Front tire wobble, already replaced bearings. . .

[PaulR]

My front tire wobbled when I bought the bike. So, I read on here and replaced my steering stem bearings, which looked pretty worn. This fixed most of the problem, but there was still a problem when letting off the throttle in fifth gear around 50 down to 45 mph. So, I changed out the wheel bearings thinking maybe they were worn. They felt pretty good, but I had already bought the bearings so why not. I took it for a test ride and the same problem still exists. One odd thing I noticed was that there was a little play in the front axle rod. I put it through with the tire off and it was able to move a little inside the bearings. Does anyone have any thoughts of what might be causing this wobble??? There isn't a problem at highway speeds, but it is tough to keep it headed straight down a concrete road. It constantly wants to wobble and follow the groves.

 

[Rhoy Carter]

Re-check the steering bearing torque and check the swing arm bearings torque. Sounds to me like the steering bearings torque is just slightly low.

 

[SpecOps13]

Steering bearings too loose, Wobble.

Too tight, Wander.

It's a fine line adjustment....

 

[dannymax]

My front tire wobbled when I bought the bike. So, I read on here and replaced my steering stem bearings, which looked pretty worn. This fixed most of the problem, but there was still a problem when letting off the throttle in fifth gear around 50 down to 45 mph. So, I changed out the wheel bearings thinking maybe they were worn. They felt pretty good, but I had already bought the bearings so why not. I took it for a test ride and the same problem still exists. One odd thing I noticed was that there was a little play in the front axle rod. I put it through with the tire off and it was able to move a little inside the bearings. Does anyone have any thoughts of what might be causing this wobble??? There isn't a problem at highway speeds, but it is tough to keep it headed straight down a concrete road. It constantly wants to wobble and follow the groves.

I recently went through this de-cel wobble pretty thouroughly on my '06...installed solid motor mounts, checked swingarm bearings, installed new front wheel bearings, installed new steering head bearings and torqued them to factory spec (2.2 ft lbs)....I could reduce the wobble some but not eliminate it.
Then I installed a Metzler Lasertec ME33 front tire and that did it!! All but the slightest shiver at 45 mph the wobble was gone. Then I snugged up the head bearings just a touch (about 1/8th of a turn or so) the wobble is totally gone and it handles like it's on rails.

Conclusion....for my '06 the front tire (a brand new Shinko 110 Tour Master) was the offending component. There's a good chance that's your problem too.

What are you running for a front tire, how old is it, any cupping?

 

[PaulR]

I just replaced the front with a Metzler lasertec, and I am running a metzler marathon on the back. One thing that puzzles me is the play in the front axle bolt that goes through the bearings. I will try another 1/8 turn on the stearing stem bearings. The guy before me had them way too tight and I think that caused the other set to wear. But I will try tightening it up a little bit.

 

[Damnbiker]

With the wheel mounted on the bike with everything at proper torque and the front end off the ground, grab the tire with one hand at 12:00 and the other at 6:00..try to rock the tire back and forth. Any play? If so, is your axle smooth or is it grooved (should be smooth). If there is no obvious wear on your axle, are you sure you bought the correct wheel bearings? There should be very minimal play (if any at all) in rocking your wheel back and forth.

Other than that, is your new tire at the correct tire pressure? Low tire pressure causes a bike to search and follow grooves in the road more than a tire with correct pressure. Can also cause bad handling.

 

[dannymax]

I just replaced the front with a Metzler lasertec, and I am running a metzler marathon on the back. One thing that puzzles me is the play in the front axle bolt that goes through the bearings. I will try another 1/8 turn on the stearing stem bearings. The guy before me had them way too tight and I think that caused the other set to wear. But I will try tightening it up a little bit.

I believe the axle O.D. is .665," you might check that and as Damnbiker said, do you have the correct bearings? Are they All-Balls or Yamaha, what's the number on them?

 

[PaulR]

Thanks for all the help. They are All-Balls bearings, I don't know the number on them, but they said they were for the VMAX. But the problem existed before the new set of wheel bearings. I'll check for play in the wheel with it mounter. Their is no obvious wear on the axle.

 

[scicluna]

Check for a buckled front wheel, bought my max as a wreck and didn't notice the buckle. Had changed the neck bearings as they were shot and still had really bad wobble after doin the bounce adjustment on the steering bearings, straightened the buckle and it doesn,t wander or shake, just something to check?
Mike

 

[eat crow]

bent front rims seem to be the norm on these, i know mine was when i bought it.mines as solid as a rock now,new rim off ebay ,fresh seals in forks and proper fork oil heights,new aftermarket stock size fork springs , skf bearings in the steering neck and front wheel,most importantly also replaced a scalloping metzler tire.denial gets you nowhere when it comes to a shaking bike,they are no fun at all,no bike is meant to do that , especially one as powerful as this