First longer ride today, not to impressed with ride

[98jpvmax]

I put on about 120-130 miles round trip to work today and wow these bikes are squirlly !! didnt feel very comfortable got up to 95mph and kinda wobbly , experienced the head shake everyone talks about, also i get head shake even at 35-45mph in town if i take my hands off the grips she starts shaking and i have to grab back on, what is the first step in curing this? ive heard the front brace, frame bars, head bearings? also my back tire is pretty bald just truing to milk it out till spring probaby didnt help the ride today either:bang head: thanks again

 

[yellowandfast]

you need to adjust the head bearings, you def. need a rear tire and you should also dial in the rear suspension for your weight per the manual.

after that your bike should be smooth as glass up to 130+ like mine is.

 

[The Beekeeper]

+1 on head bearing check, you need to do the bounce test as outlined in a few threads and video in here, adjusting them is a snap, when I did mine it was like night and day!.............Perform this and post the results!...................Tom.

 

[Rand-5107]

You might need to replace the head bearings.

 

[VMax-Mike]

Just did head bearing and all wobble is gone up to 136mph. I put shinko tires on. Good to 149mph. It was only. $130 ship for front and rear. Morly has a how to vidio on bearing. All u need is a hammer screw driver and a big adjustable wrench.

 

[98jpvmax]

hey thanks guys for the fast responses ill check out that bearing issue

 

[98jpvmax]

by the way what should a guy look for in a rear tire for the Max anything inparticular?

 

[VMax-Mike]

Shinlo hooks up the best and cost less. I went with a 170 instead of stock 150. Look tough and fit good. Rear tire don't last long on Vmax so don't speend alot on one.

 

[sdt354]

by the way what should a guy look for in a rear tire for the Max anything inparticular?

Metzler & Shinko are popular here. 170/80 fits without a mod. Metzler is a better wearing tire. Shinko is a sticky tire and much cheaper. I don't care much for the Dunlop bias ply.
Steve-o

 

[[email protected]]

Check out this thread. http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=11514&page=3
There is a video that may help you out. Post #28 or so.
I would do the adjustment for now. When you have time to dig in I would tear things down and inspect for any wear and at least some fresh grease.

I had a low speed speed wobble on my 06 when I only had 3K miles on it. A few minutes to adjust them cured that real quick.

As mentioned, the shiko tourmaster or metzeler me880 are about the 2 most popular tires. No problems in running a 170 rear if you want something a bit wider than stock.

 

[DakRatFink]

I don't want to sound like Johnny Obvious and insult your intelligence, but Check tire pressure first, then all the above listed steps.

 

[Rand-5107]

I can't tell you how much I like the metzler's. It's a little more sticky, shinko vs alot more mileage, metzler. Like your grandaddy told you. You get what you pay for.

 

[satariel666]

you need to adjust the head bearings, you def. need a rear tire and you should also dial in the rear suspension for your weight per the manual.

after that your bike should be smooth as glass up to 130+ like mine is.

+1 and the swingarm bearings too.

 

[Fire-medic]

You should never let a tire get to the 'bald' stage! Simply, your life depends on it.

Front tires going bald will cost you directional control and in low-traction conditions (pretty-much any well-used intersection) the front end can wash-out from under you before you wonder "what happened?" (as you and your bike are racing each other to a stop, and you're not on it!) ATF, grease, coolant, tar, oil, and anything else which can fall from the underside of a car or truck will cause this. You have to pay attention to your vehicle condition more than when you have four tires supporting you. The ensuing results are more-costly in terms of skin, bones, and time-off from work recuperating/healing.

Need I say, 'always wear a good approved helmet and gloves, and footwear?' I don't care if it's 90+ degrees out, I will not ride a bike w/o my ventilated armored gear.

Welcome to the world of VMax enthusiasts. We all want our bikes to work better, and share info daily.

 

[E-max]

You guys rock i've had my max all summer and I thought I was just a sissy! I'm going to adjust mine tonight! :banana::banana:

 

[mckzx9]

Fork brace helped my high speed wobble. Then I got low speed wobble. Adjusted bearing and is much better now.

 

[Thevmaxrider]

If your rear tire is bald and "squared off" that will cause a speed wobble as well at high speeds. Checking the steering head bearings is a good idea, but I would get that rear tire changed sooner rather than later.

 

[nickvmad]

just the nature of the beast

 

[98jpvmax]

gonna hopefully start with a new tire tomorrow more i thought about it , it would be a weight lifted off the shoulders to not have to worry about the tire when riding first of all and then see how that works and then go from there, thanks for all the advice also

 

[SpecOps13]

My choice is Metzler. Heard of a few problems with Shinko's recently. Good Luck either way... or whatever way...