High speed wobble

[torszula]

At around 125mph my 2005 VMAX started a pretty violent wobble. I gotta tell you it scared the shit out of me so I obvisuly slowed down. I talked to the dealer about it and he told me that it is a known issue with the bike. WTF??? really? They make a bike that can go 150mph but it will go into a death wobble at 125 and they are ok with that? I had the entire front end looked over to make sure it wasn't something mechanical anyhow and they fond nothing. I've since heard that there is a fork brace that supposedly will solve this. Does this actually work? Is anyone else as perplexed as I am that Yamaha built the bike with this flaw? The dealer tried to justify it by saying that you shouldn't be going that fast anyhow. Who buys this bike and doesn't ride it hard and fast? I didn't buy a Gold Wing.

 

[sdt354]

That person at the Stealership that told you that is full of it. I'd not even consider going back there. The Vmax can be made to handle very well and be stable at 125mph, no problem. Start with head bearings, they must be in good condition and adjusted correctly. Pull it apart for visual inspection. Tires need to be in good condition and balanced. Wheel and swing arm bearings should be inspected on a frequent basis. The brace won't stop a wobble issue. But, it stiffens up the forks for sure. Especially on the smaller diameter forks, which you don't have.
Steve-o

 

[dannymax]

Very common issue with the VMax, and many other bikes too....hi-speed & low-speed wobbles. Probly more written on this subject than any other VMax issue going....run some forum searches, you will be a wealth of confusing info in no time.

Good luck and watch out for that hi-speed wobble....it can become terminal in a heartbeat!

 

[jfeagins]

Every single solitary time my 85 has ever begun wobbling at high speed, simply replacing a worn rear tire has brought it under control. If my rear tire had enough tread left on it to be worth re-balancing, I did that as well with similar results. Don't really feel like arguing about causes, because there could be multiple contributing factors for high-speed wobble, but ON MY 85, this issue has been resolved every single time by taking care of the back tire. PERIOD. Good condition & properly adjusted wheel bearings, head bearings, swingarm, and/or fork braces can, and will, help minimize this wobble, but FOR ME, I've found that good, solid tire/wheel balance & condition has been determined to be the largest contributing factor.

If you have a center stand, put the bike up onto it, start the engine and put the bike up into 3rd gear or so and let it idle just above the rpms where it might otherwise try to die. See if you don't have some side-to-side tire runout.... This would especially be my expectation if you are running bias tires. I've seen where radials are not nearly as likely to experience run-out problems, but I've never run radials, and instead, historically I've stuck with the OEM raised white Dunlops.

Again, just my experience with high-speed wobble since 1985. (actually since my 1979 XS1100 purchased in Sept 1978)

 

[85vmax]

I have a used in very good shape "Super Brace" fork brace for your year.
PM me.

 

[RaWarrior]

At around 125mph my 2005 VMAX started a pretty violent wobble. I gotta tell you it scared the shit out of me so I obvisuly slowed down. I talked to the dealer about it and he told me that it is a known issue with the bike. WTF??? really? They make a bike that can go 150mph but it will go into a death wobble at 125 and they are ok with that?

Yeah, pretty much.

It's a known issue on any fast bike from the 70's and 80's. Engines advanced a lot faster than chassis did. Toothpick fork tubes, bias tires and wobbly frames just couldn't cope with a big unfaired bike being slammed through the wind at 140mph, there's a lot of forces at play. Stuff flexes and you get wobbles.

Keep in mind, your bike might be a 2005 model, but it's a 1985 design, expect accordingly.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Your 2005 has the larger diameter forks and shouldn't need the beefier fork brace. Your steering head bearings most likely need adjusted, and there is a video here on the site by Sean Morley that explains how to check and properly adjust them. Too loose and you have a high speed wobble, too tight and you will get a low speed wander. As stated above, tires can also be a contributing factor. Check things out and let us know what you find.

 

[naughtyG]

Hi speed wobble = bad head bearings most of the time, and bad rear tire is the other one to check.

 

[Miles Long]

Stuff flexes and you get wobbles.[/U]
Keep in mind, your bike might be a 2005 model, but it's a 1985 design, expect accordingly.

I believe that Ryan is "spot on" in his assessment.
Like so many owners, I as well noticed both low...40-60 kph... and high-speed...above 160 kph... wobbling issues, immediately after purchasing the bike. Consequently, my very first modification (started after only a two week honeymoon with my new love), was to address the high-speed instability.
From research, I had concluded that the high speed issues were a result of inadequate frame design coupled with a flexing front end, and poor aerodynamics, because of the lack of a wind-directing shield.
I first checked the wheel run-out and alignment of the wheels, as well as having the dealer re-check the wheel balance AND the headstock bearing tightness....all was within specs.

I started the modifications by first installing a custom-made wrap around fork brace (3/4" thick aluminum plate). This seemed to marginally improve the high speed handling, but did nothing to help the low speed wobbling.
Then came the full-meal-deal treatment.....an external frame, made of 1-inch square steel tubing. This starts below the headstock, (the two sides being joined by a solid metal splice piece), down each side tube, and along each lower tube, with a small extension to bring them just forward of the rear tire. A piece of flat bar joins the extensions, beneath the bike.
Other pieces were added to the upper rear frame sections.
Nothing was welded to the frame. Everything was bolted, using existing tapped holes. Later on, I added some bodywork frame shrouds to the lower portions of the braces (forward motor mount to exhaust can split), for "cosmetic" reasons.
The framing components have had other benefits as well. The forward case guards are now out about two inches more than stock, so are perfect for foot rests. The back frame extensions made rear case guards/passenger foot rests possible, which saves the pipes from damage during tip-overs. The upper left hand rear section has allowed mounting of a flip-out lever for getting the bike on it's centerstand. Both rear sections have provide mounting areas for saddlebags.
I also use either a large or small fairing, depending on whether the bike is in the "touring" or "street" mode. Both have shields large enough to direct the wind over my head.
Following all this, I pushed the bike to 220kph on a few occasions, with no signs of wobbling.
But now that I'm old and grey, and my instincts for self-preservation have grown much stronger, I rarely exceed 160.
Later on, I also got the low-speed wobble solved. But that's another story.....
Cheers!

 

[dannymax]

I had good luck going to 17" wheels and Metz radials altho some guys have tried radials and still had wobbles.

The VMax may be a little more prone to wobbles than some other bikes (probly due to power) but many bikes out there have the same issue....I think it's a motorcycle constant, some have it, some don't.

Hell, even the GP bikes wobble on occasion and they get the very best of everything....it can be minimized, especially the low speed one, but the hi-speed wobble can sneak up on you unannounced....and THAT's the one that'll bite you in the ass. unk:

 

[naughtyG]

Honestly I think if you experience a high speed wobble the first thing to do is the bounce test, following by taking apart the triple trees to inspect the head bearings. If they have any marks, or if you can feel any roughness (can only be truly felt with the wheel and forks and handlebars taken off) then you MUST replace them - adjusting or Furbur fix etc will only help temporarily.

Also I must say though, on my old '86 I had a REALLY bad high speed wobble at 125mph, and replacing the head bearings cured it 90%. However it could still creep in if the bike hit an irregularity in the road at those speeds, but only ever when riding solo. Has ANYONE experienced a fast wobble when riding 2-up?
To me that also points at the rear tire (it's VERY tall and wobbly) so I'm also interested to hear if anyone with 17" or 18" rear wheels and radials has ever experienced a high speed wobble in a straight line?

 

[Saint]

I actually revived my thread in the general vmax question section because I switched to radials and still have my high speed straight line wobble..still can't figure this out

 

[Klatuu]

... WTF??? really? They make a bike that can go 150mph but it will go into a death wobble at 125 and they are ok with that?

Rejected VMAX ad campaign:

:rofl_200:

DISCLAIMER: I've been over 130mph on mine a few dozen times and it has never done the Death Wobble (yet).

 

[torszula]

The answers help explain why My R1 or CBR never wobbled.

 

[Warp12]

My bike seems really solid. Over 140 mph actual....and no wobbles. That includes over a bridge with expansion joints. I wonder if some of it might be due to rider technique. I know that some people sit up straight and put a death grip on the bars...that is sure to lead to trouble. But at the end of the day, it is 1970's chassis technology, a driveshaft, and no aerodynamics...there might be some drawbacks. I'm just sayin'....

 

[fltinstructor]

On my 2007 I experienced the wobble when the rear tire was worn and also when the air in the front forks wasn't equal. I changed to progressive springs in the front forks and got rid of the air and a new rear tire and the bike would track fine to 140 mph. It still would wobble over the little turtles on the highway when changing lanes. I did he steering bounce and tightened the steering head bearing.

Lane changing and lines in the road weren't challenging anymore. Changing to radials really smoothed it out though. I think that wider 180 on the rear really helped too!

 

[gleno]

Old thread BUT...

If your bike is well maintained...

The simplest thing you can do...

Is check you tyre (tire) pressures.

End of story.

 

[Lotsokids]

Experienced this high-speed wobble today... second time on this bike. I purchased this 1999 V-Max about 2 weeks ago and this is the second occurrence. Today's episode almost put me down. It was VIOLENT, but I recovered. It happens at about 100 MPH when accelerating hard. Step 1 is to check head bearings and tire pressure. The rear tire is nearly new.

I owned two 1985 V-Max's, but never experienced this. Absolutely scary!!! And I've been riding for almost 30 years.

I'll keep you informed on what I find. :ummm:

 

[Hellboy]

It's incredibly scary. I've never had it on any of my Max's but once on a v65 sabre. Anyway, glad you kept it together. I'd check the wheel bearing itself as well as the head bearings. I've always done the furbur fix to mine as well as progressive springs, no wobble with any on the 4 I've owned. Don't accept that it wobbles, people will say that it's just something Vmax's do, but it's not, and there is always a reason. Also check out Sean Morleys youtube video on how to adjust the steering head tightness??? I've done as he shows and it's worked perfectly for me. Good luck.
Matt

 

[jfeagins]

Experienced this high-speed wobble today... second time on this bike. I purchased this 1999 V-Max about 2 weeks ago and this is the second occurrence. Today's episode almost put me down. It was VIOLENT, but I recovered. It happens at about 100 MPH when accelerating hard. Step 1 is to check head bearings and tire pressure. The rear tire is nearly new.

I owned two 1985 V-Max's, but never experienced this. Absolutely scary!!! And I've been riding for almost 30 years.

I'll keep you informed on what I find. :ummm:

I've had a "nearly new" rear tire that went bad, in that it had an internal cord break due to excessive pot hole hits), and it was found to cause a wobble on my 85 as you describe here.n ....just sayin'.. In fact, the current Stinko I'm running now developed BAD run out after only 400 miles or so. If you have the wobble, double check that back tire too. New tires can develop side to side run out as well as worn tires can.