Xt660z front tyre feedback
 

Hi folks
I've just picked up my new to me xt660z . It's a 2011 with 6k miles in immaculate condition. I've noticed at slow speed turns that the front feels a bit heavy to steer and on slow speed bends there is a small amount of movement on the bars, almost likes it's falling off a ridge or something similar.
The dealer fitted brand new tourances to it when I collected it.
Unfortunately the dealer is miles away so can't just pop in to have them check it out.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Dan

That sounds a lot like it's just the Tourance tyres. I hated mine, swapped them after a few hundred miles.

Do you get wobble when crossing white lines or cats eyes?

Wait till the roads are wet, then you'll really hate them.

Spoke to the dealer and they think it's the tyres as well. I've used tourances on other bikes and really liked them. The dealer thinks they need rounding off a bit. It feels almost like your going over a ridge on slow corners and turns . Filtering is a nightmare because your turning the bars left and right to correct the movement. It's fine at speed

I've noticed that with every new pair of tyres I fit to the XTZ I get the same "falling over" feeling you describe. Some are worse than others, noticeably TKCs, but it always subsides and is almost gone by 300 miles. It might be just a case of getting used to fresh tyres, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it's the rear squaring off a little that stops the feeling.


+1 Totally agree with the above. I experienced exactly the same. Tried 6 different brands on the Ten over the years and the Tourance were/are the least suited to the bike IMO, which is bizarre as they are OE fitment.

That's reassuring thanks for that

Somebody mentioned the head stock bearings. I'm hoping that's unlikely as it's only done 6k miles and passed an MOT 3 days ago with no advisories . I've lowered the front pressure a bit from 34psi to 30 and it does seem to have reduced it so I'm hoping it's just the tyres need wearing in.

34 is way too high for the front, so lowering might just help. Handbook pressures are 30psi front, 33psi rear.

For reference, with most of the tyres I've used I find/have found that 28/29psi front and 31/32psi rear works best for on-road handling. However, it is different for everyone. Best thing to do is experiment.

Thanks for the help chaps. I've got a 200 miler to do tomorrow so here's hoping it sorts itself out

My head bearings were nearly rusted solid at 12000km and there was no movement in the forks and jacking it up and swinging the steering felt smooth and predictable.
Riding the bike was EXACTLY as you described...falling into corners and having to quickly correct mid corner to lift it back up!!
I thought it was tyres and changing pressures etc made a small difference but then I bit the bullet and dropped the steering stem down for a loom and was blown away at the rust!!

It could be tyres although my Tourances were awesome and always felt stable and predictable till I changed them out to TKC 80, but whatever the age...check and grease the steering bearings!
Goodluck
Matt

That's an odd one, it is down to preference.

I run mine at 33 front, 36 rear...

The bike passed an. MOT 3 days ago with no advisories? Would they not have checked the steering head bearings for any play?

Mine didn't have any radial play at all and felt good when swinging the steering from lock to lock, not notchy at all and the drag felt normal....

It wasn't!!

Same here. And not just on the Tenere. I have that "falling over" with new tires on every motorbike I rode.

Same.

Sludge
 

It may not be the head bearing but the tiny amount of grease that is on them.
My bike felt like it was a barge turning round a corner and you had to apply loads of counter steer to keep it turning.
On investigation the small amount of grease on the bearings has simply turned to a sticky sludgy mess. The bearings werent notchy the were just moving through treacle.
Remove , clean and regrease and it will feel like a new bike.

Thanks for the help guys. I rode 100 miles to Peterborough and it felt pretty bad so I popped into webbs. After lots of persuading the service manager allowed someone to have a quick look. The technician instantly said that there was a notch in the turn and the steering head was extremely tight. It wouldn't even turn under it's own weight. He said it needed loosening off and he would replace the bearings also. To cut a long story short, I'm in north Lincolnshire now for 5 days and a dealer here is going to do it. I havent got the tools here and it feels pretty bad so just going to get it done. The guys at webbs and up here said they don't know how it passed an MOT

Awesome, glad it's getting sorted, mine gave me a few close calls on wet roads before I found the bearings like that!

Matt

This happened to me a few hundred miles after my 12K service. Once they start to go, it happens real fast.

My head bearings have been re-greased once and changed once in 25,000 miles.