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  # 1  
Old 20-09-15, 00:17
Alexander Alexander is offline
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Low milage XT660R is becoming wobbly at higher speeds - please advice!

My 2012 XT660R has suddenly developed a wobble tendency at highway speeds (100-120 km/h actual), and I am somewhat puzzled. I bought the bike new, it now has 8500km (5300-ish miles) on it, never been jumped, wheelied or crashed. The tyres are still the stock ones (Metzeler Tourance), with the rear clearly squared off due to highway commute, but the front looks fairly smooth. There is still at least 3 mm tread left on both tyres.
The front end feels OK in other respects, no imbalance, bearing noise, dragging or pulsing brakes etc. However, the suspension is defintely softer now than when it was new, and I suspect the front has sagged a bit.

Is it possible that the rear tyre is the culprit? It has been getting gradually more squared off, but the wobble has appeared more recently.

All advice is welcome, as I have not encountered such a problem before on my other bikes.
  # 2  
Old 20-09-15, 13:27
Pleiades Pleiades is offline
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It could well be the squared off rear. The condition/shape of the rear tyre can do funny things to the front end. Probably worth replacing anyway - see if it makes a difference.

Double check your headrace bearings aren't loose, tight or notchy. This is quite a common cause for wobbliness at speed.

Once you've ruled out the rear tyre and headraces, then have a look at fiddling with tyre pressures and also check the suspension sag/ride height is correct.
  # 3  
Old 20-09-15, 18:28
Alexander Alexander is offline
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Thanks - much appreciated!
  # 4  
Old 22-10-15, 12:30
bonjo bonjo is offline
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hi
did you resolve the issue?
  # 5  
Old 23-10-15, 12:39
keithy2 keithy2 is offline
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Smile speed wobble

Hi my tenere with the standard tourances started to wobble at speed at exactly the same mileage, one of the reasons i changed to TKC80s. However they wobbled more at speed 75 ish mph indicated! have now changed the rear to Heidenau k60 scout 130/80 and retained the KTC80 front and its now fine no wobbles.
  # 6  
Old 23-10-15, 18:07
bonjo bonjo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by keithy2 View Post
Hi my tenere with the standard tourances started to wobble at speed at exactly the same mileage, one of the reasons i changed to TKC80s. However they wobbled more at speed 75 ish mph indicated! have now changed the rear to Heidenau k60 scout 130/80 and retained the KTC80 front and its now fine no wobbles.
this is very strange. I have and XTR and on the original Tourance, nowobble at all although once past 85, cross winds would unsettle the handle bar otherwise rock steady into triple digits (not on public highway of course).
this was right through the wear for over 8000 miles.
Once past 6000 miles, the rear started tracking the groves on the road which at high motorway speeds sometimes caused a little tank slapper (nothing worrying once you got used to it)
I changed mine before the legal limit because the chunky rear handling became strange when leaning the bike and also I got fed up locking the rear when braking and changing down quickly.
  # 7  
Old 24-10-15, 14:02
keithy2 keithy2 is offline
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Speed wobble

Quote:
Originally Posted by bonjo View Post
this is very strange. I have and XTR and on the original Tourance, nowobble at all although once past 85, cross winds would unsettle the handle bar otherwise rock steady into triple digits (not on public highway of course).
this was right through the wear for over 8000 miles.
Once past 6000 miles, the rear started tracking the groves on the road which at high motorway speeds sometimes caused a little tank slapper (nothing worrying once you got used to it)
I changed mine before the legal limit because the chunky rear handling became strange when leaning the bike and also I got fed up locking the rear when braking and changing down quickly.
It's the little tank slapper that I am talking about , passing Trucks at speed also set it off. In my case rear tyre wear was the root cause.
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