pressure is probably the most common but could be steering bearings worn or out of adjustment. That's a common problem also.
Is there any signs of fork seal leakage around the forks or on the brake calipers?
The scraping noise could be brake pads...check them for wear. Make sure there's still brake pad material left and that the calipers aren't hitting the disc when it's moving.
Please let us know what you find and if there's any more questions please ask.
Just another thought Mark . If the bike sat in a parking lot for a month , is it possible the sun has caused a buble to form where it may have had continuos afternoon sun/heat in a concentrated spot ? This could cause a scrape and wobble .
That's pretty much what it's doing. The scraping or rubbing sound is prevalent when I'm coasting or at slow speed. The wobble gets pronounced at around 45 mph. I'm going to go ahead and order the bearings and seals. My problem is I'm 450 miles from home and not scheduled to get off the boat until end of May. Will I be taking any undo risks riding the bike that far on what may be front bearings going bad? Would I be able to ride it home, checking the status of the bearings and wheel at certain intervals? I need some guidance on this. If the risk is too great, then I can have the bearings shipped to my mother-in-law's house which is only about 70 miles from where I am and install the bearings there. Problem with that is I don't have the proper tools to do the job there. I would have to buy them in order to install the bearings at her house. Best case scenario would be to be able to baby the bike home to Panama City Beach and do the job at home.
oneawing mentioned the bubble in the tire thing. I don't know about that. The bike sits in the parking lot on the center stand under cover. It's possible, but it's a brand new tire.
Thanks everyone!! And if anyone else can offer any advice it will be greatly appreciated.
Ray....I see no leakage around the fork tubes at all. I'll aso check the brake pads to see if the are bumping the rotor.
Thanks again all!!
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