mid-high speed wobble!!!

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26 Oct 2005 11:13 #4431 by hat0791
mid-high speed wobble!!! was created by hat0791
Ok, on my way to work today, I was running through some sweeping turns on my 1000ST and noticed a pretty bad wobble from the rear of the bike. I was at neutural throttle, (not speeding up or slowing down) as soon as I began to accelerate out of the apex of the turn it seemed to fade away. I was doing about 70mph (give or take a few). It has a new front tire and a 75%rear. And I wasnt even turning that aggresively. It has a 1 inch lowering kit in the front forks, and aftermarket shocks on the rear. The rear shocks seem to be of decent quality, and dampen very well. They are, however, on their stiffest spring setting. I can't feel any slack in the swingarm or any of the other bearings on the wheels or steering head. I also feel the wobble ever so slightly right after I let of the throttle to decelerate.
Any suggestions on how to chase this down?

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26 Oct 2005 11:47 #4436 by Mcdroid
Replied by Mcdroid on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
What immediately jumps out at me is the 'new' front tire...balance problems?

Michael
Victoria, Texas

1982 GPz750
1977 KZ1000A
1978 KZ1000A
1982 GPz1100
1975 Z2A

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26 Oct 2005 11:56 #4438 by hat0791
Replied by hat0791 on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
Mcdroid wrote:

What immediately jumps out at me is the 'new' front tire...balance problems?


It's smooth as silk running straight... No bounce from the front end at all. And I know those bearings are tight.

Just had a thought though. Could it be caused by the windshield creating turbulence and slightly shaking the handlebars in a turn? It equals out to be about 2-3 wobbles per second so it's not fast like a shudder, still controllable in turns. But I feel like I need to take it very easy in the turns just in case somthing happens.

The feeling just takes away from my confidence un turns.

Post edited by: hat0791, at: 2005/10/26 15:02

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26 Oct 2005 12:04 #4440 by Mcdroid
Replied by Mcdroid on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
So, it comes and goes? If that is the case, have you been over this road before on this bike under the same conditions? Is this section of Hwy grooved?...the reason I ask, is that the first time you hit grooved pavement and don't expect it, the bike will wobble and scare the tar out of you.

Michael
Victoria, Texas

1982 GPz750
1977 KZ1000A
1978 KZ1000A
1982 GPz1100
1975 Z2A

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26 Oct 2005 19:23 #4547 by bangshift440rt
Replied by bangshift440rt on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
i have the same problem with my bike, somebody said it may be the rear spokes, how are yours?

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26 Oct 2005 20:16 #4555 by ronboskz650sr
Replied by ronboskz650sr on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
How heavy are you? Maybe the preload is too high in the back, and you're just bouncing a little. Does it do it at all while swerving from side to side in your lane to check for it? Is the rear tire overinflated? I've done that one before...especially after getting a tire mounted at a shop. What about the rear tire...is it flat in the middle with a square edge for you to tip on and off of as the bike leans? When I bought my bike, it was like that, and mine felt pretty bad in mildly agressive cornering until I put a new rear tire on. You get on that rounded "point" between the center and the edge, and wander around on it. Very uncomfortable, but probably not too dangerous at most speeds... if you don't freak out. :blink:

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27 Oct 2005 08:10 #4645 by hat0791
Replied by hat0791 on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
75% of it was tire pressure! I've got the cast wheels so no spokes to worry about. I was running 24-26 psi, and dropped it to about 20. The wobble is all but gone!I still get just a tad of wobble in sharper turns now, but I weigh 155 so I think I need to drop the preload at least one notch. It is much better though and I'm much more confident in it now...
Thanks for y'alls help! Now all I have to di is fix that busted clutch cable... lol!

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  • KZQ
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  • Walking Behind the Corn May Not Be All That!
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27 Oct 2005 18:09 #4770 by KZQ
Replied by KZQ on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
Hey Hat,
Have you checked the steering stem your last comment gives it away "I also feel the wobble ever so slightly right after I let of the throttle to decelerate."

When you let off the throttle your front suspension collapses a bit which makes your effective rake steeper. I'll bet your steering stem bearing is either loose or is worn. Try this:

Let go of the bars at 30 MPH but keep your hands gripped as if the handles were three inches in diameter. Now smack the right handle. Does the bike start wobbling out of control or does it wobble and straighten up by itself.

Condition one: adjust or replace the steering stem bearing.

Condition two: Steering stem is fine, keep looking for the source of the problem.

KZCSI

Post edited by: kzcsi, at: 2005/10/27 21:10

www.KZ1300.com
Riders:
1968 BSA 441 Shooting Star, 1970 BSA 650 Lightning, 1974 W3, 1976 KZ900, 1979 KZ750 Twin, 1979 KZ750 Twin Trike, 1981 KZ1300, 1982 KZ1100 Spectre, 2000 Valkyrie, 2009 Yamaha Roadliner S. 1983 GL 1100
Projects:
1985 ZN1300

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  • arai59
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27 Oct 2005 21:02 #4833 by arai59
Replied by arai59 on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
Nathan, I'm glad you experienced this with no harm. You now know the term speed wobble. Unfortunately it was an inhernit problem with these bikes. Frame flex, roads and poor tires enhance this. These bikes are not like todays modern sport bike and can't be ridden as such. Knowing when and how it feels is a big plus. Ride as normal but be prepared for the sudden lane change. I have at speed experienced a lane change. It can scare the crap out of you, but respect it and know it can happen will make you respond to it. Be careful.

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28 Oct 2005 05:11 #4859 by hat0791
Replied by hat0791 on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
I'll check the steering head as soon as I get a clutch cable. :P (Broke yesterday a stoplight..)
I went over the bike and made sure EVERYTHING was nice a and snug last night and couldn't find anything loose. I grabbed the front wheel and tried to see if there was any slack in the head but didn't notice any. Did the same to the rear swingarm. I'm going to go ahead a pull the tripple down and grease the bearings anyway so I'll double check them at that point. I dropped the rear suspension's spring rate down a notch as well.

So far though, it's much better. We're making progress! lol

I'd also like to know what grade of fork oil to use in these bikes, and how much should I use to get a solid, fairly high dampening rate?

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28 Oct 2005 06:02 #4874 by galaxian
Replied by galaxian on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
Think about getting new bearings. Your bike is old and so are the head bearings. Tapered bearings will correct the situation.

Also tire pressures make sure you have enough air in both of your tires. I usually run about 24f and 35 rear but that is open for disscusion.

Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2005/10/28 09:03

1977 KZ1000A1, 1979 KZ650 C3

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28 Oct 2005 10:46 #4935 by godsjester71
Replied by godsjester71 on topic mid-high speed wobble!!!
Speed wobbles? Know them well. Had a night, doing about Cou80gh mph on the highway here, taking a turn aggressively and crossed over a parallel seam in the concrete bridge. Heart jumped to throat, dump dropped to pants as my brain thinks, "I know where this is going, I've seen footage of this on the internet" Backed off the accellerator and jammed myself between my foot pegs and the handlebars. she eventually leveled out.

Steering head was loose, underwear was lost. Fixed the first of the two.

(not serious about the underwear)

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