MT09 (FJ) Tracer Steering Wobbling

[pont]

I got rid of the wobble on mine completely (tested up to 100mph) by
 
1) making sure I didn't have a death grip on the handles
 
2) lowering the windscreen back to the lowest position
 
I found that rough wind in my face and a hard grip on the very wide handles resulted in unintentional steering inputs. The high windscreen pushed the rough wind up into my face. With it low, the rough wind is at my neck.

[scuff]

However the wobble is set off, it needs to be controlled. The caster effect sets up an over correction to straight ahead (like a shopping trolley wheel), and the resulting oscillation can result in a very nasty tank slapper. You cannot stop it physically. It can often help by shifting forward and leaning over the tank.
The steering damper is a safety net, if and when the oscillation starts, it is damped and controlled. The FJ is not unique, it can happen on virtually any bike.

[wessie]

I got rid of the wobble on mine completely (tested up to 100mph) by  
1) making sure I didn't have a death grip on the handles
 
2) lowering the windscreen back to the lowest position
 
I found that rough wind in my face and a hard grip on the very wide handles resulted in unintentional steering inputs. The high windscreen pushed the rough wind up into my face. With it low, the rough wind is at my neck.

I've not had any real wobble at speed and after my mate's comment about how I ride the thing when he was following on his R1100RS I think I ride quite fast at times. There again, I'm used to big Adv bikes and don't get worried by bikes moving around when you are hustling them along over bumpy terrain. Perhaps I just have the intuitive steering responses to nip the wobbles in the bud. Perhaps I'm a riding god. Who knows. 
However, I agree with your 2 points. When I learned to relax my grip and arms many years ago I became a better rider. Your arms can be very good steering dampers and you have to learn this on an Adv bike as the bars will flap about due to their length and leverage. Learn to control this and use the leverage to your advantage and you are winning. 
 
I also agree with your comment about the windrush from the standard screen having an effect as you get buffeted about. Now with the larger Powerbronze screen fitted I can get out of the airflow when giving the throttle some abuse just by dropping my head & shoulders towards the tank. Of course, what I am also doing is exactly what scruff says, putting more weight over the front. I am finding that for a given road I am now running quite a bit faster as there is less noise and less buffeting.
 
Ultimately it comes down with being comfortable in both physical and psychological terms. If you are cold, wet, getting buffeted, have a numb arse etc then your concentration will drift. If you are worried the bike is going to react badly to a bump, go into a tank slapper if you wind it on too hard then your concentration will also drift. This is when you take your eyes off the road and miss an apex or miss that car pulling out of a side road. 

[scuff]

Here is a short video of the steering wobble. Yamaha city side case were fitted and full of heavy cameras and lenses.
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/JK_ICBQuh30]
 
 

[skipperT]

Scuff- I can see by the tach you were close to maxed out - but how fast were you riding?
 
-skip

[scuff]

Scuff- I can see by the tach you were close to maxed out - but how fast were you riding? 
-skip

Fairly quickly 

[thruster8999]

I believe all this fuss is due to the front end being light from the wind pushing on the wind screen and rider. Your about to do a wheelie.
Take the same video with the same speed and weight you felt it wobble and tuck and be more arrow dynamic with the bike and see if
it wobbles. I think you will see it wont wobble as much. Now stop the and adjust the rearshock to a lot hard postion and try it again. I am going to bet your wobble is almost unnoticeable.
Please let us know what you find. I would do this but its raining.

[wessie]

Just got back from a spirited ride in the warmest weather of the year so far at 13C/55F in the Wye Valley, Forest of Dean & Cotswolds.
 
On the private, closed road adjacent to Gloucestershire International Airport, lets call it A40 for brevity, I saw an indicated 130mph. No sign of any wobbly bars at this speed with me, 200lb and about 15lb of topbox. I would need a less windy helmet to go any faster as the XR1100 is very well vented and I now understand why a mate won't use one on his Gixxer Thou for a track day.
 
I did manage to provoke a good waggle of the bars when exiting a corner and giving it some hard acceleration whilst still leaning a bit. The bike kept it's line and came upright to disappear down the long straight quite rapidly. The was in standard mode. This was the second time this week I have experienced something similar. I can see why some people might find a steering damper useful. I'll see how it goes as it all seems controllable at the moment and it's not often I'm riding quite so hard. Perhaps having a warning like that is a useful thing as a damper might encourage one to keep pushing harder until it's the tyres that begin to protest...

[johan]

Just got back from a spirited ride in the warmest weather of the year so far at 13C/55F in the Wye Valley, Forest of Dean & Cotswolds. 
On the private, closed road adjacent to Gloucestershire International Airport, lets call it A40 for brevity, I saw an indicated 130mph. No sign of any wobbly bars at this speed with me, 200lb and about 15lb of topbox. I would need a less windy helmet to go any faster as the XR1100 is very well vented and I now understand why a mate won't use one on his Gixxer Thou for a track day.
 
I did manage to provoke a good waggle of the bars when exiting a corner and giving it some hard acceleration whilst still leaning a bit. The bike kept it's line and came upright to disappear down the long straight quite rapidly. The was in standard mode. This was the second time this week I have experienced something similar. I can see why some people might find a steering damper useful. I'll see how it goes as it all seems controllable at the moment and it's not often I'm riding quite so hard. Perhaps having a warning like that is a useful thing as a damper might encourage one to keep pushing harder until it's the tyres that begin to protest...

 
I used the nice weather to go over my Tracer and realised why my suspension felt unsettled; during assembly the dealer left the front fork on the lowest possible pre-load, there was approximately 24mm visible. I dialled in more preload and made a few further adjustments and the bike now feels so much better. I also realised that they did not provide me with the pouch of tools under the seat, only the items that clip into the bottom of the seat are there. I sent the salesman an email...
 
I have also had a similar experience to what you describe. I do think that the feeling is exaggerated by the wide bars but I agree that a steering damper might make the difference. I don't really ever ride that hard though. 

[Guest dmizer]

how fast were you riding? 
-skip

I believe the correct answer here is: Fast enough.

[jimf]

Anything that makes the front end light could contribute to this.  I used to get it regularly with my SV650S with the top case when running at triple-digit speeds.  I could see a windscreen contributing, or even drag on the rider.
 
I rather wonder if this is why US-spec FJs are limited to 115mph.

[wessie]

Anything that makes the front end light could contribute to this.  I used to get it regularly with my SV650S with the top case when running at triple-digit speeds.  I could see a windscreen contributing, or even drag on the rider. 
I rather wonder if this is why US-spec FJs are limited to 115mph.

lawyers, always blame the lawyers 
although, it would be nice to able to get away with saying Americans just aren't man enough but it would be disingenuous to do something like that, directly anyway

[jimf]

Anything that makes the front end light could contribute to this.  I used to get it regularly with my SV650S with the top case when running at triple-digit speeds.  I could see a windscreen contributing, or even drag on the rider. 
I rather wonder if this is why US-spec FJs are limited to 115mph.

lawyers, always blame the lawyers 
although, it would be nice to able to get away with saying Americans just aren't man enough but it would be disingenuous to do something like that, directly anyway

Indeed :-). 
Trust me, we've got people just as speed crazy over here as any that exist in Europe.  115mph is pretty quick for the roads where I live, and I don't get up into that range very often and other than philosophically I don't care that the FJ is limited that way, but out west there are places you could ride at that speed for several hours just to get between towns (and in some cases never encounter a single corner along the way).
 
But we really are lawyer-happy on this side of the pond, and that does often affect whether or not widgetry gets locked down in one way or another, and you can certainly be suspicious of lawyer involvement any time a manufacturer has US-only restrictions.
 
 
 That's the one thing I always liked about Europe: It seemed to me that by and large adults are left to make their own decisions over their safety.  Like, if you don't think you can walk up that medieval stairway without a rail without falling off, then you should decide for yourself not to do that.

[Guest dmizer]

By voluntarily limiting the bikes, manufactures selling bikes in the US are helping to prevent bikes from being limited by law.

[wessie]

By voluntarily limiting the bikes, manufactures selling bikes in the US are helping to prevent bikes from being limited by law.

The French tried having a 105PS limit for a while. It had no effect on road casualties as most of them involve their teenagers on motards and scooters. 
I think they have abandoned the limit now, just like all the other crazy nanny measures like compulsory reflective clothing etc.
 
What I like about the French motorist is that their politicians think up ever more crazy things on the grounds of safety or the environment but the French motorists just ignore the legislation.