Front end wobbly

[protegeV]

Just picked up a 2000 vmax with low miles on it last week and I finally got to take it on a ride. I noticed the front end feels pretty unstable when hitting bumps at highway speeds. Also, when taking a corner the front end wants to dive into the turn and I have to pull back against my lean.

 

[desert_max]

Tire air pressure?

 

[protegeV]

Tire air pressure?

I made sure air pressure was correct in both tires before riding.

 

[desert_max]

Hmm. Well, could be a couple things. I'd put it on the centerstand and start scrutinizing head stem bearings and wheel bearings. Likely one or the other.

 

[Fire-medic]

How-much air pressure in the forks? That makes a huge difference on mine. Believe it's up-to 15 PSI, so somewhere 5-15 PSI. Be-careful if you use a compressor to air-up the forks, it only takes a fraction of a second to air them-up as it's a very-small volume. People have blown-out their fork seals, treating it like a truck tire.

Progressive Suspension fork spring kits I think don't require air pressure.

Jack the front end off the ground, grab the bottoms of the fork sliders, and push/pull the towards/away from you. They should not have any appreciable travel forward/back, there should not be any 'clunk' with movement. If there is, your steering head bearings are loose, and probably shot. Time to look at Sean Morley's 'bounce-test' video on youtube for your forks, too. You can watch his daughter disassemble a VMax fork, so-can you!

 

[protegeV]

How-much air pressure in the forks? That makes a huge difference on mine. Believe it's up-to 15 PSI, so somewhere 5-15 PSI. Be-careful if you use a compressor to air-up the forks, it only takes a fraction of a second to air them-up as it's a very-small volume. People have blown-out their fork seals, treating it like a truck tire.

Progressive Suspension fork spring kits I think don't require air pressure.

Jack the front end off the ground, grab the bottoms of the fork sliders, and push/pull the towards/away from you. They should not have any appreciable travel forward/back, there should not be any 'clunk' with movement. If there is, your steering head bearings are loose, and probably shot. Time to look at Sean Morley's 'bounce-test' video on youtube for your forks, too. You can watch his daughter disassemble a VMax fork, so-can you!

THANK YOU! I will check the front end when I get home tonight.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

What shape and age is the tires in? Could be as simple as a bad tire as well. Checking things is free. Better than shotgunning a bunch of parts at it first. When you get home, centerstand, check steering bearings as mentioned(really good advice even if they arent loose). Tire age and condition. And remember, even new tires can be bad.

 

[protegeV]

What shape and age is the tires in? Could be as simple as a bad tire as well. Checking things is free. Better than shotgunning a bunch of parts at it first. When you get home, centerstand, check steering bearings as mentioned(really good advice even if they arent loose). Tire age and condition. And remember, even new tires can be bad.

The front tire is actually almost 10 years old. I already have new tires on order. I will check the front end and revisit this after the tires are installed. I've ridden bikes with old tires, but never felt anything like this before.

 

[Fire-medic]

Oh, geez, ten years-old tires are not good on a powerful cruiser, any bike really. They get dried-out, they lose pliability, and ozone in the atmosphere causes a deterioration of the rubber, as does UV light. New premium tires are a great investment, switching to radial tires f & r (requiring a new rear wheel custom-made, there are no direct swaps which work) will give you a whole new world of handling and performance; the bike will steer better and corner better. However, at this point any new tires are better than what you have. They should be sticky rubber, even-if you get less-miles out of them. A hard-rubber ('distance' tire) compound will step-out on you when you use too-much throttle, and do it suddenly, especially when cornering.

 

[protegeV]

Got the bike back from the new tires being installed. Wow, tall about night and day!! Front end looseness is gone and the bike feels way tighter overall.


Went with shinko tour master. Stock up front and 170 on the back

Downside is I have to take the bike back. As I'm making this post standing next to the bike I see they mounted the front tire backwards.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Got the bike back from the new tires being installed. Wow, tall about night and day!! Front end looseness is gone and the bike feels way tighter overall.


Went with shinko tour master. Stock up front and 170 on the back

Downside is I have to take the bike back. As I'm making this post standing next to the bike I see they mounted the front tire backwards.

When I first got my Max, same exact thing....tires. Never have I owned a bike where a tire made such a huge difference. For your tire, are you sure its mounted backwards? Sometimes the tread looks like its reversed but the arrow on the tire indicates its supposed to rotate that way. A double check would never hurt.

 

[protegeV]

Nope. it was definitely backwards. Already picked it up from them fixing it. If a younger, inexperienced tech did the tires I can see how he could have made the mistake. The front and rear tire have the same tread, but the sipes are supposed to point forward on the back tire and backward on the front tire. He mounted them so the tread faced the same way, but ignored the arrow on the sidewall that indicated the correct direction.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Nope. it was definitely backwards. Already picked it up from them fixing it. If a younger, inexperienced tech did the tires I can see how he could have made the mistake. The front and rear tire have the same tread, but the sipes are supposed to point forward on the back tire and backward on the front tire. He mounted them so the tread faced the same way, but ignored the arrow on the sidewall that indicated the correct direction.

That sucks. Sometimes they just dont pay attention. I am fortunate right now. The oldest Yamaha dealer in the USA is Bobby Js. Since 1956. They have a veteran tech there who did the work on mine including mount and balance my tires. Hopefully they get you squared away quickly so you can get out there riding.

 

[sdt354]

I started changing my own tires when I invested in Kosman wheels. Dyna beads have worked well for me too. A cheap H.F. bead breaker and a little effort is all it takes. The tie wrap method about eliminates tire iron need. Few tire shops will take the care the owner will take.

 

[SDB]

When I look at my 150 Kwnda in the rear it seems close to touching the drives haft... A larger 170 fits fine??? I'm also going with Shinko Tour masters I think

 

[Fire-medic]

When I look at my 150 Kwnda in the rear it seems close to touching the drives haft... A larger 170 fits fine??? I'm also going with Shinko Tour masters I think

Look for the info on swapping one of the rear axle washers from outside the differential case to inside the case, between the diff and the wheel. A 170 usually-fits OK without that, but if the brand you bought kisses the swingarm, that's one-way to quickly 'clearance' it without resorting to swingarm surgery.

 

[SDB]

Look for the info on swapping one of the rear axle washers from outside the differential case to inside the case, between the diff and the wheel. A 170 usually-fits OK without that, but if the brand you bought kisses the swingarm, that's one-way to quickly 'clearance' it without resorting to swingarm surgery.

I may just stick with the 150 shinko... It's a good sticky tire don't think 20mm more is gonna make a difference on the street..

Question on front Springs. I'm doing forkbseals/dust seals and fresh 15w fluid. I am happy with how the bike handles (my other bikes are big heavy vtwin cruisers). I have progressive springs on my solo Road Star and they work well. If I wanted just a step up from stock and didn't want to mess with emulators.. Which aftermarket spring is the best direct replacement. I'm 245ish and will only ride this one-up. Racetech? PROGRESSIVE? Other?

 

[Fire-medic]

"Messing with emulators" is pretty-simple. They're drop-in, after you drill-out the damping rod holes which now just-pass oil, the damping is done in the emulator, it's adjustable (requires removal) with a wrench for fine-tuning. Try it at the stock setting, change according to your needs.

I like the Race-Tech springs as they are designed for your riding weight and style of use. The Progressives are a more-universal approach. I have both.

 

[pgilliam1]

I did the Progressive springs, 15w fork oil and Shinko Tourmasters. It helped, but this bike is still unstable at speed. I increased preload on the rear suspension and that helped too. I also found my front fork fall-away to be too loose (the front bounced when it fell to either side) so I tightened the head bolt and that helped too, but this bike will not do speed like any bike I've ever had. Oh well, it's still fun to ride - carefully.

 

[Parminio]

Are you sure about the head bolt?

Check out this video by @one2dmax and make sure you did it by the book: Sean Morley Steering Head Bolt Adjustment.