| Author | Message | ||
     Nose2wind |
2009 XB12xt 45,000 miles. Well maintained road ridden only. Recently had two incidences of headshake. First time ever since owned from new. One occurred after front end slide from 6" wide tar snake. Bike self corrected after slowing. Second occurred after a major dip in road that upset suspension. Self corrected after slowing, but not until intentional lane change! I have raised bike and pulled on fork tubes fore and aft with no apparent movement. Bearing is smooth (no notchiness) but no resistance either. Is this normal given the conditions? Any suggestions? | ||
| Froggy |
How are your tires and pressure? Worn out or under inflated tires can cause a headshake like you describe. | ||
| Nose2wind |
Thanks for the reply Froggy. I'm running Avon Storm 3d and have been for a while. The front is not new, I would say about 1/2 worn with maybe the slightest cupping starting to show. I run 42/36 on my other bikes, but after looking in the manual, noticed 36/34 recommended. I have been running that lately and after just checking my front was at 32. I normally check my tires every time I go out and that 32 maybe after sitting a while. What do you recommend? | ||
| Akbuell |
A couple of things come to mind. Tire pressure is important, start there. What is the profile of the front tire? If it has moved from a round profile to a triangular one, that can be an issue. You mention no resistance to turning the forks. There is a procedure in the service manual for setting up the steering stem. After the procedure, you should have a measured turning resistance of 1-7 pounds. Might do to raise the front wheel, disconnect the clutch cable, turn the wheel to the right, and see if your turning resistance is as it should be right now. If not, do the procedure and check again. Hope this helps, Dave. | ||
| Nose2wind |
Akbuell, The tire profile is still rounded. I do have a manual and did read up on the head bearings. From what I read, there is no tighting the bearings only replacement. When I had the bike jacked up and pulled on the forks fore and aft. No movement. I did not check the resistance. I would say it is very little. For example if I park the bike on the side stand on pavement the wheel will turn all the way left on its own. Not very scientific. I will look at the manual again and try a measurement. Did I miss something, is there a way to increase resistance? | ||
| Akbuell |
All that comes to mind is the stem cap nut has a +/- torque value. If your resistance value is too low, maybe going to the max torque value on the nut? Hope this helps, Dave | ||
| Nose2wind |
Akbuell, I followed the process in the manual an I believe it tightened things up some, but I don't have a gage. I just torqued to a little over max. I do have a question about position of fork tubes in the upper clamp. There are some alignment lines and I assume the further I extend the tubes out (toward the ground) the more I increase rake and the bike should be more stable? I assume I should go no further than the top line? Also there is a stopper ring mentioned. If I extend the tube the stopper ring moves away from the clamp, is that an issue or does the stopper ring need to be against the clamp? Any suggestions on these tube settings in the clamps? | ||
| Akbuell |
Yes re extending the fork tubes adding trail. The real issue is making sure the tubes are both in the clamps at the same distance. One tube higher/lower in the triple clamps is bad. I used one of those fish weighing scales from a sporting goods store. I calibrated it by weighing a gallon plastic jug of water at the grocery store. Good enough for this application. | ||
| Nose2wind |
Just thought I would report back. I tightened the head stock as stated and also moved the tubes down about 3/16" Bike is steady as a rock. I tried to upset the bike and could not. I may even try moving the tubes back to stock position and see what the results are. The bike my be a little slow at turn in. | ||
| Akbuell |
Glad to hear the problem has been solved. Thanks for the feedback. And be aware that we have 'precise' machines, which may be another way to say sensitive. Sometimes changes in riding position or grip tension can cause changes in handling. Once confident in the handling, try moving the tubes back. Please let us know how it goes. Dave |
