My Front End Wobbles!!

[clockdaddy]

I ride an '03, Intruder 1500LC with about 12K plus change. I noticed that I've had a front end wobble since I bought the bike about six months ago. (Local one owner)
This wobble was really quite noticible especially when decellerating and doesn't go away at any speed.
In an effort to rid myself of this problem I bought new Pirelli tires and had them installed. The wobble continued!
I took the bike to a dealer a week ago. They checked for front stem play...none. Then for a bent rim or bad tire...none. The front axle is fine but the wobble still persists.
This wobble is quite signifiant! Riding with one hand at sixty mph, you can feel the back & forth wobble.
Have any of you run into this problem?
The dealer says that it is "normal" to have a wobble on a cruiser, but the sport bikes has no wobble.

CD

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by clockdaddy

The dealer says that it is "normal" to have a wobble on a cruiser, but the sport bikes has no wobble.

CD

TOTAL BS.

Find a different service shop.

What about tire pressure? You might try a couple of lbs. over and a couple under, just for grins.

Also might try different settings of the rear pre-load.

Not likely that either of these will help but both are easy and cheap.

Good luck.

[rich/ginny]

mine wobbles from 40 down to 30 mph. dealer has tried same things re torqed front stem checked tire balance still wobbles i tried tire presure from 30 to 40 pounds front and rear( think i wore out valve caps ) still wobbles. it goes in the shop tomorrow for an engine noise i had since new.didnt get any satisfaction untill i took it to another dealer but they couldnt get it in till oct. went back to place of purchas and told them i was to other dealer and like magic it goes in in 3 days its a miracle. think we should go directly to suzuki if i could find an adress....

[clockdaddy]

I've tried varying the air pressure, new tires, rebalancing, checking axle, all bearings and still it wobbles.
Easy Rider, I'm like you but I simply can't find anything wrong with it.
I just hoped someone else had had the problem and had found a solution... Yeah, the dealer was full of it. I'm thinking of contacting the Suzuki service rep for this area.

CD

[tallannie]

Ahhh ! yes ! that happens to me every time I ride..... OH WAIT ! you are talking about the motorcycle !



[quote=clockdaddy;493254] My Front End Wobbles !
This wobble was really quite noticible especially when decellerating and doesn't go away at any speed.

This wobble is quite signifiant! Riding with one hand at sixty mph, you can feel the back & forth wobble.
Have any of you run into this problem?
QUOTE]

[Blade]

Not knowing how bad the wobble is, all bikes have a certain degree of wobble in them per design.

If you have excessive wobble:
1. You may not have any play, but the bearings for some reason may have become excessively worn.
2. Check the rim for true- this is done by checking run out on the side.
3. Problem with the forks- oil level wrong, bad spring or valve not working right
4. Problem with the rear wheel (see #2)
5. Problem with the swing arm
6. Wheel bearings- front and/or rear

[Thundurburd]

Riding with one hand at sixty mph, you can feel the back & forth wobble.

I don't have much to suggest regarding possible mechanical problems beyond what's been said, but I do want to add that riding one handed in itself will cause a wobble. As you ride down the road and go over bumps, dips, and other surface imperfections your pressure on the handlebars varies. If you have both hands on the bars these forces pretty much cancel out, in other words the left and right balance each other. If you have only one hand on the bars then each one of these bumps etc. will cause an input to the steering along with a resulting wobble. My guess is that a wobble caused by other problems would be magnified by riding one handed. This was very noticeable on a light weight motorcycle I rode when i was younger.

Good luck with finding the cause of the problem.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Thundurburd

My guess is that a wobble caused by other problems would be magnified by riding one handed. This was very noticeable on a light weight motorcycle I rode when i was younger.

Well, maybe the model in question has a design "imperfection" but I never owned a bike (about 10 over 40+years) that did that where it wasn't correctable.......2 hands, one hand or NO hands.

I currently ride a very light bike and have none of that. 60 mph on a smooth road, both hands in LAP for miles; no problem.

To me the term "wobble" implies that it does it all the time.......not just in response to a bump.

[frostbitevinnie]

I have no wobble on my C90T with 11K on it. There are a variety of things it could possibly be that have already been listed. No it is not normal, just gotta dig in and find the issue.

[Thundurburd]

Riding a motorcycle involves risk and I think most of us here accept that to some degree. The one thing however that still sends chills down my spine is the thought of a "tank slapper." My concern is that the existing wobble on clockdaddys bike could some day coincide with conditions that could cause a tank slapper resulting in the bike going down. I think it's a very good idea that clockdaddy is looking for answers and I hope he pursues it until a remedy is found.

Sorry that I don't have more input to offer.

[clockdaddy]

I really appreciate everything you've passed along.

Blade, regarding your question; Not knowing how bad the wobble is, all bikes have a certain degree of wobble in them per design.
I can ride the bike one handed and feel the wobble but can control it with no problem. If I let go of the steering it begins to shake until all contol is lost (That takes about 3-5 seconds!).

Easy Rider, You said; 60 mph on a smooth road, both hands in LAP for miles; no problem.
To me the term "wobble" implies that it does it all the time.......not just in response to a bump.

The wobble is continuous whether I'm doing 6 mph or 86 mph.

Thundurburd, You said; I hope he pursues it until a remedy is found.

You can bet that I will! It's bad enough if I should get hurt or killed, I can't stand the thought of hurting someone else's loved one because I lost control.

CD

[womper]

does the wobble persist if it's in neutral?

[Thundurburd]

If I let go of the steering it begins to shake until all control is lost (That takes about 3-5 seconds!).

Well that does sound serious and in fact is close to what the description of a tank slapper is, a sudden violent swing side to side of the front wheel. They come and go quickly and are due to a mechanical resonance (what we called a shimmy in the old days) in the bike frame being near some external excitation to the frame. But what you're describing Harold is very different in that it is present at all speeds. From an engineering standpoint I can't explain it, and my practical experience is, well, a long long time ago.

Clearly though something is wrong. In my opinion Blade has make some good suggestions and is a good check list for starting your trouble shooting.

Good luck. Keep us posted as to how things are going.

[clockdaddy]

Originally Posted by womper

does the wobble persist if it's in neutral?

I can't say that I've ever tried that womper. It's 1 more thing I check before I go to another dealership!
Thanks!

And...Yes, I'll keep you all up on it!!

CD

[old codger]

If everything checks out on the front wheel etc., check the rear wheel for lateral runout or being out of round, not balanced and etc. A slight shake in the rear will change the steering geometry. A properly set up bike should not wobble or shimmy at any speed, one hand, two hands or no hands. If your shop says shimmy or woble is normal find another shop/mechanic.

Old codger

[clockdaddy]

Thanks old codger,
I'll be spending the next few nights checking over everything mentioned here. I've got a good bike jack and an electric motor shaft slid against the tire turns it pretty darn good. I'll recheck the tire, rim and bearings, then proceed from there.
I wanta have it ready before Friday cause I'm headed to Asheville for the S.E. Suzuki owners gathering.

CD

[DaveMc]

One more idea: faulty suspension can cause wobble. Check out the shock, and make sure the swingarm can move freely.

[tallannie]

you guys are such eager technicians that you cannot even acknowledge my humor?

[Thundurburd]

Originally Posted by tallannie

Ahhh ! yes ! that happens to me every time I ride..... OH WAIT ! you are talking about the motorcycle !

After one knee surgery and a cortisone shot in my right foot last week I mostly wobble after I get OFF my motorcycle.

Yeah Annie, I noticed your post and it did make me laugh. A sense of humor does help around here.

[pinky44]

[quote=tallannie;493330]Ahhh ! yes ! that happens to me every time I ride..... OH WAIT ! you are talking about the motorcycle !

Originally Posted by clockdaddy

My Front End Wobbles !
This wobble was really quite noticible especially when decellerating and doesn't go away at any speed.

This wobble is quite signifiant! Riding with one hand at sixty mph, you can feel the back & forth wobble.
Have any of you run into this problem?
QUOTE]

Could be we missed it cause we gentlemen.LOL