| Author | Message | ||
     Joojoo |
hi guys, I noticed that if I take my hands of my bars over 80KM' my handlebars shake left to right ever so slightly. It seems to be gone at over 100KM and at less than 80KM/H. Im on my 12S, and Im not sure if thats normal or not? I dont know if its wind, or road vibes...of if my rim/forks/head bearing is bent? If there was a problem with my rim/forks/head bearing would the shake be there at all speeds? Should I get this checked out? anyone else get it? Jack edited by joojoo on May 01, 2004 | ||
| Sshbsn |
My XB12R always seems to want to shimmy a little. I've set the suspension according to the manual, checked tire pressure, and it's unchanged. Even at relatively slow speeds, 50 mph or so, if I let go of the grips it shakes its head some. There was another thread recently that explored this. | ||
| M1combat |
Possibly a worn front tire. Mine did this also until I swapped to Sportec M1's @ 35/37Psi Front/Rear. | ||
| Spike |
I've ridden a few XBs that have that tendency. My 12R would do it occasionally when I first got it, but as soon as I set the suspension settings it went away. Now it only shows up when I'm riding two up and I don't adjust the rear preload for a passenger. It seems to me that it's caused by unweighting the front end. Assuming you've already checked tire pressure and checked for tire cupping, try going up a click on the rear preload or down half a line on the front preload to see if that helps. Mike L. '04 XB12R | ||
| Glitch |
If you set it up to factory specs. Make sure you weigh yourself with all your gear on. I have an XB9S and it feels solid at all speeds. | ||
| Joojoo |
Hey Spike, whats tire cupping? Jack | ||
| Joojoo |
Thanks for the info guys, If it were a bent rim/ or forks or a messed bearing, I would feel it at all speeds right? Jack | ||
| Jasonxb12s |
Hey Jack, As they have said,,,check your suspension settings. I did that first thing when taking possesion and haven't had a twitch... Jason | ||
| Joojoo |
I had the lower suspension from the Low put into my 12S.....maybe thats what it is... Ill check the setting..see whats going on.. Jack | ||
| Trenchtractor |
Sportbikes generally have wieghted bar ends to help out with this... The 12S/9S only have plastic ends... Fitting up a set of wieghted bar ands mighthelp out. Having said that, I have a set of motorcross bend Pro Taper bars with motorcross grips, no bar wieghts... Mine has no shimmy at all. And the front tyre is just about due for replacement, worn on the edges, not really worn in the centre, tho... Might have to push into turns a bit less... LOL | ||
| Gt75074 |
I experienced the same symptoms with mine almost from new, but the demo bike from the same dealership was fine. We checked tire pressures, suspension settings and steering head bearings - then I had them swap front wheels and the symptoms on mine disappeared. The dealer gave me a new tire and everything's been perfect in that regard for the past 6,000KM. | ||
| Freyke |
Check for cupping on the front tire... the stock front in mine started cupping around 3,000Mi - keep after the pressure though.. After keeping the pressure within spec the cupping on my mront actally went away afte some tinme...I keep mine at the recommended PSI;36 Front, 38 Rear... And -I'm still only getting about 3,000Mi out of a rear and 6000Mi from a front... | ||
| Joojoo |
Well, I just went out and tried setting my suspension for the first time...WOW, the settings were nowhere near correct for my weight. I hope I feel a difference riding the bike, and that the slight movement at 80KM/h goes away....gotta wait for the rain to end.. Jack | ||
| Midknyte |
Be so very careful getting reaquainted with the feel of the bike, especially when changing multiple parameters. | ||
| Fullpower |
no something is most definitely very wrong with your bike. get it fixed immediately by a professional. my XB is rock steady. i can stand up on the pegs, and hold my hands straight out to the sides, in any gear, from 10mph to 80 mph. the bike is inherently stable from first gear at idle up to 80 MPH. either you are upsetting the bikes dynamics yourself, or something is very wrong with the bike. you may wish to check your steering head bearings, swingarm bearings, wheelbearings, wheel balance, tire pressure, tread condition, and even the front engine isolator. again, this is NOT NORMAL, you have a problem in need of repair. good luck, dean | ||
| Torqer |
Yeah... What he said. Start with the simple stuff... like your front tire and the road surface. | ||
| Moboy516 |
Mine did this until I put new 208s on it. Problem solved. | ||
| Joojoo |
Ok, rode the bike after dialing the right suspension setting! MUCH BETTER RIDE. The vibes that I noticed are not there when my hands are touching the bars, and only come in when decelerating with my hands off the bars..Im pretty sure that its the wind/and the road surface and the vibes coming from the bike causing the slight movement in the handles. If it were an issue with the bike, it would be doing it at all speeds, not just during deceleration at around the 80 mark. plus I would feel it when I had my hands on the bars too I assume. Much better with dialed in suspension! Jack | ||
| Buckinfubba |
road surface, tire condition, tire pressures, suspension setup,,,,a bunch of stuff can go into it. but always remember all roads are different in their surface structures | ||
| Xbolt12 |
My XB12R did it too with stock tires and some cupping. Replaced tires with M1's and problem is not noticeable, but to be frank, with the XB's geometry I don't feel safe decelerating with no-hands (which is exactly when I first noticed it). I have set up my suspension, so that is not the issue. I did notice some runout on the front wheel when I had the bike on the stands and spun the tire, so it could be that this is the culprit, combined with very quick geometry on the XB. I would not suggest going no-handed with engine deceleration though as it seems that the XB is stable largely because of the heavy weight (rider) bias on the front wheel. Sport Rider ran a test on an 02 Firebolt and noted that the rider position is several inches forward of most sportbikes. I found this out the hard way by standing on the pegs when accelating up a long hill and hitting a series of bumps in the road. The result was the most frightening headshake I've ever experienced in 30 some years of riding. Even my YZ400F (which is very prone to headshake) has never been quite as violent (close though). I will probably get a damper soon. Anyway, be safe and keep at least one hand on the bars. I will keep you all posted if it turns out the wheel is the cause on my bike. xbolt12 |
