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Slight wobble at high speed

832 Views 50 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  Unkle Krusty
I have a 2008 Royal Star Venture, I got it last year , late in the season.
Around town I haven't seen any issue, but today I took it 1.5 hours away.
This was the first time I tested cruise and high speed riding, 85 MPH interstate.
I let off the steering for a moment to adjust a glove and realized that is started to slightly wobble.
Nothing serious, but was disconcernting. Especially at that speed. So When getting off the interstate I tried again at 65 MPH
Same thing happened.
So now I am trying to figure out why.
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I dont know how old the tires are, they are in good condition. Previous owner may have a log .
The tires will have a date code on them indicating when they were made. Also check your neck bearings.
Did the road you were on have rain grooves?
I did not see a date on the tire, maybe cant find it, Did see that the shocks were slightly off. I just let all the air out of them to see if it helps.
There was no rain grooves on the roads I tested . I havent check the bearings yet.
I checked if there was any give or wiggle in the tire when up in the air. It had no give and was nice and solid.
The only thing I can think of is that the tire sidewall cut is effecting it. I did not take it out at high way speeds since checking the shocks.
The sidewall cut is where the tread part meets the sidewall.
I did not see a date on the tire, maybe cant find it, Did see that the shocks were slightly off. I just let all the air out of them to see if it helps.
There was no rain grooves on the roads I tested . I haven"t check the bearings yet.
At high speeds, it doesn't take much to get a slight wobble. Since you found a problem with the shocks, I would definitely start there.
I did not see a date on the tire, maybe cant find it, Did see that the shocks were slightly off. I just let all the air out of them to see if it helps.
There was no rain grooves on the roads I tested . I havent check the bearings yet.
I checked if there was any give or wiggle in the tire when up in the air. It had no give and was nice and solid.
The only thing I can think of is that the tire sidewall cut is effecting it. I did not take it out at high way speeds since checking the shocks.
The sidewall cut is where the tread part meets the sidewall.
You'll want to put proper amount of air-pressure back in. No pressure would make them soft and more prone to shaking. Make sure both sides are balanced.
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Good tip on pressure, the suggested is 0-7 lbs, most run 0-3. It seemed to work fine today when riding.
Will do a highway test in the next few days
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The tires will have a date code on them indicating when they were made. Also check your neck bearings.
Did the road you were on have rain grooves?
The tires could be mismatched. Also, just because the "problem" is in the front doesn't mean the issue isn't the back tire. What tires are recommended and what do you have on the bike right now? Not just the make but the model.
I tested today after letting all air out of the front forks. It still wobbles at 45+ speeds if I take my hand off the steering.
Both tires are dunlops.
Only thing I see is that cut in the front tire. Everything else seems good .
I would check wear on the front forks.
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Tires can look good, but have a problem.
I had a continuous bouncing of my from wheel at about 65. Tried a few different ways of balancing it. Did not work. A new tire fixed the problem. I also had a steering direction problem, mostly on the freeway. New steering head bearings fixed that problem. Best to check everything as suggested in the posts above.
That sounds like a tire separation. Those are more common on car and truck tires than motorcycle tires, but they do happen. Had a friend that happened to on a brand-new tire, had to fight with the manufacturer to get it warrantied. This was back in the 80's and the manufacturers didn't have warrantees for motorcycle tires.
I would check wear on the front forks.
yes! I recently rebuilt entire front-end on my Cbr600rr track bike due to shaking under braking. I suspect there were multiple issues. Fork bushings was definitely one of problems.

Couldn't feel any looseness from wiggling on outside. But thats because I couldn't overcome spring pre-load by hand. But when disassembled, bushings had copper showing. Definitely time for replacement.
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yes! I recently rebuilt entire front-end on my Cbr600rr track bike due to shaking under braking. I suspect there were multiple issues. Fork bushings was definitely one of problems.

Couldn't feel any looseness from wiggling on outside. But thats because I couldn't overcome spring pre-load by hand. But when disassembled, bushings had copper showing. Definitely time for replacement.
Thanks, Danno. I should have specifically mentioned bushings. The OP's bike is 15 years old so they deserve a look.
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I am kind of afraid of disassembling, I may end up taking it to a professional.
Looked closer to the cut on the tire, it isnt as bad as I though it was.
Wobble will happen at: Tire mis-inflation, head bearing wear/torque, wheel bearing wear/torque, wheel alignment, fork alignment , wheel balance, weight balance of bike load, frame flex/bent(this is actually under wheel alignment though).

Each is unique feel and knowing how to do it all is best for you to learn how too so you know it is right and do not pay someone for something that you will end up checking your self usually anyway. Learning how to diagnose each is easy. Fixing is only a level higher than that for each.
I do have some wind deflectors that are attached to the front of the bike, if one of those was off or slightly misaligned I could see the issue.
You have not said much about the steering head bearings.
It is always a good plan to inspect these parts.
You have not said much about the steering head bearings.
It is always a good plan to inspect these parts.
I did check this and there was no give . Everything seemed solid
Wobble will happen at: Tire mis-inflation, head bearing wear/torque, wheel bearing wear/torque, wheel alignment, fork alignment , wheel balance, weight balance of bike load, frame flex/bent(this is actually under wheel alignment though).

Each is unique feel and knowing how to do it all is best for you to learn how too so you know it is right and do not pay someone for something that you will end up checking your self usually anyway. Learning how to diagnose each is easy. Fixing is only a level higher than that for each.
And therein lies the problem in an easy diagnosis. It could be a number of things or even more than one thing. One thing is for sure, wobble is not good.
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My bike, which I bought brand new, so i would hope that would leave out any mechanical issues, liked to wobble at freeway speeds. It was never very bad, but as a new rider, it was unnerving to say the least. I thought maybe it was the tires, but when I swapped them out with a different brand, it was about the same.
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I did check this and there was no give . Everything seemed solid
It may seem solid. BUT. The front wheel needs to be off the ground, and the check is for a non smooth turning of the steering head. That was the simple explanation.
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