[MatadorMkV]

Hey guys,
Rather than hijack a recently started thread, I just thought I'd start a new one if you don't mind.

I once had a 2005 wing several years ago. I've had a few bikes since then as I don't seem to keep them long...LOL (a sickness I have). My 2005 wing handled MUCH better than any bike of its weight should. It was incredible. It doesn't really matter what all the other bikes were, but the one I just traded in last night for a new left-over 2008 wing was a 2008 ST1300...also a fantastic bike to ride...just not the best for passengers...plus I missed a few of the things I once had on some of my touring bikes.

So, I'm riding the new bike home last night...45 minutes in about 20 degrees with some light snow with the usual garbage on the roads around this time...salt and anti skid stuff. Turns out my new wing has a bit of a wobble. It's not only when I decel and let go of the bars. It did it once or twice when I leaned it over in a turn WITH my hands on the bars...like on and off ramps.

Before bothering you guys with this, I did some post searching and came up with the following possibilities...

Bad front tire
Bad rear tire
Stem bearings

The most popular thing seems to be the All Balls fix. Do you think this would be the fix? If so, I usually do all of my own work and just wondered what kind of job it is to do. I've done a few stem bearings on other bikes, but none of them had so much body work to remove.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Russ

 

[MatadorMkV]

Thanks guys,
I know that with my Harleys, you do the "fall away test" when this kind of thing happens. It sounds kind of cavemanish, but you jack the front wheel off the ground, put masking tape on the fender, and mark the fender where the wheel starts to fall away to the left and to the right. If the distance between your two marks is greater than what the book calls for, you need to tighten the stem bearings. I was kind of hoping that on the wing, maybe they just need to be tightened, but it sounds like guys are replacing them with the All Balls. Is it because there is no adjustment for this on the wing?

Thanks again.

 

[MatadorMkV]

MatadorMkV, Would you please review this " test " for me again.

Thank's.

Mistake in my post...if the distance between the marks is too SHORT, then the head bearings are loose.

Anyway, with the Harleys, you jack them up so the front wheel is off the ground and pointing straight ahead. You also have to set up some kind of stationary pointer above the center of your fender in a way so that it does not touch the fender. You begin to slowly push the tire to one side with your hand. After you go so far, the wheel will begin to start moving on its own and "flop" to the steering lock. At the point where it starts to move on its own, you mark the fender right where the pointer is. This will be to the side of the center. Then, you do the same thing in the other direction by slowly pushing the tire in the other direction. Put a mark on the fender right under your pointer. You then measure the distance between your two marks. If the distance is too short...your wheel started to "flop" on its own quickly, then the bearings are loose. If the marks are far away from each other...you had to push for a good while before the wheel started to move on its own, the bearings are too tight.

Like I said, sounds strange, but the procedure is right in the Harley shop manual. If you ask me, there are too many variables that could affect the measurement...like cables, hoses, wires, etc., but it seems to work for Harley...or at least they think it does.

 

[MatadorMkV]

AMEN! Do the simple stuff FIRST! To the above list, I would append "check tire balance."

Without a doubt. The front tire pressure to begin with was a good bit lower than what I like to run, but I'll begin to check everything else tonight. You're both right though...sometimes it's as plain as the nose on your face, but instead, you attempt to rebuild a bike that has 25 miles on it!

 

[MatadorMkV]

Thanks guys,
From work, I can't access BigBikeRiders, but I will be able to later on. Is there a sticky on that site or somewhere else that discusses how to remove dash, plastic, etc.? It's been a good while since I've done it, so I would need a refresher course. I just don't want to break tabs or anything like that.

Thanks!

 

[MatadorMkV]

I actually found that post earlier, but I get X's where I would imagine pictures should be.

 

[MatadorMkV]

MatadorMkV, "PLEASE" do not jump in just yet. 25 miles?

There are other things to check. Use the scale test (3 lbs.).

Tires -- could be ether one. A club member may have spair tires mounted.

Ask dealer to try another tire/wheel. Check wheel/tire runout.

Nav/08 is not very easy to adjust the head bearings. And there is a risk

of damaging something when sailing unfamilier waters. Panel meter

is a pain.

Nah...I have the "cheap" Premium Audio model...LOL!

I will do a lot of checking and riding before popping plastic stuff off.

Thanks man,
Russ

 

[MatadorMkV]

Hey guys,
I think I may have it! I happened to look at my front wheel and noticed that the wheel weight is right next to the valve stem, so I thought that maybe the wheel might be out of balance. I took the wheel off and put it on my balancing stand thinking that this area would go straight to the bottom, but no good. It seems like the wheel balance really isn't that bad.

I then decided to spin the wheel on the stand and that's when it became clear. My tire has a HUGE bump in it. It's almost as if the bead isn't seated, but it is. Everything else is true...the sidewall bead line, the wheel, etc. The tread portion of the tire just has a very sharp bump to it when you spin it. I'm just about positive that this is my problem. It can't be good, that's for sure. I'll give my dealer a call in the morning. Hopefully, since I have the wheel off already, they'll be able to mount a tire for me quickly and I'll be on my way. Let's hope.

Russ

 

[MatadorMkV]

Well,
Just returned home from the dealership. They put the wheel on the balance machine and were immediately able to see what they termed a flat spot.

Before I left the house, they told me that they DID have a new tire in stock to put on the bike. As it turned out, that new tire was an Elite 3 which they can't put on the bike because Honda won't warranty it since it's not stock.

Sooo, they took the wheel off of another new 2008 wing and were just going to send me home with the new wheel and tire. They decided they better spin the new one just to make sure that IT was ok...I was going to do that anyway before going home...I brought my balancing stand with me. Sure enough, the new wheel/tire was worse than mine!

What's your opinion on this...
They claim that it's from the bikes sitting too long in a cold warehouse.

Here's where I got a little bent out of shape...they said, "Looks like you're just going to have to ride it." As if to imply that it'll get better as you ride. Ah, NO!

They ordered me a new 250, so we'll just have to see what happens next.

In the meantime, I have mine off the bike sitting with about 100 psi in it. Do I think it'll help? Probably not, but it's worth a try.

Russ

 

[MatadorMkV]

LOL...It's all good. I wasn't actually going to ride it with that much...and it was 90 to be exact. It was just kind of a last ditch effort before the new tire comes.

 

[MatadorMkV]

Then there's the old starter fluid thing to seat truck tire beads...not much safer though...LOL.