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Wobbly handlebar on motorways

Hey T�n�r� addicts!

In the last couple of weeks I noticed that my handlebar gets unsteady/starts wobblying around on motorways (120km/h). I'm not sure if it has something to do with vibrations in general (but it wasn't always so on motorways!) or maybe my wheels are out of balance or I get a bend in the rim somewhere or the tyres... I don't know... Or is it simply time to change the headset bearing? I've got 22000km on my clock...

Any ideas?

Thanks! Much appreciated.

Cheers, Mike

What sort of tyres have you got on? That sort of wobble isn't unusual with knobblies, and it can come and go depending on the amount of tread left on the tyre. Changing the pressures a few psi up or down can cure it.

Or it could be any of the other reasons. Pretty easy to check the wheel runout and headstock bearings if you can get the front wheel off the floor.

I had this when I had a Tenere. It was loose spokes on the front wheel.

I do have knobblies on (TKC80) which don't have much tread left. And I'll check the spokes this afternoon!

How can I check the headstock bearings by myself?

Support the front wheel off the floor so the entire front end is free (ie using something like a centrestand plus a jack under the sump, not a front paddock stand of any sort.

Move the steering through its full range of travel and see if it's smooth - when headstock bearings wear they typically develop a 'notch' around the straight ahead position, which you should be able to feel.

Grab hold of the forks at the bottom and waggle them around to see if there is any play at the headstock.

If there's play, but the bearings don't feel notchy, you *might* be able to get away with just tightening them up a bit (take off the top yoke and tighten the locknut underneath). If they're notchy they'll definitely need replacing.

I'd be surprised if they've gone, but you never know. The Japanese manufacturers do seem to have a reputation for assembling them without enough grease in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakidos (Post 150989)

I do have knobblies on (TKC80) which don't have much tread left.

It'll be the tyres. TKCs do this, particularly when worn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakidos (Post 150989)

I do have knobblies on (TKC80) which don't have much tread left.

I wouldn't like to say what your problem is, but I've had lots of different results from TKC's depending on how much tread is left. Sometimes they can wobble at 30mph, other times at 70+

I had this with my swiss army tyres when new. Was so convinced something was wrong i took the tyre back off and refitted it. Now 1000 miles later theyre sweet as a nut. At least i know what to expect next time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uberthumper (Post 150993)

Thank you uberthumper for the great explanation. I'll check that today. But I'm not so worried anymore. I simply blame it on my TKCs ;-)

Top case, brush guards, tyre pressure/balance, bearings can all play a part in speed wobbles on the XTX/R version.