Need front end input

[Hoople]

For about 15 degrees of the turn as the trees are near straight ahead (bout 5 degrees before straight, 10 after) I definitely have this.

It should be smooth. Sounds like you have neck bearing problems. It has to be pulled apart. Even IF it does not cure your wobble, this must be fixed. It sounds like the neck bearings were over preloaded in order to correct a wobble (maybe previous owner). It's like no one understands what positive caster does so they keep wrenching down on the bearings to dampen other issues.

Here is your chance to take some pictures and come up with a practical way to block the Dyna frame holes so a zerk fitting can be installed and grease can be pumped in on a regular basis.!

 

[R_W_B]

. . . . . . . It sounds like the neck bearings were over preloaded in order to correct a wobble (maybe previous owner). It's like no one understands what positive caster does so they keep wrenching down on the bearings to dampen other issues. . . . . . . . .

That could be I guess, but wouldn't my fall away be tigher if that were the case ? If I loosen the star nut anymore it will go beyond a total 4" left and right.

And BTW when I checked my fall away just tapping the front tire did not reveal this vibration. I guess it's a different torque pressure point down there. It only shows up when you turn the front end with the bars.

 

[fin_676]

You can send all the hot beer to me i will just put it outside for a wee while and it will soon cool down

Brian

 

[R_W_B]

You can send all the hot beer to me i will just put it outside for a wee while and it will soon cool down

Brian

On no you don't Brian. You ain't addun my drinking beer to your cooler. If you run out of suds you can always pull one of them collector bottles of whiskey off your shelf. Just drink alone so you don't go violent on nobody :lolrolling

I can make enough money part time to either fix my frig or else by a new small one, or if push comes to shove I can just crowd the beer back into the kitchen frig the way it used to be back when things were tough.

Fact I think a lot of things in my life are gonna get tougher. Just too many financial pressures coming lately. Time to go on beans and rice and just clamp down for awhile. Ain't no big deal, done it when I was younger and I can do it again. I ain't paid no quarterly deposits to Uncle Sam on any of the part time income I've made this year and I've got insurance premiums coming due the 1st of January so just gotta tighten up and don't do or go much.

Was planning on attending the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Asssociation meeting in a couple of weeks, with a new friend I've made but heck lately I haven't even made most of my Patriot Guard rides so I just need to pull in the reins a bit. Quit buying so much gas and just save some money.

Wish I lived near you though and I would buy some beer for us to drink some time. I used to drink with one of my brother in laws years ago (he has since been divorced out of the family) and my sister in law always told me he was violent when he drank and told me never to let him buy alcohol when we were out fishing. We used to fish all night on friday nights in a 12 ft john boat.

Well one time he wanted to buy some scotch whiskey to take fishing. I had never had scotch so I said ok. We drank the whole quart bottle than night fishing in the boat. He caught the largest bass and then went to sleep in the bow of the boat, bout 1am. So I fished until I knew I wasn't gonna catch one to beat him and brought the boat in and woke him up. We drove home and all the while I'm wondering where all this violent is that my sister in law was telling me about. I figured maybe the bottle was too small to bring that out.

Well we get to his house and we take a picture of my 4 lb bass going into the mouth of his 8 lb bass. :lolrolling And then I go home. Next morning I hear that he and my sister in law got in a big fight and he went back out drinking and playing poker the rest of the morning. And my wife and my sister in law blamed me for the whole thing like I was supposed to keep a grown man from buying scotch. :lolrolling.

Life on planet earth, it's a gas sometimes.

 

[fin_676]

If you were in the area you would be welcome for a beer or 2 but i never touch any hard stuff ok perhaps a wee nip to take in the new year
if you were close by you could bring your bike round and we could pull it to bits and sort out the front end as i am fairly well practised in the technique of brute force and ignorance with a wee bit of heat for good measure tends to get almost anything moving
I do hope things work out well for you and you get the bike all sorted and you get back on the road as things are here bikes are away for their hibernation although i do go out to the sheds once or twice a week and say hello

Brian

 

[R_W_B]

. . . . . .
if you were close by you could bring your bike round and we could pull it to bits and sort out the front end as i am fairly well practised in the technique of brute force and ignorance with a wee bit of heat for good measure tends to get almost anything moving

:lolrolling got the skills like me do ya.

I do hope things work out well for you and you get the bike all sorted and you get back on the road as things are here bikes are away for their hibernation although i do go out to the sheds once or twice a week and say hello. Brian

I'll be fine. I'm old school, whatever it takes is what makes me happy. Kinda boring for most folks though. I love my bike, but right now it ain't real high on the priority list. I'll put myself against my other problems and come thru um as best I can. That's the way I've always done it and I'm way too old to change. Heck it could be worse, I could live where you have actual winters :lolrolling . . . Later. . . . my friend.

 

[2006FXDCI]

R.W.B. I have a suggestion for you, don't know if you remember us discussing my Dyna making a clunk in the stem bearings or not. When I originally tightened up my star nut it was to tight and acted as yours is, called in a favor from a friend of mine that is a tech at the local harley shop and discussed it with him. He instructed me that the 4" measurement is way to tight and I should be aiming more towards around 2 1/2" on the fall away test. Might wanna give this a try and see if it helps.

 

[R_W_B]

R.W.B. I have a suggestion for you, don't know if you remember us discussing my Dyna making a clunk in the stem bearings or not. When I originally tightened up my star nut it was to tight and acted as yours is, called in a favor from a friend of mine that is a tech at the local harley shop and discussed it with him. He instructed me that the 4" measurement is way to tight and I should be aiming more towards around 2 1/2" on the fall away test. Might wanna give this a try and see if it helps.

Thanks man, appreciate the reply. Only I obviously worded my post ambiguously since my TOTAL fall away is 4". Have about 2" each way. But by the way my fall away is in an abnormal area. I've since gotten another local rider to look at my bike and he says something is not right with the bearings.

Mine has some areas of vibration (gyrations) in the steering around center (straight ahead). But oddly when doing a fall away it does not hold anywhere near center or anywhere on the left side. You have continue on turning thru the gyration area to quite aways into the right quadrant before the steering holds enough to do the fall away test. (all cables out of the way)

My friend said he's seen them off center before but not as bad as mine. It's like steering has some rough areas in the straight ahead wear and tear area (like maybe a lot of duty on less than smooth dirt roads) but also it's got a stiff area way to the right side (only).

Anyhow I've got to get done building a shed out back, (which I work on days when I have no paying work). When I get that done then I can store some stuff to make more room in my garage. Then I'm gonna pull the whole front end off and just replace the bearings. If I can make enough money I'm thinking of adding some WG fork pipes and springs to go along with new seals and fork oil. I know some guys that have done this and it gives the front end a bit more tube (bout 2") and the bike seems to look and ride better especially for us heavier folks that drop an inch or so out of the forks.

I got a couple of ideas on maybe how to plug up the steering head to hold grease too. My first two options are (no it ain't duct tape :lolrolling) after all RWB can also stand for Red White & Blue :lolrolling
1. Cut some thin pliable aluminum sheet and JB Weld it in place over the steering head frame tube openings.

2a. Spray some of that Home Depot expanding foam onto a piece of cardboard. After it cures apply some steering grease to it and let it sit a few days and see how it re-acts. I plan on covering the foam with a layer of JB Weld but just want to see in case there was a small leak thru the JB Weld.

2b. If option 2a succeeds to my approval, then I will spray said foam into the frame voids. The drill and tap my zerk fitting in a place I can get a grease gun to it. Blow out the steering head. Trim down the excess expansion of the foam. Put 2 separate coats of JB Weld over the trimmed foam.