help with slight handlebar shake please

[vfxmark]

I much prefer tyre pressures of 36 / 42 - F/R under all conditions.

i've got same year with about 30k miles - varied conditions and loading.

I run solo with stock hard bags and usually fifteen to twenty pounds of of misc cargo on the bike...
I never knowingly run less than 35 or 36 psi front unless riding off-road (a rarity for me) - I favor 35/41 or 36/42

I think the stock springing on this bike is a little bit stiff for roads actually - I weigh a bit less but I actually run the front pre-load at its second-lowest setting on the road. Often seeming suspension problems at the front end are coming from issues at the other end...

The end you sit at is much more load-sensitive than the end that steers...

If you have the time and patience, change one thing at a time...
Definitely start by goosing the front tire pressure up to 36. - go for a spin - see what happens.

The old-fashioned way of adjusting rear shock spring pre-load by measuring deflection when you get on is not a bad way to start.... the object of the exercise is to get the shock somewhere into the middle of its range when you are static on the bike and the old-school way is to measure between something on the back of the bike and the ground with you on and off the bike. A decent spring pre-load place to start is where the back of the bike goes down about an inch and a half ish. If you are cranking the pre-load pretty much all the way tight, you probably need to adjust the rebound damping a bit stronger, but if you count the turns from full open to full closed and put it in the middle or very slightly more closed (more clockwise) you should be in a "middle-of the road" enough setting to rule out the settings unless your shock is damaged. Tire seems most likely culprit, but get everything else neutralish so you can get a sense of it....

A rear tire can have the same effect - if you throw the back of the bike back and forth the result will be a wobble in the front (since that's the end that has a left-to-right hinge in it) so dont rule out a rear tire.

 

[simplysounds]

stuck 36 in front and 42 in rear. but i think mr k is right about 30-40 wobble on deceleration (and also the very relaxed steering on 2006 models).

tried it at 70mph and no wobble at all at that speed so case closed. thanks for all the help. i guess it's a tweaking thing depending on rider weight, tyres, and suspender setting.

still not sure about higher tyre preasures, feels like the tyres are very narrow and the bike is on ice skates and not firmly planted on the road.

happy riding everyone and stay safe.

 

[Mardaf]

Had same problem with my 800GS thinking it was the tyre but the guys at BMW in Dundee tighten the bolt under the BMW logo as far as it would go and then unwind it by around a 6th of a full circle. It worked! When the problem appeared again about 4000 mile later i just did it myshelf and it worked again. Not sure if this is the case here but maybe worth asking your servise guys next time.

 

[G5RJO]

Tyre problem 100%

Purchased three sets of TA's.

1st front had a slight wobble on deceleration at about 30. Changed it for the second one prior to a big jolly round Europe.....

2nd tyre was worse! Awful, bordering on dangerous, full tank of fuel and the wobble was excessive.

Contacted Conti' upon my return and they agreed there was a known issue with front TA's. Sent the two back and they've been swapped for two new ones, no reduction for wear and the second one was well used

No arguments at all from Conti'. I tried the third one from the batch and it's fine. I know of someone else on here who had exactly the same problem with TA's and a BMW dealer in germany worked through a pile of new tyres in order to find one without a wobble.

send em back

Roger.

 

[vfxmark]

still not sure about higher tyre preasures, feels like the tyres are very narrow and the bike is on ice skates and not firmly planted on the road.

five quid says a month from now you won't remember it ever feeling another way... feels like it rolls off the high spot into turns too fast right now but you get used to it... happened to me on my R11s going from metzlers to dunlops....

 

[simplysounds]

conclusion and fault found:

played around with tyre preassures and suspension front and rear but problem still there. my conti's were made in germany so no issue there.

took it into a bmw mechanic friend and within 2 mins found the fault!

fault was a bounce in the front wheel rim. the wheel is not exactly round. one side of the rim dips by a few mm's and can be seen when front jacked up and front wheel spun at speed. thinking back i belive this was caused by a pot hole.

the dilema is now this: get wheel repaired? brand new spoke front wheel? put a set of cast wheels on as i ride on road and getting p'd off with spoke wheel damage and a bit fed up with keeping them clean and shiny.

any ideas on the options?

 

[Mr K]

That's not going to help the problem. If you're on the 4th preload notch on the front shock, you've got even more trail and taken even more weight off the front wheel than I thought. For road use, go down to the 3rd notch on the front or even the 2nd.

I too am no racing snake and run my front shock on 2.

 

[Giles]

put a set of cast wheels on as i ride on road and getting p'd off with spoke wheel damage and a bit fed up with keeping them clean and shiny.

any ideas on the options?

Spoked wheels will be marginally more forgiving (to your rims) on pot holed roads than cast ones. If you want to replace them for cast because of the fiddely cleaning, thats one thing, but cast will cope with poor roads no better - probably worse ...

 

[simplysounds]

got a brand new front spoke wheel - which comes with new wheel bearings (cost £586 trade). got the front tyre put on (conti ta's - only done a few hundred miles from new) and had it balanced but the freaking wobble is still there!

i know it ain't the head bearings, front wheel, front wheel bearings etc. any ideas?

put the bike on the centre stand. put in gear and spun up the rear. the rim is good as it was new november last year (long story) and still looks perfect. one thing i have noticed when spinning is the rear tyre might not be perfectly round. if i look down at it front of the swing arm the middle of the tyre tread appears to expand and contract. i guess this may suggest the tyre isn't round? would this cause a wobble on the front?

please help me tossers, you're my only hope.

 

[heathy]

IT'S THE EFFIN TYRE !!!! There, how many more times do you need to be told. You have one of the best handling bikes money can buy which is being ruined by a fault in the the first component in the chain. It's a known fault fercrisakes which has to be a bad / common one for the manufacturer to admit too. Get a pair of dunlop roadsmarts fitted and start enjoying the bike the way you should be...or, you could dismiss this like you have previous posters and waste more of your time and money ! Sorry for the rant but I do feel better now.

 

[simplysounds]

thanks for your input

should i go back to where i got them and tell them there are problems with the tyres? surely i need some firm proof? should i contact conti first?

this wobble started with my dunlop tr91's after halfway wear and now with the ta's

i need to go for a mixed tyre and not road tyres

 

[heathy]

Personally (and I had the same problem) I just changed the tyres and didn't contact continental. At the time, nobody had come across the issue(3 years ago) whereas now it's well known so worth a call to continental and then the supplier. The proof will come when you ride off on a different brand with better quality control, then get a refund. Whichever way you go enjoy the improvements!

 

[simplysounds]

Personally (and I had the same problem) I just changed the tyres and didn't contact continental. At the time, nobody had come across the issue(3 years ago) whereas now it's well known so worth a call to continental and then the supplier. The proof will come when you ride off on a different brand with better quality control, then get a refund. Whichever way you go enjoy the improvements!

contacted conti (01970 624 004) who admit there have been issues with trail attacks. he said that a suspected duff tyre on one bike can work fine on another. he said that they cannot pinpoint the exact problem but they are aware of the issue.

i'm now in the proccess of getting a replacement tyre/new tyres fitted

 

[G5RJO]

Do this.......

Go to the continental uk bike tyre web site. Fill in the contact form. Say you have trail attacks fitted and you have a front end wobble.

Nice man at Continental will send you an email in a couple of days saying that you should return the tyre to where you got it and they will send you a new tyre.

Simple!

Roger O

 

[simplysounds]

update: watling tyres are gonna sort me out a different set and make of tyres. they've convinced me to try the bridgestone bt023's which are now available for the 1200gs. i really wanted a mixed tyre but i've now had 'em all (apart from exp's and bingowings) so'i'll give them a go as i've never had a bad bridgestone. they're sending the ta's back with my full report and they're confident i'll get a refund.

i know some smug tossers will be saying 'told you so, i told him it was the tyres... what did i say roy, tyres' but if it is the tyres it's f'in shocking. i'll report back soon.

p.s do final drives make noise when bike on c/stand with rear in gear like chains or like my tyres is mine different than everyone elses?

 

[G5RJO]

Shaft noise.....

The final drive aint making the noise mate... it's the UJ's (Universal joints) either end of the prop shaft.

When its on the centre stand the shaft hangs so low that the shaft alignment is off. Never thought it a good idea doing that.

When the average svelte tosser is applied on the bike the suspension drops and the shaft aligns nicely. Don't worry. Just stop doing it.... er running it in gear on the centre stand that is......

Roger.

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

The final drive aint making the noise mate... it's the UJ's (Universal joints) either end of the prop shaft.

When its on the centre stand the shaft hangs so low that the shaft alignment is off. Never thought it a good idea doing that.

When the average svelte tosser is applied on the bike the suspension drops and the shaft aligns nicely. Don't worry. Just stop doing it.... er running it in gear on the centre stand that is......

Roger.

+1 Never do it

 

[simplysounds]

now fixed. fitted bridgestone bt023's front and rear and no wobble. thanks for the advice. as pointed out it was the tyres (which i still can't belive). i'm so shocked that conti can produce a batch of tyres that are so dangerous. i'll never buy a conti tyre again.

with regard to shaft noise, tried it on a r1200rt police bike and same as mine. advice taken so won't run the back on centre stand.

 

[Martyn H]

now fixed. fitted bridgestone bt023's front and rear and no wobble. thanks for the advice. as pointed out it was the tyres (which i still can't belive). i'm so shocked that conti can produce a batch of tyres that are so dangerous. i'll never buy a conti tyre again.

In nearly 40 years of fleet use, almost every manufacturer we have used has had a batch of tyres that have been recalled, or have been less than perfect.

That is not the same as saying it was a "dangerous" tyre.

If you really are shocked, you need to get out more.

 

[simplysounds]

In nearly 40 years of fleet use, almost every manufacturer we have used has had a batch of tyres that have been recalled, or have been less than perfect.

That is not the same as saying it was a "dangerous" tyre.

If you really are shocked, you need to get out more.

Yeah, thanks for that. Really helps.