Does anyone have a front-end wobble at 45 mph?

[Linglongar]

Hi All,

Got my bike in August here in Minnesota.  I am 66 and have had around 30 bikes over my life.  Current bikes are FJ09, Super Tenere and DR650 along with the new T7.  I have had a little experience with bikes.  By 150 miles I had all my stuff mounted on the bike.  Bike ran really well, straight and true.  By 800 miles I noticed a slight shake/wobble at 44 mph and it is gone at 50 mph.  Over 50 it is fine.  Now at 1300 miles it has not gotten any better.  I have now put it away for our 6 months of winter.  On the center stand the forks have no play.  In the spring I will have the steering head checked, maybe it is on the loose side.   No drops or crashes.   Spokes not loose, tires air correctly.  Occurs with or without the boxes.  It kinda bugs me and no one has mentioned this on all the reviews I have seen. 

 

The reason for my question is certain bikes I had in the past have a wobble that was just part of a design flaw or too much weight in the back …etc.    If no one else has this issue then I know it is not a bike issue and something is amiss. 

 

Thanks all. 

 

[REDHORSECA]

Rock steady here. No issue here well past the posted fwy speed limit on my 90+ mile daily commute on the stock tires. Even with our SOCAL rain grooved highways.

 

I've read that someone has had their new front stock tire replaced for it was defective under warranty.

Edited December 3, 2020 by REDHORSECA

[Hammerhead]

Most likely the stock front tyre is the culprit. Lots of others, myself included, shook the issue off by swapping that out. 

[papab]

No 45 mph wobble for me with the stock tire.

[roy826]

It is all the weight you have on the rear combined with a soft spring. However a front bad tire will increase this occurrence loaded or unloaded. Try removing all the bags and crank up the rear spring and go test it out on a nice flat road.

[TimmyTheHog]

Start with the easy stuff first before going into crazy things.

 

1. make sure rear spring is proper for your weight + gear. Even if the preload is achieve, it might be undersprung and cause the wobble.

 

2. there are report front tire is shat...

 

3. some head stem nut are loose....check & lube.

[jdk2man]

mine has a wobble. pretty bad one actually. It may be the suspension as it seems worse now that I added a rack and bags. 

I need to also check the tires, balancing, trueness, spokes, etc.... since I highly doubt the dealer did.

I already lost a faring bolt due to the the whole right side being loose.

 

[Desert Mariner]

I've ridden my T7 with the stock front tire and I have indeed noticed a slight wobble, but mostly at lower speeds (<30mph). It is getting better as the tire wears - or perhaps I'm just becoming accustomed to it! For me, it's not worth changing the tire out.

 

The fact that the bike was initially fine and the problem exists with and without your boxes leads me to believe that the issue is not the spring rate or your panniers. But, something has changed. I'm willing to bet that it's the tire or the head bearing unless you changed some other element like crashbars, handguards or something else.

 

DC

 

 

[Marklar]

I have the sight wobble at around 45 mph. Completely stock bike with ~300 miles on the clock and zero add-ons (those are coming soon). Never dropped, pavement only so far. I haven't messed with the suspension at all. In case it's relevant, from everything I've read I am definitely overweight for the stock spring and probably need a 90 or 95 NM.

[Canzvt]

Mine was horrible, out of the box. Ran it for 1000kms then dumped the stock front (and rear) tire for Mitas E-07+. Vibration was still there, but much reduced. Set up the suspension with a new rear spring and proper sag, and vibration is largely non-existent after an additional 7000kms.

 

Front wheel has 0.010" radial runout. Rear is 0.012". When I change tires before X-mas, I'll true them up to zero and see if that makes a difference when the snow disappears.

[Matth]

Mine was also so let the tyre down to 27psi and now perfect 

[Linglongar]

Thanks everyone.......All good advice.  

[BLZ2DWL]

Yep, mine wobbled out of the box. I balanced the front and no change. Slapped a used Shinko 804 on it that I had on the shelf and it immediately went away. Stock tires suck. 

[WarpedRotor]

about 104 miles on mine and its the front tire for certain. I can see it at 35MPH while leaning over the front.  Has the exact same feel that i previouslt had on a MotozRally front. Turned out to be a defective tire, there was a tread "bubble"  they replaced it for free and no wobble on the new front with my AT.

Going to the dealer with the T7 this weekend for a replacement.

Edited December 10, 2020 by WarpedRotor

[Louis]

It's %99.9 chance It's the front tyre!  This must be the 5th thread regarding wobbly, shaking, vibration.

Edited December 4, 2020 by Louis

[JayD]

I didnt notice anything when the bike was all stock. Added a heavier rear spring and then I noticed slight wobble. Not much but a little.

[bikeever]

Had this issue with low tyre pressure. No more wobbeling with correct setup. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by bikeever

[Linglongar]

Update.  
brought the bike in to the dealer with 2200 miles.  They spent an hour on it checking everything.  No loose steering head bearing, nothing.  They suggested I have heavier springs installed.  Then they charged me 129.00.   They said my 5 year extended warranty would not apply as nothing was wrong.  We compromised at 50%.  I will live with it hoping it will go away when I replace the tires. 

[Landshark]

The stock tires are only used to protect the rims during shipping.   The stock tire may have a flaw that causes your symptom of wobble on the road.  New tire time.  Let us know your choice please.

[Linglongar]

Update.  
brought the bike in to the dealer with 2200 miles.  They spent an hour on it checking everything.  No loose steering head bearing, nothing.  They suggested I have heavier springs installed.  Then they charged me 129.00.   They said my 5 year extended warranty would not apply as nothing was wrong.  We compromised at 50%.  I will live with it hoping it will go away when I replace the tires. 

[Linglongar]

Good one.   Rim protection LOL

[ADVUSA]

2 hours ago, Linglongar said:

Update.  
brought the bike in to the dealer with 2200 miles.  They spent an hour on it checking everything.  No loose steering head bearing, nothing.  They suggested I have heavier springs installed.  Then they charged me 129.00.   They said my 5 year extended warranty would not apply as nothing was wrong.  We compromised at 50%.  I will live with it hoping it will go away when I replace the tires. 

Read lots of this story.  Check tire pressures first, spoken tension, wheel trueness (rotate free).  Most say it's a bad front tire, out of round to one extent or the other. Changing tires resolved it for every case I read.

EDIT: Oh, and many have Yam pay for the replacement.

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by ADVUSA