Speed wobble when I get on the throttle..HELP

[tf1175]

Today as I was riding on the highway I gave it some juice and took off. Was going maybe 60 at the time and sped up to about 90 real quick. I could feel the front end getting a little speed wobble. I let off and it was fine but then gassed it again and same thing. I havent had the bike too long. Just bought it in the fall and this was the first time I gave it WOT on the highway. Any thoughts why it would shake? I just had the 5,000 mile check up about 2 weeks ago and have brand new tires on it.

Kind of scared me a little that it was shaking. It wasn't horrible but still I think if I kept on the throttle it would have gotten worse but maybe not.

thoughts...opinions???

 

[ridendude]

Brand new tires, did you have them balanced as well? It can make a big difference to high speed stability. Also, even with the low mileage, check your wheel and steering head bearings. Any wear or maladjustment in preload can affect the way it handles.
Hope that helps.

[smirk]

 

[racepro716]

I've piped up about this before. What is a "speed wobble"? As I understand, it's when your bars go lock to lock around 5 times a second. I do not think you are experiencing a speed wobble. I have felt the front end shake a bit on several bikes when hard on the throttle when it gets light and moves around a bit, usually over bumps. Again, Not a speed wobble.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. Wayne

 

[ophawk]

As ridendude said, it is most likely a balance problem or steering head bearing issue. Has the bike been sitting in one spot for a while, ie over winter, tires can take a set with constant pressure in one location and affect the inner construction of the tire.
Just my 2 cents
Later

 

[Stevenc150]

Might check up on your suspension settings if you can't find anything else causing it. The bike may be "squating" the back, making the front go light when you gas it real hard. Maybe bump the preload up one setting or adjust the compression.

 

[dieseldude]

I am finding the same thing, I just tried the preload up 2 notches and it seemed a bit better I was going to try turning the rear compression up a little too I will let you know how that works for me.

You probably weren't experiencing the "tank slapper" speed wobble everybody talks about however the one time I had a tank slapper which busted out my steering stops was when I ignored the little wobble I had it escalated very quick!

 

[dave_xb12r]

This has happened to me before on a road that wasn't too smooth. I just learned not to go fast on a bad road.

 

[steve may]

Have you checked to see if your adjustments are the same on both sides of your forks? Just A thought.[confused]

 

[TechMagic]

for my own information, can a steering damper help with this, or with true lock-to-lock wobble?

 

[leadfoot955]

i have the shake, or what i call tremors at high speed and im almost convinced that it needs a stabilizer. the balance, and front to rear weight ratio are very sensitive to your suspension settings. i agree that it isnt a speed wobble or you'd need depends instead of a helmet.

 

[tf1175]

ok thanks for all the responses

Few things to respond back to people.

-the tires are brand new, about 2 weeks old
-they were put on and balanced at a buell hd shop
-it wasn't a true "tank slapper speed wobble", but the front end was definitely shaking more than i wanted it to
-i also had the dealer adjust the suspension to my weight so that shouldn't be the issue i don't think
-the road i was on was a highway and it wasn't in bad condition at all

I will look into adjusting my preload asap. As far as my wheel and steering head bearings, I will need to wait a few weeks til i get home from school because my service manual is there unless someone can tell me how to check the wheel and steering head bearings. I'm located right near Harrisburg, PA if anyone is near here!

Oh and no one mentioned anything about a steering damper or stabilizer...so what is better and is there a difference between the two and are they worth the money and do they do the job!

 

[xb12chick]

Mine does the same thing. I am a fairly new rider but my husband rides a Yamaha FZ1 and he says that I should get a steering stablizer. He said it probably wobbles on the freeway because the forks are practically straight up and down. Here is a link to a cheap stabilizer that doesn't look hideous. http://www.shopracersupply.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/5457712/vpcsid/0/SFV/32556

 

[maybebuell]

some times it could be a bad tire dont care if its new or not......but most wobbles believe it or not are caused from the rear....where the bearing changed

 

[steve may]

TF1175 sounds like you problem is something A steering damper won't cure. I plan on getting A GPR steering damper as soon as the wife's not looking, so I can't say how well one works. maybebuell may have a point about the rear. Have you checked the alignment of the rear wheel?

 

[matter]

Try sliding the fork tubes down a notch in the triple clamps, that will stabilize things a bit and costs nothing.

 

[snowboardpilot]

Hey, I read the entire blog and understand everything that has been addressed. At this time I don't have a hard core answer to the problem I just wanted to make a contribution. I have an 05 XB9SX. It runs great and is completly stock with exception to the Buell race kit. I bought it new and have riden it over 16,000 miles. Never had any problems OR hight speed wobble until now. The bike is in perfect running order and the ONLY thing I changed was the tires. No, I did not replace the tires with the stock Pirelli Scorpion SYNC tires. I put another aftermarket brand high speed matched set of tires on it and now I have hight speed wobble everytime I approach 90 MPH with power on. Now I totally regret not putting the stock tires back on. I've already invested over $400 in tires, and labor. Been to the tire center 3 times, everything was re-checked, re-mounted and re-balanced, and swapped out the front tire again. Like I said the bike would run fine up through 130 MPH before and now at 90 MPH I have to back off of the throttle and it changed overnight just with the tire change.

 

[maybebuell]

check the rear tire alignment.. swing arm bearings..Side play ... rear wheel bearings ...,where the wheel bearings replaced..spacers put back right

 

[Stevenc150]

Check the Steering head bearings. May need to adjust them. In the service manual under "maintenance" section. Bet that will help if not solve it.

 

[Lando]

I have woble also, and my bike is brand new, 2500 miles on it. Same thing, under hard accel, at about 80 or 90, it starts to wobble a bit. One thing i noticed was that after installing bar end weights and bar end mirrors, it got more severe. I still feel somwhat confident riding, just end up holding on tighter to keep it straight.....mabey not the best thing to do though!