| Author | Message | ||
     Blackdog |
Have an issue with the XB12R. When I encounter uneven pavement (like ruts and grooves going the same direction as the road) the bike feels like it has a flat tire. Several times I've had to stop on the highway just to make sure everything was OK with the bike. If the road is smooth or if I'm in the twisties everything is fine. Tire pressure is spot on per the manual. What adjustments can I make to get rid of that uneasy feeling when I encounter grooved or uneven pavement? I never had this problem with other road bikes. Thanks | ||
| Ghost_rider33 |
What condition is your front tire in? | ||
| Mr2shim |
Suspension set up to your weight and riding conditions? | ||
| Froggy |
What tires you running? | ||
| Blackdog |
Tires are excellent. Pilot Powers. Suspension has been set per manual. I have a GPR stabilizer and it is set at low (#2). | ||
| G234146 |
Death grip on the handlebars? | ||
| Blackdog |
Death grip, could be. I just started riding again after a 22 year break. I have about 3,000 miles on the XB now. I feel more relaxed every time I ride. | ||
| Mr2shim |
GPR.... *drool* Me want...  Death Grip indeed. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
The only thing not mentioned is a loose steering head. I had a similar situation until I had it solved with new tires, re-torqued head, and finally new fork oil. It made a world of difference. | ||
| Bombardier |
May I ask why you have a stabiliser? Maybe its the problem and not the solution as I have found the XB12 to be a very stable bike at all speeds so far. Tire pressure on this bike makes a great deal of difference to the way it tracks. The factory setting of 36 front and 38 rear is a good place to start. (Message edited by Bombardier on October 20, 2008) | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I am not sure what you mean exactly by "feeling like a flat tire". However, I do agree that holding on to the bars too tightly is bad for handling, as it prevents the front end from reacting to irregularities in the road the way it was designed to do. When I got back into riding after many years, I was holding on much too tightly, and it made my hands numb in addition to degrading the handling. I developed a little routine that helped my get rid of this bad habit. I would consciously loosen my grip from time to time, especially when cornering. After the bike was properly set up, I found that once leaned into a corner, one can almost let go of the bars entirely: the bike doesn't need any further inputs. The more seat time, the more relaxed ones hands will become. If you ever watch the MotoGP races on the Speed Channel you will occasionally get a real closeup of the riders hands. They appear to be remarkably relaxed in spite of the incredible pace they are holding. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've learned on grooved pavement, to LET THE BIKE WANDER. Death grip will make things worse - just remember, the grooves make the bike wander, but the grooves don't shoot off the shoulder of the road. Little bit left, little bit right...then it comes back on center, and never changes your direction of travel. +1 on checking the head bearing tightness. My Uly was a little wonky until I set them to spec, now it's MUCH better. | ||
| Blackdog |
I believe I found the problem. I spent 2 hours jacking the bike up and re torqued the bearings. They seemed to have been set right and no change was noted. I then took off the GPR stabilizer and found that when set at "0" I still had too much resistance. Also, it was sticking, it took a lot of pressure just to get it to move. I assembled the bike without the GPR and will test ride it tomorrow. This handling problem has been driving me nuts. My GPR is new and I'll contact them about the issue.  | ||
| Ratbuell |
THAT'll cause a death grip  | ||
| Iamarchangel |
MX rule (and for life too): if the rut is going where you want to go, stay in the rut. Lots of construction around here so lots of grooved roads. Relax and look to the next corner, not in front of the wheel. My bike seems very stable at the speeds I've tried. You haven't indicated what speeds you're at. It does feel like it's skating over grooves but it's not too nerve-wracking. I'm thinking of checking the tire pressure as another thread has indicated that most shops set that to the tire and not the bike. In our case, it's quite a difference. | ||
| Buellatp |
Replace your tires! | ||
| Sloppy |
Why the stabilizer? About the only bikes I know of that needed them are the old YamaKawa 2 strokes of the 80's that would t-slap on corner exit! | ||
| Blackdog |
I called GPR and there sending out a new stabilizer. They said I should not feel much resistance until above the "10" setting, with the one I have now "1" was too much. I'm off for a test drive in a few minutes. | ||
| Dobr24 |
Oh no another discussion on steering dampers!  | ||
| Itchybro |
I have a handling question. As my tires wear, when turning the front seems eager to "drop in" to the point I'm having to push on the bars to keep it from going all the way to lock. What's causing this phenomenon? I've read all manner of things. (including the above regarding the "loose head or bearings" or possibly raise or lower the forks 10mm. Any ideas? (Yes, I'm replacing the tires with Dunlop Roadsmarts by tomorrow.) | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
Are your tires squared off? If so when you transition from the center to the tire edge it can be quite abrupt. That is exactly what my sync's were like until I binned them |
