2007 lowrider front end wobble

[grappleman]

hi all,
so its been pretty nice in the midwest last couple of weeks, utting quite a few miles on the bike. have notice a wobble has developed in the 30 to 40 mph range. The bars will wobble back and fourth whether on decel or with the cruise set. stops immediately above and below this range. it is not what i would call a horrible wobble i can let the bike coast down through this mph range without my hands on the bars, but most people probably wouldn't. the bike has 5500 miles on it. i have read all the threads, and it sounds like neck bearings are a strong possibility just wanted to know if anyone else has had the problem recently with other issues being the cause.

thanks

Joe

 

[glider]

Neck bearings are usually a good cause of the wobble but at the speed you mention I would look into tire balancing and tire problems also.

 

[Hoople]

The way I look at the issue is that tightening up the neck bearings may help with the problem, but it is only masking the root cause. The fact that there is a resonant frequency (30--40mph only) at which the wobble occurs, tells me it is something other than just loose neck bearings.

Tight neck bearings will hide it but that is not the way to fix it. Once you get the root cause resolved, then adjust fallaway.

 

[grappleman]

Neck bearings are usually a good cause of the wobble but at the speed you mention I would look into tire balancing and tire problems also.

yeah that was my first thought i do recall hitting a pretty bad chuck hole about two weeks ago.

 

[grappleman]

:

The way I look at the issue is that tightening up the neck bearings may help with the problem, but it is only masking the root cause. The fact that there is a resonant frequency (30--40mph only) at which the wobble occurs, tells me it is something other than just loose neck bearings.

Tight neck bearings will hide it but that is not the way to fix it. Once you get the root cause resolved, then adjust fallaway.

possibiliites for root problems??

 

[Hoople]

Pure stock bike? Laced wheels? Have you done anything out of factory normal to the suspension such as different rims, wider tires, different shim collars on front or rear axle in an attempt to mount something other than factory stock,,etc etc.

I have to stress how important it is to get the front and rear wheel in alignment to each other. Not just an eye ball, "equal turns" of adjustment screws, or "I put it back to where it was" alignment. I mean a true alignment.

 

[grappleman]

Pure stock bike? Laced wheels? Have you done anything out of factory normal to the suspension such as different rims, wider tires, different shim collars on front or rear axle in an attempt to mount something other than factory stock,,etc etc.

I have to stress how important it is to get the front and rear wheel in alignment to each other. Not just an eye ball, "equal turns" of adjustment screws, or "I put it back to where it was" alignment. I mean a true alignment.

stock bike except tfi and breather. yes spoked wheels, stock rims and factory tires at 50 %. no suspension work at all done.

 

[jaxdwg]

Just for grins, go up about 4 psi on both tires and see what happens, say, 44 and 40. When you have a problem, you need to do all the little things to help you dial in the source of the problem so you can fix it.

 

[Hoople]

Laced wheel run-out and balancing would be the very first place I would look. You have not 1 but 2 planes of runout to deal with when using laced wheels. Start with the front wheel since it is easy to remove and check. Remove it and check true-ness in both planes. Then check the tire surface problems like knots or imperfections and of course balance.

 

[grappleman]

Just for grins, go up about 4 psi on both tires and see what happens, say, 44 and 40. When you have a problem, you need to do all the little things to help you dial in the source of the problem so you can fix it.

i like the way you think. wow i love this site.