Steering Problem !

bsmith00 · 11-14-2005, 09:05 PM

Im not sure if this is ok, but im just making sure.. when i am at about 45mph and slow down to about 38mph, lets just say, and i let go of the handlebars slightly the front wheel starts to shake really bad, too the point i would crash in less than 5seconds if i let go completely. i dont think this is ok !
whats my problem and what do i do to fix it ?

Redstar11 · 11-14-2005, 09:46 PM

Jack the front end of your bike off the groud.

Grab the front forks and pull on them. If there is any slop, your steering head bearings are whooped out.

Also, check your wheel for true and tire pressure.

21 natas · 11-15-2005, 01:39 AM

you might be lucky and it could just be that the tire needs to be balanced.

Redstar11 · 11-15-2005, 08:41 AM

Even with an out of balance tire, it shouldn't cause a side to side movement. If his tire was SEVERELY cupped, it might.

adamf2 · 11-15-2005, 08:50 AM

Everytime I need a new front tire, it does the same thing. Right around the same speed too. It doesn't shake bad enough to be considered a tank slapper or anything, but it is enough to make you grab the clip on's real quick and regain control. As soon as I get a new tire, it goes away.

Juniper · 11-15-2005, 09:52 AM

Redstar, if there's only a very slight amount of movement in the head bearings, how likely is it that the bearings are just out of adjustment? Does play automatically mean the bearings need to be replaced?

Redstar11 · 11-15-2005, 10:36 AM

Juniper, it's really going to depend most on what kind of bearings you have in your steering head.

Chances are, if your bike is an 89, it's never been looked at. You will want to re-pack those bearings with grease. A tiny bit of play isn't going to be critical, however, you will want to check the fall away of your steering head. Grab a service manual for your bike, and perform the fall away procedure.

Are you actually having problems with wobble in your front end?

BcVulcan · 11-15-2005, 10:43 AM

I would bet on the tire being ready to replace. Front tire "cupping" always causes this. Feel the front tire. Does it feel like it has "ripples" in it as you rubb down the tread? If so, this is most likely your problem.

bsmith00 · 11-15-2005, 01:33 PM

im not sure , it is not just at that speed as i found out today, it is as the bike is just anytime i let go of the handlebars really.. the handlebar shakes and moves back and forth and gets crazy unless i hold it when it still is sometimes wobbling.
i looked at the tire and i really dont know about the ripples, the tread is pretty new and there are ripples on the sidewalls, but im not seeing anything on the part that hits the gorund!

Juniper · 11-15-2005, 10:12 PM

Thanks for the info, Redstar. I don't know what "fall away" is, and there doesn't seem to be any info on it in my Clymer manual. It just tells me how to disassemble the whole thing. It doesn't even say how it can be adjusted, although from the looks of it, it's very similar to the setup on bicycles, and from my knowledge of those, they loosen over time and simply need to be readjusted. My steering turns smoothly with no binding whatsoever with the front wheel off the ground, so I'm hoping this might be the case for me. But you're right about a 16 year-old bike possibly needing an overhaul. I won't cry if that's the case, but would prefer to save a few bucks if it's not yet needed. As for the type of bearings, the only info I've found on that is that they're roller bearings. I'm not sure if that's what you were talking about.
Like you say, the bike certainly isn't in critical condition and feels fine to ride. However, under harder braking, I can hear and feel a small knock. It'll do the same thing when I lean it over aggressively sometimes. With the bike parked and the front wheel in the air, I can feel a very slight amount of play which doesn't seem to be from the wheel bearings; it does it when I push front-back as well as side-side. On the highway, it also appears that headshake is induced pretty easily - although not alarmingly so - even though my front tire still seems good. Could that be another sign that it wouldn't hurt to snug up the bearings? Fork oil and seals were done recently and the bike seems to track at least reasonably true (I can never tell with the camber in the road), and handles well for its age overall.

DIVER65 · 11-16-2005, 07:32 AM

Had the same problem with my bike, had the tires balanced that helped but didn't eliminate the problem so I figured since mine is a '93 I would replace the head bearings, that solved the problem.

Good luck.

Redstar11 · 11-16-2005, 08:39 AM

Juniper, alot of times I have seen a knock noise and sound associated with bearings going bad. You may want to tighten up your steering head a little bit as a temporary solution. However, you are going to want to replace those head bearings. They see lots of loads, from acceleration, cornering, and hard braking. They do wear out over time. I replaced the steering head bearings every 20,000 miles or so on my CBR900's.

Juniper · 11-16-2005, 11:29 AM

Thanks very much for the advice, Redstar. I'll be looking into changing the bearings, or getting them changed, when I take the bike out next season.

zedx11 · 11-16-2005, 12:53 PM

what about wheel bearings? If you are going to have the front apart you might as well make sure you check them too.

Redstar11 · 11-16-2005, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zedx11

what about wheel bearings? If you are going to have the front apart you might as well make sure you check them too.

Definately check those while you are there.