Guest BruceLaQuinta Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Just changed out my tires yesterday, now the front end seems to wander at low speeds <10 mph. When I first started out it almost felt like a flat tire with a lot of back and forth from the handlebars. The wandering seems to go away at higher speeds, felt solid at 80 on the freeway. I double checked the pressure, and the wheel spins freely as well. I'm going to take it off and remount it just in case, but was wondering if anyone else had this experience before? Tires are Avon Storms which I have used before with no issues. I normally change my own tires, but I am mid-way between moving from SoCal to Colorado Springs, and my tire changer / balancer are still in SoCal. The shop used twice the number of weights that I usually use, but it does not feel out of balance... I would think that the higher the speeds the worse it would get? I'd appreciate anyones thoughts. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted September 24, 2007 Forum CEO Share Posted September 24, 2007 you might want to put your hand on the tire and feel for out of round, or your sagging more in the front than the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 My front tyre (AV49-SP, which the Storm replaces) does this unless the pressure is 38psi. But I have heard that some Storms have problems with wonky (technical term) carcases, so mebbe your's is a dud. I also heard (from my Avon Man) that Avons are very well balanced tyres compared to other brands. I asked him why they didn't have balancing marks on the tyres, and he said they do - they're on the inside because Avon think it's urglee having coloured dots on the outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer meddle1999 Posted September 24, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 24, 2007 I know that this sounds stupid but check and make sure that the tire was mounted with the directional arrows oriented correctly. Could also be that the tire itself is defective. A chord could have snapped internally or the entire carcass could be axially out of round. Either way it should not feel like that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I know that this sounds stupid but check and make sure that the tire was mounted with the directional arrows oriented correctly. That's a good point; doesn't the front Storm run with an apparently back-to-front tread pattern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 nah that's the conti road attack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Hey Guys. Thanks for all the quick responses. I made sure the tire was mounted directionally correct before I left the shop. I've heard too many "mis-mounted" tire stories! I upped the pressure from 36 to 38 psi - did not help. Tire feels okay when running my hand around it, so I do not think it is out of round. Not sure what Slammer meant about the sag front to back. Suspension sag? During my latest test ride I took my hands off the bars at 45 mph, and the bars have a very slight high frequency wobble back and forth. But when I put my hands back on the bars it seems to go away. Again after I reach 15 - 20 mph I do not notice the wandering feeling. I'm going to try to get it into the dealer on Tuesday since I have a trip planned for next weekend. If anyone has more suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again everyone. Regards. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted September 24, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 24, 2007 Could be a bum tire. How's the alignment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 *Tire Outa balance * Spacers not installed correctly( Each side is different) * Did you make sure to tightned the right side first at the mark on the axel? * Make sure there is no slop in the frontend at all. I would suggest you take the tire off check the balance and redo the install. If all this stuff checks good then you gots yourself a bad tire. It does happen but very rarely. Just my 2 pennies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Steering head bearings. Did you do the 600 mile service? The head bearings are supposed to be re-torqued to spec during that service. Beating on the bike will loosen them up too, lots of wheelies, big potholes, etc. If the tire is new(and good), and the wheel and tire are balanced, everything is tight, then you can also check your suspension settings(make sure your preload adjusters are set the same), and your fork tube height(measured from the top of the triple clamp, factory height is 41mm). If those are off you could get some wobbling or wonky handling. Do you have saddlebags? Have you set the sag on your bike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Hey Guys. Thanks for all the quick responses.I made sure the tire was mounted directionally correct before I left the shop. I've heard too many "mis-mounted" tire stories! I upped the pressure from 36 to 38 psi - did not help. Tire feels okay when running my hand around it, so I do not think it is out of round. Not sure what Slammer meant about the sag front to back. Suspension sag? During my latest test ride I took my hands off the bars at 45 mph, and the bars have a very slight high frequency wobble back and forth. But when I put my hands back on the bars it seems to go away. Again after I reach 15 - 20 mph I do not notice the wandering feeling. I'm going to try to get it into the dealer on Tuesday since I have a trip planned for next weekend. If anyone has more suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again everyone. Regards. Bruce Some front tires seem to do this on the vfr, I hadnt hear the storms doing this, but always a first time and they are fairly new. anyway, you have a few options mentioned in the thread, but the final option could be a completely different front tire if dealer will allow this, and that's definitely known not to have have that issue, like a pilot power or Z6, but I'm sure there are others. As far as front wandering I've heard that on the storms in another post, but is wasnt described as decel headshake in the 55 mph zone but maybe thats what they were talkin about when the word wondering was mentioned, typically when I've read this issue, its been with some Dunlops. I know that issue isnt acceptible to me , hope you fix it quickly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Thanks again for the additional replies. I'm at a loss. The bike was fine when I rode it right before the tire change. The Storms that I replaced still had some miles left on them, but I did not want to push them on my trip this weekend. Everything seems to be installed correctly and running straight. I held a small screwdriver up against all the surfaces to see if anything seemed like it was bent / warped. One of my brake discs drags ever so slighly when turning the wheel, but without a steady wheel holder and calipers it wasn't the most conclusive of tests. Steering head bearing was supposed to have been checked at the 600 service by my dealer in CA. Doing the tests in the service manual checks out: turns easily from side to side and no vertical movement. The only thing I noticed was the lower fork sliders will turn to the left / right when the tire is off the bike, but I assume this is normal? With the axel installed they show no signs of any play whatsoever. I have never had the suspension sag checked / adjusted before, and in 12,000 miles I've never had an issue, even with the saddlebags. A few turns of the rear preload is all I do when the bags are on. The manual lists several causes for front end wobble: bent rim (mine appears okay) worn or damaged wheel bearings (mine turn smoothly without any noise) faulty tire (potential problem) unbalance front tire and wheel (another potential problem) I plan to take the tire back into the dealer to have him rebalance it, check the rotors and the bearings. If everything checks out it must be a bum tire. Unfortunately I got the tire from SW Moto Tires. Hopefully they'll have one in stock if all else fails. I'm also going to try riding it a bit more tomorrow to see if it gets any better or worse. Again, thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Regards. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted September 24, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 24, 2007 Couldn't it just be a new 'greasy' tire that needs to be scubbed in a bit? I thought overtight head bearings caused the front to wander at low speeds..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Couldn't it just be a new 'greasy' tire that needs to be scubbed in a bit? Avon doesn't use a silicon-based mould-release agent, so they don't have that greasiness. I thought overtight head bearings caused the front to wander at low speeds..? They do - it's a very slow, regular weave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 UPDATE Turns out it was a bad tire. I took the bike in this morning and they could not find anything wrong, so they swapped out the front tire. Problem solved. Thanks again to everyone that offered up advise. I'd also like to give a shout out to Apex Motorsports in Colorado Springs for getting me fixed up before my trip this weekend. Ride safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted September 27, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted September 27, 2007 Sweet. Rare occasion, but it does happen. I'm glad they made it right, right now. Kudos, to them. Ride safe, Haus, and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Turns out it was a bad tire. I took the bike in this morning and they could not find anything wrong, so they swapped out the front tire. Problem solved. Ah well, good deal then. I was about to suggest Mary Kay instead of Avon. :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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