| Author | Message | ||
     Co2bruce |
now have 600 miles on my new Uly. I like everything about this bike except I have noticed that above 70 mph this bike is very "nervous" for lack of a better word. Its far from stable while riding in a straight line and I'm wondering if there is something wrong with mine, or is this normal (?) for this bike. I also own a GS, Tiger, and Ducati Monster and they are all very stable up past 100 mph. Any ideas or help is greatly appreciated. p.s. I set the suspension up according to the book | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
Wouldnt think thats normal, I've done over 100mph through the twisties near Zion UT, and over 120 on the highway, always been fine. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Ditto. Mine is solid as a rock. | ||
| Bosh |
Doesn't sound normal to me either. Not a rain groove issue is it? | ||
| Clayman |
ive been told that its the tire tread, and also tire pressure | ||
| Larryboy |
mine is the same,bruce. it's like the tires would prefer to corner rather than ride in a straight line.i've upped the tire pressures and can live with it now. | ||
| Snub13 |
There was a good bit of discussion about this awhile ago. I had/have the same problem but Chad Hargis came up with a possible cause and I agree with him that the nervousness is caused by the fact that the bike steers so quickly that any input to the bars causes a wiggle, when going at speed the wind blast on the arms and chest produces unwanted steering inputs and thus the wiggle. For the same reasons the tire pressure and suspension adjustments are very important. I have been combating this with a slightly more relaxed grip on the bars and more of a tuck. This works for the short term but I will need a long term solution for extended highway usage (if the weather ever gets better). Perhaps one of the taller windscreens will do the trick. | ||
| Dr_greg |
It's funny. When I testrode mine back in September I noticed the "slow wandering" that has been mentioned (maybe that's not what you're referring to here). Well, I bought the bike (the same one I testrode) and 5,000 miles later the problem is gone. Maybe I just got used to it and relaxed. It still has minor "tankslapper" behavior here and there, but not a problem. And this is coming from a guy who had two major surgeries on his humerus from an 80 mph tankslapper crash two yrs ago... | ||
| Blake |
I've not heard of a single Uly having a "tankslapper." I wish folks would stop using that term when it doesn't apply. As the Doc and his humerus well know, an actual tank slapper is a ferocious thing. Bruce, Welcome to BadWeB and your first post. Suggest you check your tire pressure, especially in front. Also ensure that your riding gear is not too loose. A loose jacket can cause the behavior you are talking about. Also try to relax your grip on the handlebars, sometimes ergonomics and a particular way of grasping, pulling-on, or pushing-on the handlebars will cause a bike to weave at certain speeds. Another thing to consider is proper preload of steering head bearings. Try removing the windscreen and see if the behavior is repeatable. If not, then that is a good indication that it is the interaction of ergonomics and aerodynamics peculiar to you and your gear that may be initiating the weaving behavior. Try changing your riding stance/position too and see if that effects the behavior of the bike at speed. Who is your servicing dealership? | ||
| Blake |
One more suggestion: While you may have adjusted the suspension according to specification, there is a bit of tolerance, so once you have eliminated all the above and still notice the weaving behavior, try readjusting yoru suspension to minimum front sag and maximum rear and then vice versa if that doesn't affect the behavior. Play around with it a little is all I'm saying. One more issue to check is the front axle to ensure that it is properly torqued and not binding the forks. Loosen pinch bolts, loosen axles, work forks up and down vigorously without actuating front brake, then tighten axle, tighten pinch bolts. This may require dealer involvement. The same scenario applies to the fork clamps at the steering head. Best to have your dealer perform those checks though. Unless you are very confident in your ability and experience to do so yourself. Let us know what you find. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Blake, THANK YOU!! I'm so tired of the people who have said to me, "yeah, I had a tankslapper once and I just relaxed and it went away." Uh-huh, right... The Ulysses' behavior is NOTHING like a REAL tankslapper. Nothing at all. If it were I wouldn't be riding it. | ||
| Co2bruce |
Thanks for all the advice, I will look into these suggestions. My dealer is Harley Davidson of Pompano FL and I'm afraid I know more about this bike than they do. I do have a friend that can do the re-torque on the front suspension. I'll let you know. As far as grip, gear, etc I will experiment, but It's the same gear I ride all my other bikes with (no problem) | ||
| Blake |
Right, and all your other bikes have different ergonomics and different wind screens. It was an interesting first post though. | ||
| Josh_ |
My S1 shook like crazy at 70MPH. 'Till I stopped wearing the nylon Buell jacket. Never had it happen on any other bike. | ||
| Fllbikerwolf |
Co2bruce, I have the same dealer, Billy B in parts knows them inside and out and Eddie back in service is pretty good with them too. The sales people are a different story. I almost didn't buy my Uly because of the salesperson. Glad I did though!!  S | ||
| Co2bruce |
I've dealt wit Billy in parts, he's a great guy. 600 miles and counting, so I'll meet Dave soon. | ||
| Cactusjack578 |
Co2, you have a nice collection of bikes. Which do you ride most often? Cactus Jack | ||
| Co2bruce |
I bought the Uly to replace my Tiger. The Uly is just more fun to ride. The Uly will stay up in North Carolina (we have a house near Asheville). The GS and Monster are here in South Florida. I have put more miles in less time on the BMW than any bike I've ever owned (thats a lot of bikes!) 14000 miles in 12 months (sharing time with other bikes). If I needed to jump on one of my bikes and go to California tomorrow it would be the BMW without hesitation. Not the most exciting, but the most reliable (in my mind) and I can do the valves myself in about 1 hour. The monster is more of a go out to dinner bike. |
