Front wheel wobble

[CommuterNT]

So on my way to work today I was doing my usual commute and was coming up to a stop light. I was probably doing about 40 in 5th gear and just letting it decelerate when I took both hands of the bars to shake things out for a second, no cars in front or behind me. (I don't want this to turn into a no hands on the bars discussion) I've done this before many times and also for brief seconds while the throttle lock is engaged. The problem is that when I was shaking my hands out I notice that my front wheel was wobbling a bit but nothing violent. I quickly grabbed the bars again and couldn't feel a thing. I tried a very light grip and could sort of feel it when I would be decelerating. I couldn't feel it in the bike but only see it in the bars moving. I don't notice anything when braking or just cruising along and have never felt like anything was out of balance before. I've never had any jarring impacts or things that could knock things out of whack.

I guess my question to all the more experienced riders and gear heads is this something that could be caused by the harmonics of the engine and the fact that I'm decelerating? Could it have been a combination of the road conditions and the fact I was slowing down? Is it a wheel balance issue that wouldn't be noticed otherwise? I'm a bit at a loss and if it is a mechanical issue I want to get it fixed.

Kyle

 

[DirtFlier]

Many Hondas will do the front end shake on decel at around 35-40 mph with both hands off the bars. Changing front tires or increasing torque on steering bearings will sometimes solve this shake but the easiest and cheapest solution is to keep at least one hand on the bars when slowing.

 

[CommuterNT]

Many Hondas will do the front end shake on decel at around 35-40 mph with both hands off the bars. Changing front tires or increasing torque on steering bearings will sometimes solve this shake but the easiest and cheapest solution is to keep at least one hand on the bars when slowing.

Thanks DirtFlier. It's good to know that this is a "normal" thing. I was worried I might be having some mechanical issues. Yes, I'm going to go the cheap route and just keep at least one hand on when slowing.

 

[seagrass]

If you check your front tyre you will probably find the tread has cupped to the left and right of the centreline of the tyre.

I have found this is the main cause of steering wobble on a fairly new bike.

The simple solution is to replace the tyre but most people, including me, put up with the problem until the tyre needs to be replaced.

Keep the tyre pressures at recommended levels to minimise the problem

 

[rcase13]

Yeah well I finally got tired of just living with it. I put on brand new set of PR3s and the wobble is gone! I can let go at 65 mph and enjoy hands free wobble until I fall over and crash or hit the ditch!

 

[Phil Tarman]

Sometimes the steering head bearings can be worn or loose and cause this, too. One solution is to replace the ball bearings that Honda equips the bikes with with roller bearings. I've got a set of roller bearings that I'll have put on one of these days.

 

[Lorien]

As several have said not uncommon with many bikes but if you think it is new to yours first thought is check the wear on your tires. Uneven patterns can cause or accentuate such things. But most of all just keep a hand on one side or the other. Not a good idea to tempt fate on two wheels. That wobble can increase very suddenly with no warning.

 

[Woodaddict]

The OEM BT 020 tires are bad for wobble. Mine did it, and just above rcase13 did it. He lives close to me, back in March I checked balance of his front wheel. It was perfect in balance, but some cupping on tire would let it start the wobble. I tested mine it would start about from 50 mph on lower. Just don't take both hands off at same time with these tires. Also check other posts in this section will talk about it.

 

[Bear]

+1 on the 020s. Mine got ditched at 5K and got replaced by PR Michelins. It's a whole different bike now.

 

[charlie b]

Mine would wobble at any speed with the stock tires. Neither the Avon Storms or the Michelin PR3's show any wobble.

 

[Bear]

Charlie, That seems to be the concensus. I have yet to meet someone who likes the 020s.

 

[ARKNT]

I would agree with most here that most all bikes can shake the front a little, and is more likely decelerating.
To most it is a matter of degree. Tire wear and steering bearings are large causes. Even lose swingarm bearings contribute. The front end of a bike is really pretty complex when you look close so several things interact.

Brad

 

[skiper]

The cupping on my stock tire is much less now after 2-3 thousand miles of careful checking pressure and doing gentle slolom maneuvers on back roads. Slolum like a skiing thing has wore them evenly some. I got cupping on the stock bridgestones , honda car , rear only , rotated to front and they wore in more evenly. Don't know why a civic coupe would cup the rear tires only, happened before 1700 miles, . Dealer told me the roads are terrible. I said the roads here are pristine - he should see em downstate , manhatten and etc - they are a minefield, my tires were coddled and still wore funny. Oh yeah, had coffee and tea as my NT sleeps. Did anyone see the yt vid of the bike riding off ledge into a sailboat ? The back story is a group of guys went down to him and he told them of a buried treasure under a big "W". As they were all bikers a "GANG" was formed and they rode off into the sunset racing to the big W. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World.. Some say they were fall NT700's.

 

[charlie b]

Not all bikes do this.

Honda CB500-4 could go for miles without putting hands on the bars, using three different brands of tire. The Guzzi has VERY fast steering geometry and it tracks straight as an arrow without hands on bars. Even when it 'feels' squirrelly on rain grooves I can still take my hands off the bars and it will continute to track straight, even as it 'wiggles' in the grooves.

The NT is the only bike I have ridden that wobbled when I took my hands off the bars. I do admit it only did it when I had thee stock tires on it but it is still the only one (even when the tires were brand new). Maybe some of you who have ridden pure sport bikes will have a different experience.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Charlie, I can just feel the pressure building up in those folks who think you always ought to have both hands on the bars! When I started riding bicycles seriously back in '86, I couldn't ride my road bike hands off. But by the time I'd ridden a thousand or so miles, I could ride for a long way without a hand on the bar and track exactly where I wanted to.

I don't remember riding my Silverwing hands off, but on the Connies and on the NT, I'm comfortable taking them off for quite a bit. I always am ready to get 'em back on the bars really quickly and wouldn't do it in any kind of traffic situation.

Of all the bikes I've had, my first Connie was the only one to have a wobble. It went away after I adjusted the steering bearings. Wheels and tires make pretty good gyroscopes.

 

[charlie b]

Phil, Me too

I consider it like driving a car with my knees. Probably will get raked over the coals on that one too.

I also like to 'test' the handling of a bike by steering without hands on the bars. FWIW, the NT is over stabilized. Takes a lot of weight on one peg or the other to get it to turn. My current Guzzi steers almost as fast with weight on the pegs as it does with counter steering.