| Author | Message | ||
     Rsm688 |
Okay guys well I bought a 99 cyclone with 9400 miles on it yesterday. I noticed after a long ride last night It feels the bike is leaning a little left when driving and maybe pulling left slightly. What could be the cause of this? Could the fork oil or preload adjustment cause this or any other ideas? The rear tire is a week old (cheapo tomahawk tire, will be putting a new set of tires on eventually). I tried adjusting my riding position on the bike and determined that is not the cause of it. It also feels a bit squirrely on bumpy roads but that could just be a buell thing. Thanks, Spencer | ||
| Kilroy |
Is the new rear tire aligned correctly (straight with respect to the bike)? | ||
| Hootowl |
Yes, check the alignment. Measure from the axle to the isolators in the frame. Your handlebar might be bent. If your left bar is closer to you than the right one, you may be putting more pressure on the left bar. | ||
| Hootowl |
It could also be your steering head bearings. If there's a notch in the center, or just off center, it'll try to land in that spot. They may also just need to be cleaned, greased, and adjusted properly. | ||
| Jayvee |
Was the wind blowing hard?  | ||
| Jim2 |
My M2 provides rock solid handling bumps or no bumps. | ||
| Buellistic |
HOW LONG DID IT SET ON THE SIDE STAN IN STORAGE WITH LOW AIR PRESSURE ??? | ||
| Rsm688 |
I have no clue, what's the best way to measure and tell? | ||
| Rsm688 |
Sorry guys that post was submitted off the page I had up and didn't see the new responses. It's been driven fairly often by the precious owner, I will check ad see If the bars appear bent and check the alignment and get back to y'all. And no there was no wind at the time And do the head bearings go bad by 9400 miles? I figured they would last a while (bikes never been dropped or wrecked) Thanks, Spencer | ||
| Rsm688 |
I will check tire pressure as well, since the rear tire is new im guessing front would be the only one to cause problems | ||
| Rsm688 |
What is the best way to tell if the isolators are shot? I don't have a manual yet so don't have a good source to go off of. I'm guessing the front isolator is at the top of the front of the engine? I'm at work and don't have the bike here to look at, what about the rears? And what all does replacing the isolators involve? Does the motor have to be removed to do so? | ||
| Hootowl |
Steering head bearings can get dimpled by a hard landing after a wheelie, so it isn't really the miles. They're also not sealed, so water can get in there and wash out/pollute the grease. I only mention it because I had a Shadow with the same symptoms. Changing the bearings fixed it. Also, my S2 had some really weird steering until I repacked the bearings, though I suspect that the bolt was simply too tight and the bearings were fine. The grease was all hard and nasty though, so maybe repacking them helped. | ||
| Rsm688 |
Is there anyway to test the Head bearings without removing the forks? I had to run home to grab something for work and out of curiosity I took my caliper and checked alignment in the rear front the front notch in the swingarm to the front of the axle adjustment block and it appears that the left side is about 1/10th of an inch farther back than the right side. Could that cause the bike to lean left? | ||
| Rsm688 |
How difficult is it to repack the bearings? What all has to be removed to get access to it? | ||
| Hootowl |
Don't go by the adjusters. Measure from the axle to the isolator bolts. The bearings are easy to repack. Getting to them is another matter. Not difficult, just takes some time. You have to remove the forks so you can take out the steering stem. Hopefully it's just an alignment issue. | ||
| Rsm688 |
Which one is the isolator bolts on the rear (sorry im used to dirt bikes and dual sports so this is a new world for me) I don't know if I have a caliper that long, I believe my Caliper is only a foot long or so. That's what I was thinking that it looked like a pain to get to the head bearings Thanks | ||
| Lakes |
Rsm688 i measure wheel alinement by getting bike on a stand to hold it unright with front wheel perfectly straight. get a length of string or similar, run it from rear axle to front axle in straightline. both sides should measure the same. you can also ride on a dirt road that has no tire marks, check both tire imprints follow in same line. sounds like steering head bearings. what happens when you change dirrection like steer to the left then to the right and back again how does the bike react? | ||
| Rsm688 |
The bike doesn't turn very well in my opinion, feels a little jumpy. But then again I've been riding dual sports til now and they are like bicycles so I'm used to being able to turn smoothly on a dime. Thanks for the tip lakes illtry that if I can find something to use as a stand. When rising the bike it felt like it didn't like the handlebars being turned and felt smoother just leaning hard to turn | ||
| Hootowl |
You don't need a caliper. A tape measure works fine. The isolator bolts are the ones holding the isolators onto the swingarm mounting block (the chunk of aluminum in between the engine and the swingarm) and are a great reference point for locating the frame and engine. The rear wheel is attached to the engine, effectively, and not the frame, save through the isolators, whereas the front tire is attached to the frame. So IMHO, the best place to measure from is the isolator bolt. You'll find the isolators near the rider's footpegs. They're in between the frame and the swingarm mounting block. Not sure how familiar you are with Buells, but those isolators let the engine move up and down, and the rigid tie bars with the heim joints prevent movement side to side. So the engine is rubber mounted vertically, and rigidly mounted horizontally. Pretty ingenious. | ||
| Rsm688 |
Gotcha, thanks a ton Hootowl. So are you measuring from the center of the axle to the center of the isolator bolts running down the exterior of the swing arm? | ||
| Hootowl |
Yes. I usually measure from the hole in the frame where the isolator plugs in. It's hard to see where the center of both the bolt and the axle are at the same time. | ||
| Rsm688 |
I tried measuring that way and they both seem close but it's hard to tell since there's not a perfectly flat surface And like you said you cant see the center of both at the same time, I might see If I can find a bolt or something to poke into each and have a more accurate measurement | ||
| Hootowl |
A very small misalignment isn't going to make your bike pull to the left. Wiggle your bars back and forth, just a few degrees at a time, and see if you can feel a notch. When you take the bearings apart, feel the face of the races after you clean them. Most of the damage occurs to the bottom race, since it supports the weight of the bike. You don't have to take the races out to inspect and clean them. | ||
| Rsm688 |
From sitting on the bike and wiggling the handlebars I don't feel any notch at all. It feels the same at all angles both left and right. Could Something with the forks cause a problem like misadjusted preload on either side or lack of fork oil in one fork due to a bad seal? | ||
| Two_seasons |
Yes, compression and rebound can affect handling. Run each adjuster (screw) CCW (this takes ALL the damping out of the suspension) until it stops. Gently! Then count the turns to full CW. Adjust back 1/2 of those total turns on both legs. Do this for both compression and rebound. Then adjust your rear shock the same way. As you ride, note if handling is too mushy or too tight (bumpy roads are excellent for setting your suspension up). Adjust to your riding style. Welcome to BadWeb. | ||
| Rsm688 |
Thanks Two Seasons, I havent gotten to take a look at my forks yet, are there two screws on the top of the forks, one for compression and one for rebound? I know most forks I have seen only have one bolt on the top to be adjusted? Thanks, Spencer | ||
| Two_seasons |
Spenc: One screw at the top and one at the bottom. Not sure which is which, but you'll need to know that after adjusting to mid-point for both. Good to have a Field Service Manual at your fingertips. American Sport Bike sells them if you need one. Excellent source for all things Buell. |
