| Author | Message | ||
     Mikerocket |
Got an 03 XB9S. Love it to death. its naked and stock. I have probs keeping it stable after say 75mph or so. Bike intends to be shakey/unstable at higher speeds. I know prob b/c its not aero dynamic, but any of you get over the 80mph mark and feel safe that the bike does not shake? What can I do to improve this? Please dont say lay lower to my fuel tank  Thanks all  | ||
| Sik_s |
I don't really find much need to go faster than that on the bike, but I can tell you one thing I found over time. I can cause my own headshake by gripping the bars too tight. Then when an 18-wheeler or a gust of wind blows by it seems ridiculously unstable. I hold the outer end of the bars and with a medium-light grip. Not so light to where a bump or something will knock your hand off, but you catch the drift. Others may say steering dampner, but after doing this I don't feel I need one anymore. Maybe in the future if I have money to splurge, but I digress. | ||
| Mikerocket |
Sik-s, I experience the same. I too feel that I squeeze the hand grips way hard. My trip one way to work is 25 miles. My hands even wearing gloves kind of ache. I did what you said and it helps allot, but heck once I hit over 75mph... uggghhh I hate that turbulance feeling of me shaking | ||
| Sik_s |
I still find that I have to take my hands off of the grips to stretch every so often because they have found the dreaded "Death Grip!". Relax, make sure you bend your elbows, straighten out your back and keep your hands towards the end of bars which will help stabilize you. Atleast it worked for me after my initial problem with stability at speeds, but I also have big hands. If you have small claws, you may need to keep your paws inboard. Also don't forget to tuck your head down, if you don't have the R fairing/aftermarket S fairing you are going to get blasted by the wind (I hear a double bubble/touring screen helps alot) Don't forget too, once the winds for the day approach and surpass 20 mph or so YOU WILL GET TOSSED ABOUT regardless of everything else. My MSF instructor told me once that when you start riding it is like 90% physical and 10% mental. Once you learn to ride well it is much less. Maybe 20% physical and 80% mental. (That's not a direct quote, I had to guess at the numbers, but it is something like that.) Then you can ride much longer with far less fatigue. The ride that used to kill you on the XB after 250 miles is merely the drive you do now to get to the twisties!  (Message edited by sik_s on April 20, 2006) | ||
| Stretchman |
Other thing to check is shock settings. If you have a manual, peruse what it says and adjust accordingly. Oh, and BTW, keep yer hands to yerself. J/K Stretch | ||
| Sik_s |
That should be a given at this point, but apparently not. The manual is a good place to start, but this chart will let you start at a happy place.  | ||
| Kdan |
I really don't mind the small amount of buffeting over 80mph. But it is to be expected given the design of the bike and if you just maintain a light grip on the bars, it will go a lot better for you. | ||
| Rpmchris |
I agree with what has been said - use a lighter touch on the handlebars, and adjust the suspension to your liking. Also, check your tires for balance and wear. After that, try a steering damper. I have the LSL and it did the trick for me. Mine is set on "4" of "7" for street riding. The super short wheelbase XB is extremely "flickable" for that very reason, and the engineers also made it stable at high speeds. But lots of things can contribute to your stated problems. I, too, had some "pause" at higher speeds. I did all these things previously stated, plus new Michelin Pilot Road tires, and my '12S is now confidence inspiring. | ||
| Fastfxrs |
Other people have checked/tightened steering head and problems resolved. | ||
| Skully |
My XB9S is perfectly stable at an indicated 125mph. The tires have the recommended pressures and the suspension is set up per the chart in the owner's manual. If you have any questions, send me an email. Keith | ||
| Superbee24 |
Hey Mike, I thought I saw your bike and helmet on craigslist. Are you getting rid of your XB ? Superbee | ||
| Mikerocket |
Superbee - I saw that. I contact that person off craigslist.org and told him not to use my picture due to false advertisment. I think someone else is selling their Buell and saw my pic either from here or at the other forums. Craigslist is full of scammers. I anyways told him to remove my picture, which also I removed from my photobucket website. Wow... how crooked some people are and mainly craigslist. I tried to sale my boat one time from there and I got a bunch of international scammers trying to rip me off on it w/ fake money orders. I hear all horror stories. looks like anyways they removed my pics. That a$$hole!! | ||
| Mikerocket |
oh.. and I would not sale my sexy a$$ buell anyways.. U think I am that crazy. I just got it about a month ago. lol | ||
| Superbee24 |
That's what I thought. I said, dang he just got it, must not have liked it. Oh well, whatever. I am supposed to sell my CityX this Saturday. Hopefully will be on a ULY soon afterwards. Superbee | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Mike, what kind of tires are on your 9? | ||
| Tpoppa |
My XB9S is stable at all speeds. If you have stability issues you need to check front & rear preload, tire pressure, and the steering head bearings. Sik, are those settings for the R or the S | ||
| Joele |
I followed a number of recommendations to mitigate the twitchiness at 80+ MPH (track speeds) - ultimately did two things that really paid off 1) A lower seat (a Corbin in my case) 2) Steering damper (LSL) So many people will tell you that these things aren't required but I think everyone's situation is different due to the tight geometry of the XBs - so each case needs to be independently evaluated. | ||
| Cruisin |
Please recheck the torque on your steering head bearings...if they are improperly torqued you can get a nasty shake at certain speeds. A steering damper may hide the issue, but not fix it. Make sure the front end is off the ground when you do it. unevenly worn tires may do it as well, although to a lesser effect. | ||
| Sik_s |
That's a good question, that I don't remember the answer to, maybe someone else can chime in. I think I was told that Shawn Higbee or something like that made up those setting for aggressive handling. | ||
| Dbyrd3130 |
i have been very happy with my "laminar lip"...where i used to feel significant buffeting after 70 mph...now up to 110 mph with no ill effects. in fact, the faster i go, the better it gets...pretty scary?...lol suspension settings are extremely important as well! for photo see profile. | ||
| M1combat |
A steering damper is a band-aid for everything but wobble coming out of a turn while heeled over at full or near full throttle and the front is getting VERY light. IMO they are not meant to solve any other problem. Just MO... Assuming a suspension that is set to "known good values"... From my experience I have learned that most shakes or feelings of insecurity at near triple digit speeds come from the rider. Too tight of a grip, too loose of clothing, too much weight supported on the hands etc... Ride with a light grip (give the bike suggestions as opposed to orders). Make sure your apparel isn't flapping in the wind. Don't rest your upper body mass on your hands. Support it with your back/legs etc. This will help with your hands getting sore as well. Generally I try to grip the bars only tight enough to to make sure I don't accidentally let go of the throttle. I try to keep my elbows loose. With no fairing... you should lean in when you're hauling ass  . (Message edited by M1Combat on April 20, 2006) | ||
| Debueller |
I had a FJ1200 that was not confindence inspiring at speeds over 85-90mph. I had the tires/wheels balanced and what a difference! I have since bought my own static wheel balancer and try to always balance new tires to within 1/4 oz. Running unbalanced wheels is hard on alot of the bikes components as well. | ||
| Geofg |
Make sure your jacket isn't flapping in the breeze, too. I found a loose jacket was the cause of high-speed shake for me a few years back. Earlier M1 said: Make sure your apparel isn't flapping in the wind. Um, yeah. What M1 said. -Geof  (Message edited by geofg on April 20, 2006) | ||
| Mikerocket |
the tires are new that was put on by the prvious owner. What is steering head bearings? I have still yet to mess with suspension setting, but I iknow the rear coil is off some due to my weight and where its set at. I'll try that this weekend  Thanks guys!! | ||
| Bikin2222 |
That's great Info Sik, Thanks! I have the same problem. Starts at a little faster speed though, like above 95 MPH. Coming from riding sport bikes, these XB's ARE pretty scary. With a 52 inch wheelbase & only 21 degrees of rake, I think they really need a steering stabilizer. | ||
| Diablobrian |
These bikes are pretty sensitive to proper suspension settings. Make sure those are at least close before worrying about adding a steering damper. | ||
| Sik_s |
No thanks needed, thank the people that posted that in the past on the board, wish I could be helpful. | ||
| Buellistic |
Beware of the "DEATH GRIP" on the handlebars !!! | ||
| Cruisin |
You know that shiny bolt that your triple tree pivots on. Those are your steering head bearings. You jack up the front of the bike to do it, but you loosen the pinch bolt, loosen the main bolt, then retorque it to the correct spec. It's in the service manual. My bike had a little shake at certain speeds because I over-torqued that bolt. Once I torqued it to the correct spec, it went away. That being said, all the other things are also true (wind blast, too tight a grip, clothing being too big, etc). At those speeds some people have a tendency to grip the bars tightly. With the wind hitting your body that can transfer to instability in the pressure you apply to the handlebars. (Message edited by Cruisin on April 21, 2006) | ||
| M1combat |
Make sure your tire pressures are correct too. I try to run 31F/33R to 34F/36R. "I" always use a two pound difference, but I'm sure my setup and style are different from yours. You probably don't have the same tires either... |
