| Author | Message | ||
     Ginzero |
I took the XB out to Highway 33 in Ojai (Southern California) this weekend via PCH. What an awsome ride it was! Everything was good except that when trying to take turns at above 50 and leaning the front end was wobbly. The last thing that was done to the suspension was at the dealer to set it up for my weight. I'm 140lbs and I'm thinking the front end was set too soft. Before I try tightening up the front fork can anyone suggest/comment on suspension setup? Thanks!! | ||
| Tpoppa |
Verify that the suspension was setup per the manual. I have seen dealers get this wrong before. What do you mean by wobbly? | ||
| Ginzero |
Its felt mostly when hitting the apex the front end wobbles/shakes, feels kind of like the bike wants to turn instead of lean. Before the dealer service the bike was very stable and precise when leaned into a sharp turn. | ||
| Telewoodski |
I had the same problem, I checked the tire pressure, and the rebound settings. I was messing with the rebound setting, had it set to high, but when I dropped it back it was fine. A new tire up front helped out too. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Ginz, Check your front and rear preload and your tire pressure (BTW what tires are you running?). Rear preload that is set too high, OR front preload that is set too low, OR too much air pressure in the front tire, can make your front end feel 'twitchy.' This may be what you are describing. Do you have any more detail? Do you notice it under hard acceleration when shifting? | ||
| M1combat |
How many miles on the front tire? Check suspension, pressure and technique. | ||
| Ginzero |
2,818 mi, stock Scorp. Syncs. I just looked at the front tires, they do look worn but I don't know enough to tell if they need to be replaced. I don't notice a twitch under hard acceleration or shifting. I'll definitely be checking pressure and suspensions settings ASAP. -edit- Come to think of it, the bike cornered fine when I got it back from the dealer. It's only been the last few rides where I've noticed it being twictchy. If it isnt the tire pressure, I'm thinking i may need a new front tire. Does 2,818mi on the front tire seem right? (Message edited by ginzero on September 26, 2005) | ||
| M1combat |
Depends on the setup and style. I'd look at the rear first. If the rear has a worn/flat strip down the middle then it can do weird things as you lean it over the edge of the flat strip. One thing I found with my Mezeler M1's was that I wear the front so that it looks triangular (worn angles at about 40-45 degrees or so) and the center is still nice and round. The rear gets worn flatter in the center and round to the edges. About half way through my third rear (second front) it starts to do weird things. I now swap the front every other rear whether it needs it or not  . I let one front go until there was MAYBE 1/64" tread left at about a 45 degree angle (1/2 way down the side of the tire on either side)... That tire was doing strange things even at low speed low lean angles (but felt pretty stable at a 45 degree lean angle  ). I've also learned that the less tread a tire has, the quicker it wears. I guess it doesn't have enough tread to flex, so it slides instead... | ||
| Firewhirl |
Bought my firebolt with tires in the bad condition that M1 states. I also had the wobble going on. I found the suspension setttings were changed from factory default. I adjusted all the settigns to factory specs which just happen to match my 160lb weight. Wobble all gone even on hard acceleration pulling out from a turn with the same worn out tires. Check the settigns yourself easy to do, I would not count on anyone to do it for me. | ||
| 1slowbuell |
tire pressure? | ||
| Kowpow225 |
May want to re-torque your steering head bearings too, but I'd guess its the suspension. Usually the SH bearings give a clunk or 10 up through the bars when braking with the front. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
What M1 said, plus check your front tire pressure and steering head bearings. My 03 XB9 would try to turn in on me if the tire pressure was only 2 PSI low. I had to tighten the steering head bearings at about 2K miles as well. | ||
| Metalstorm |
My 12S had a little wiggle when I'd accelerate hard out of a corner. I turned my front rebound out 1/8 of a turn & it went away. These bikes are definitely sensitive to the smallest suspension change. | ||
| Interex2050 |
The set-up I am running at the moment is: front- preload: 2 lines compression: 1.5 out rebound: .75 out rear- preload: 6th notch compression: 1 out rebound: 1.25 out With pirelli diablos I am at 160 lbs This set-up isn't very "typical" from what I have seen, nor is it the best for street riding. But it does wonders for my weekend canyon rides. Stable, responsive, fun. Although it greatly lowers ones ability to take turns at high speeds on uneven pavement. | ||
| Az_m2 |
Would lowering the front-end (reduce front pre-load) and raising the rear-end (increase rear pre-load) cause more front-end wobble? Would the reverse settings make the bike more stable feeling? | ||
| Interex2050 |
Well in theory yes. By lowering the front and raising the rear would give you a smaller front rake. By raising the front and lowering the rear would give you a larger front rake. |
