Slight head shake after fitting new tyres - Motoz

[Richard Pitt]

Hi All,

I have just fitted a pair of Motoz Tractionator ADV tyres, stock size, which has introduced a slight head shake 80-100kph on tar seal. No issues as far as I can tell off road but harder to maintain these speeds of course. Pressures make little difference and there was no sign of this with the stock STR  Pirelli’s fitted from new. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

[Stevoh]

I have the same tyres, they are a bit snakey on the road at lower speeds, say under 100kmph, I managed some freeway with them on the weekend as part of a longer ride, happy to report over 100 on the freeway no issues with wobble etc, still taking some getting used to on the road though, have to keep reminding myself they are a pretty aggressive tyre compared to the stock Pirelli.

I'm running 34psi front and 36psi rear for road use, on the way home I just kept them at trail pressure 29psi for both, not as nice a ride but they hung on ok.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Stevoh

[zaskar]

People tend to associate headshake with the front end and a majority of the time this is likely true, however, issues with the rear of the bike can also produce or contribute to headshake.

 

Given you have a newer bike I wouldn't expect you to have issues with steering head bearings or suspension components so I would consider the following items:

defective tire

misaligned front and rear wheels

rider input

 

Of course I'm no expert so these are simply suggestions.

Cheers!

[Tomaszch]

I've swapped the stock Pirelli's from day one, at 0km ODO to Motoz ADV. That was Jan 10th. Now I've got 2600 km, roughly. I've got some problems with balancing the front, but since it settled at around 1500km it's fine. On pavement it is quite sensitive,say, you can't(well you can but......), toss it side to side on fast corners but hey, it's a nobby. Anyway, I'm really happy with those

 

Cheers,

T

[Goldentaco]

9 hours ago, Richard Pitt said:

Hi All,

I have just fitted a pair of Motoz Tractionator ADV tyres, stock size, which has introduced a slight head shake 80-100kph on tar seal. No issues as far as I can tell off road but harder to maintain these speeds of course. Pressures make little difference and there was no sign of this with the stock STR  Pirelli’s fitted from new. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Did you mount the Tube type (TT) or Tubless type (TT). 
 

Most Motoz’s tire ranges front tires in the TL designation are designed for a wider rim than our stock front. 
 

If you fit the TL designed for a 2.15 or 2.5 rim even in stock size, it will fit But it’s about 80% likely to not handle very well. Squeezing a wider tire on a narrow rim sharpens the tread profile ( reduces the contact patch width) and will result in poor straightline stability (Headshakes) and may cause the bike to fall into the corners. 
 

Motoz USA site doesn’t list tire specs so it’s easy to not catch it but if you check Motoz.au, they publish acceptable rim sizes for the TL and TT tires. Some models are the same width but most are not. Both TT and TL are fine as far as weight capacity or speed rating. 
 

 

J

[Richard Pitt]

Many thanks for the reply, I fitted the Tubeless Type.

This is great information and I think that you are bang on with this explanation.... you are also right, there is a greater tendency for the bike to tip in when cornering.

None of these characteristic's are deal breakers of course and the tyre's performance is  brilliantly off-road which was my main reason to change, but they do warrant a bit of respect when riding on tar seal.

Thanks again, Richard - Auckland NZ

[Hibobb]

On 4/6/2021 at 4:03 AM, Richard Pitt said:

Hi All,

I have just fitted a pair of Motoz Tractionator ADV tyres, stock size, which has introduced a slight head shake 80-100kph on tar seal. No issues as far as I can tell off road but harder to maintain these speeds of course. Pressures make little difference and there was no sign of this with the stock STR  Pirelli’s fitted from new. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Did you balance the new tyres/wheels ?

(I always feel more sophisticated when I spell tires like you guys do)

Did they seat evenly along the rim?

[Hammerhead]

Opposite experience, stock front induced minor shake at slower speeds that disappeared with new tyres.