| Author | Message | ||
     Oldwesterncowboy |
OK, I give. I have tweaked and tweaked my shocks. They are now at the suggested settings per the owners manual. They are fine for the most part, but when I break 90, the front end stats to wobble. I even had the front tire rebalanced. its an 09xt w/ 4000mi. And no, I don't have a death grip on the bars. I have had 10+ bikes in the last 22+ years and this is the first one that is unstable at high speed. How would you suggest I set the suspension? Im 6' 260lbs. | ||
| Rwven |
Probably from all that gear you have bolted onto your handlebars....just a thought.....  http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142838/568053.jpg (Message edited by rwven on May 26, 2010) | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
That did cross my mind.  I guess it could cause it.  I may need a steering damper  | ||
| Paralegalpete |
I weigh less than you and my settings are "up" all around from the factory settings | ||
| Etennuly |
Front tire wear pattern? Air pressure too low or too high? Have you retorqued your steering head bearings? | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
tire wear, even air pressure, fine re torqued steering head, no,will check | ||
| D2wing |
I dunno but get it fixed right. After a wreck that broke 7 bones and put me in permanent pain, don't ride it like that. Double check fork settings, increase damping. It could be anything, frame damage, bearings, improper load. I dunno but don't risk it. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Did you account for the added weight of all that hardware in doing your suspension settings? The location of that stuff would also tend to give you a significant weight bias towards the front compared to the normal loading of a bike with rider, passenger, and luggage, so I'd think you should go at least one "step" up on the front suspension settings, maybe more. | ||
| Someday |
I found when I put the saddlebags on my bike, even empty, at speeds over 80 mph I can detect a SLIGHT front end oscillation. This happens regardless of tire brand, pressures are 37 frnt - 39 rear. It's a stock '08X. I do have the suspension set quite soft. It does NOT happen when the bags are off. | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
this happens with or without bags. I will firm up all settings to max | ||
| Xbeau12s |
When I get to 100 on my 07 it starts to wobble a little bit. I took off my bags and put the stock screen on and it's smooth as butter and I got it up to 130 without to much fuss. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I will firm up all settings to max I can almost guarantee you that is NOT the right thing to do. People on this forum have found time and time again that the factory recommended suspension settings are very close to being right on the money. Once you're sure you've got it adjusted by the book for the weight you're actually carrying on the bike (you, riding gear, and all your gadgetry) AND that the problem still exists, make a slight increase in pre-load and damping settings, ride the bike, evaluate, and then change again IF necessary. Otherwise, you're apt to make the problem worse or cause another problem. | ||
| Tootal |
Is your axle clamp screw tight? Have seen mechanics forget that step. Was the lower fork clamp loose when the steering head bearings were torqued? They should be. I don't know if you or the dealer did the work, just throwing out possibilities. | ||
| Crempel |
Sorry, not trying to be a pinhead, but he weighs 260 and has all that stuff on the rear of the bike. I should think the front end would be a bit light or wobbly. Remember this is a relatively tall bike with a short wheel base. I have personally done a fair bit of fiddling with the suspension settings and never had a front end wobble no matter how much I loaded the bike, how fast I rode it, or how badly worn the tires were. That being said I would check the steering head bearing torque. | ||
| Crempel |
Another thought just popped into my head. What windscreen to you have? | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
ok, I just got back from a run up and down the interstate. suspension all settings at full stiff (they used to be at the recommended settings). it was worse, could'nt get over 85 I then set them all to full soft (except preload) now its just like before, cant get over 95. however, I did notice one thing. it is worse when passing through the turbulence from trucks and traffic. I have the factory xt screen and palmer brackets, set all the way up and out. Having the suspension on soft does make for a nice ride, if I was touring. | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
oh, and the dealer has done all the work on it. at least until its out of warranty | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
just found this..... interesting. Ride Quality Enhancement The stock settings are designed to offer sufficient chassis control, but some may choose to enhance ride comfort over rougher road conditions or for long rides. Adjusting the compression setting will reduce both high and low speed damping. Adjust suspension for rider weight. See Factory Suspension Settings: XB Models. Increase ride quality by reducing front and rear compression damping by turning adjuster counterclockwise 1/4-1 turn. If additional ride quality is desired, reduce the rear preload one position and reduce the front preload by turning adjuster counterclockwise one turn. If maximum ride quality is desired, decrease front and rear rebound damping by turning adjusters counterclockwise by 1/4-1/2 turn. Enhanced Steering Quickness The response to steering input (quickness) may be enhanced by adjusting the vehicles front/rear ride height. This adjustment effectively decreases the vehicles rake angle. This is achieved by adjusting the preload to increase front sag and reduce rear sag. Adjust suspension for rider weight. See Factory Suspension Settings: XB Models. Reduce steering effort by increasing the rear preload as follows: For Firebolt and Lightning models, increase rear preload one position. For Ulysses models, increase rear preload 4 turns (8 clicks). If more enhanced steering and cornering control is desired, reduce front preload by turning adjuster counterclockwise one turn. If additional enhanced steering and cornering control is desired, increase rear compression damping by turning adjuster clockwise by 1/4-1/2 turn. If maximum enhanced steering and cornering control is desired, increase front rebound damping by turning adjuster clockwise 1/4 turn. Chassis Control/Handling Enhancement To provide more road surface feedback on smoother road conditions, increase compression and rebound settings. Adjust suspension for rider weight. See Factory Suspension Settings: XB Models. Increase chassis/handling control by increasing front and rear compression damping by turning adjuster clockwise by 1/2-1 1/2 turns. If maximum chassis control/handling control is desired, increase front and rear rebound damping by turning adjuster clockwise by 1/4-1/2 turn. | ||
| Badrap |
I have found that the steering head bearings to be the #1 culprit with head shake. Make sure you check them. Aerodynamics could definitely be a major part of that also. | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
I have reset the settings to factory suggestions for a full load. need to do a test ride. (if this could tell, i dunno but. if while sitting still, I grab the bars and push pull thrash turn, like I'm trying to rip off the head.) there is no play or roughness felt. of all other bikes I have owned sport bikes,including a goldwing-over 120 felt like you were about to lift off the ground. cruisers-over 100 felt like the engine would explode. but my 01 BMW K1200RS - over 110 the ride got smoother and quieter, like you went into warp speed. up to 150 then the electronic limiter kicks in.  should have never sold that one. but none of them were unstable like this. (Message edited by oldwesterncowboy on May 27, 2010) | ||
| Rwven |
While you are in the experimenting mood you may as well strip the gear off the handlebars and see if that makes a difference. Try different windshield angles and heights too. | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
I did try a different angle on the palmer brackets, but didn't have an effect. (Message edited by oldwesterncowboy on May 27, 2010) | ||
| Sharkguy |
Mine seems to have a slight ocillation at speeds above 60. I was behind a car hauler cruising at about 70, and the bike became a real handful. The bike was fully loaded with camping gear, bags, tank bag. Shocks all set per manual for guesstimated weight. I also had the palmer large adjustable shield fitted. I have recently placed the stock shield back on. It seems to have made some difference. I also got to thinking that maybe the handguards might be some of the cause. Has anyone removed theirs to see what the difference might be? | ||
| Catalan42 |
Hi - I have a Lightning as well as the Uly, and under some circumstances it would get a little wobble in the bars (85-90, mild sweeping turn, rough pavement). Suspension settings were per the MOM. I didn't want to risk it getting worse under some yet unencountered circumstances, so I got the LSL steering damper from American Sport Bike: http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/9048.html I like it a lot and highly recommend it. Even the max damping setting does not impede slow-speed manuevers, and you don't even notice it while driving. Sure provides some peace-of-mind! Alan | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I've noticed mine has a slight oscillation in the front when accelerating out of a sweeper. It all disappears instantly when I get off the throttle and put some weight back on the front, so I'm not too worried about it. Note: '09 XT with 135 lb rider set to Service Manual listed suspension specs, stock XT handguards and windscreen. 99% of the time I have the trunk case on but no bags. (Message edited by pkforbes87 on June 02, 2010) | ||
| Standingdeadwood |
Did you ever see the video of a guy on the salt flats, with severe head shake at high speed and he bails off the bike. Once he's off the bike, the head shake stops and the bike goes straight down the track without a rider? | ||
| Etennuly |
A long while back there was a rider who had this problem with his new Uly. It turned out that his steering head bearings were out of adjustment, making the front end a little loose feeling. To compound the problem he found that his riding jacket was misfit and catching air making his body feel unstable which in turn made him grip the bars in an overly tight manor that forced the bike to feel and probably become unstable at higher speeds. The Dunlop D616 front tire did this kind of thing also. It's single groove around the center of the tire made it "swim" for a direction. That went away when the tire was half worn. | ||
| Tootal |
I rode the Uly to work today and on the way home I threw it left to right hard at 40 50 60 70 and 80 mph. It was stable as a rock. I don't have any problem at all. My question is if your turning hard are you on the gas cause it could be getting light up front as your tire leaves the ground! | ||
| Sekalilgai |
Chris I weigh as you (if you ate a huge lunch!) and had probably 70lb of gear on one of my trips. The bike was steady well past 100mph. How tough to remove the shield to test? I had a tall ZG that was sensitive to crosswinds....  taken with the right hand on the throttle... | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
Its been raining so I have not been able to get up to 90. I did raise up the hand guards. they and the levers where a bit low. I am starting to think its air flow around my gps and radar detector. my speakers are behind the screen. If there is no other cars(usually never) its not as bad. so I think its more about airflow. in corners it handles fine. this only happens over 90mph. (handlebars go slight back/forth wobble) |
