Front End Wobble on Deceleration?

[RichNDC]

On 7/30/2019 at 1:43 PM, superfist said:

I had the issue with mine as well.  When I had about 500-1k miles I noticed a slight wobble.  Chased it round and round and the dealer's aadvice was "We can't find anything, stop taking your hands off the bars!".

By the time I replaced the tire there wasn't any evidence of scalloping or odd wear on the stock front tire.  I've had a front Metzler Roadtec 01 and now a Michelin Road 5 front and both have been absolutely steady.

I too have been super puzzled by this. Got 5K on the factory tires, so another 3-4 K and I will replace them, maybe sooner. I have tried this with, without, top box and bags, all sorts of suspension settings, tire pressures. Wobble happens at 42 exactly when side bags or top case are present. Without, it is there, but barely, seems to have gotten slightly worse, but I am one of those who mentally obsesses over such things, so it could be me. Had the steering head bearing checked (before I took it on the track). I believe, as you and many have said, that when I replace the tires, the wobble disappears. Hope that is the case for me. XSR900 was smoother than silk. 

[fjrpittsburgh]

1 hour ago, RichNDC said:

I too have been super puzzled by this. Got 5K on the factory tires, so another 3-4 K and I will replace them, maybe sooner. I have tried this with, without, top box and bags, all sorts of suspension settings, tire pressures. Wobble happens at 42 exactly when side bags or top case are present. Without, it is there, but barely, seems to have gotten slightly worse, but I am one of those who mentally obsesses over such things, so it could be me. Had the steering head bearing checked (before I took it on the track). I believe, as you and many have said, that when I replace the tires, the wobble disappears. Hope that is the case for me. XSR900 was smoother than silk. 

There's a very high probability that new tires will solve your problem.  Good luck!

[2and3cylinders]

like I originally stated...😎

[fjrpittsburgh]

56 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

like I originally stated...😎

As did I. 😀

[quaxum]

its the stock dunlop 222s. changed my tyres to the T31. eliminated the issue. get them changed!

[Unclemicky]

Hi all , read the comments with interest , My GT is coming up for it's first service 570 miles at the moment , not rode with my hands off the bars decelerating but I have noticed a weave/wobble when going 60/70 miles an hour with the panniers on ,  not all the time but I can feel it's there ,  bit disconcerting that all these GT's are prone to it under different circumstances ?

Edited September 27, 2019 by Unclemicky

[stoggy]

I had a similiar problem on my FJR new.  I changed the fork oil, bushings, seals and it went away.

[Crossplane Pilot]

On 9/27/2019 at 10:16 AM, Unclemicky said:

Hi all , read the comments with interest , My GT is coming up for it's first service 570 miles at the moment , not rode with my hands off the bars decelerating but I have noticed a weave/wobble when going 60/70 miles an hour with the panniers on ,  not all the time but I can feel it's there ,  bit disconcerting that all these GT's are prone to it under different circumstances ?

Hi Unclemicky, Got my new GT back in June this year. Done 2500 miles since then with the panniers fitted including some 70mph trips on the motorways. I have not experienced the weave/wobble at any speed so far.  Hope you find a solution soon.

CP

[skipperT]

Have you checked your TIre pressures lately?

-Skip

[roy826]

Brand new 2020 GT with 1 mile on the clock and yes I to have the decel wobble. I don't hold on tight to the bars tight as most and could feel it right away with my hands still on the bars. Really disappointed in this I have chased this on other bikes and it always ended up being the tire. I DO NOT like dunlop tires on anything! As soon as I saw what was on it this morning I really didn't need to check any other things however I did. Re torqued front axle to make sure it was centered correctly, checked chain alignment, tire pressure set at manual 36 psi cold, checked front rotors for true, suspension is good stock for me, I was 135 lbs yesterday. I lifted front wheel off the ground and spun the front wheel and could clearly see a slight dip in the tire off to one side of the tread area so that is the problem. Bike now has 4 miles on it with junk dunlop tires.

Edited November 5, 2020 by roy826

[GTO MIKE]

On 5/3/2019 at 1:13 PM, RichNDC said:

UPDATE--I didn't mention tire pressure, it seemed too obvious. I keep it at 36psi and typically check it prior to every ride. I have also checked the play in sterring with front wheel off the ground, no friction, very smooth. However, after talking with great local shop (not the dealer, Coleman Powersports in Falls Church has been useless, frustrating) I double checked rear end alignment. I usually use a tape measure to set evenness on both sides when setting the chain. However, just got  precise calipers with digital gauge. It was off, though with a naked eye or tape measure it seemed nearly identical. It was about 3mm difference. I have not been able to ride since this adjustment, but will tomorrow. I am betting that this does it. Again, the wobble was only happening under the following conditions: decel, 45mph, and hands off the bars. No other time. I do have a good quality and precise tire gauge. Thanks all, here and looking around the net, I learned a good bit over this. Word to the wise in N VA, stay away from Coleman Powersports. It's a clown show over there, sad to say. For those suggesting a new tire, this bike is brand new, only about 900 miles. I have spun the tire with the wheel off the ground and no visible deformity or out of round. 

Wow that may have been your problem ,rear wheel alignment. 3 mm is almost an 1/8 inch. .Be sure and inform us of the outcome . My 2020 has been absolutely stable.at all speeds hands on or off. Guess I got lucky.!

[PhotoAl]

On 10/6/2019 at 4:42 AM, stoggy said:

I had a similiar problem on my FJR new.  I changed the fork oil, bushings, seals and it went away.

That is my thinking, bought mine in South Dakota, rode it around and had the 600 mile service done there then rode it 1,400 miles home.  Since then have hut another few hundred miles on it.  Not a hint of wobble or weave - still not comfortable taking hands off the bars but actually didi just for a moment today on the interstate.  Very stable.  For there to be bikes that are unstable and ones that are not says to me there must be an adjustment or something that is out.  I can see where rear wheel alignment could cause or aggravate the issue.  The bike is very light and quick to turn in which would probably accentuate any issues.  When I piked the bike up the tires were at the proper pressure for single rider no luggage.  LOL I finally got around to adjusting them 1,100 miles later!  Set them to 36/42PSI.  Absolutely no change.  

I've aligned bikes using the string method, I need to check the Tracer GT to see how well it is aligned.  I did adjust the chain once but did that by turning the same number of flats on the adjustors.  I never use the alignment marks on the swingarm.

[Stanislav]

roy826, I had the same problem with brand new GT this summer.

Checked all possible causes, but the culprit is front Dunlop D220.

Go straight ahead and change the front tire.

[roy826]

2 hours ago, Stanislav said:

roy826, I had the same problem with brand new GT this summer.

Checked all possible causes, but the culprit is front Dunlop D220.

Go straight ahead and change the front tire.

I took it to the dealership yesterday after my post and they said they would replace the tire so I may move forward with it. It has 44 miles on it now and no better or worse.

Edited November 6, 2020 by roy826

[RichNDC]

Exactly right. Sad about Coleman, because they have lots of inventory, and gear for sale. My situation got so bad that a national rep from Yamaha got involved and ended up fully paying for my first major service. About $600 or so. I bounce in and out of here, but wanted to say, I finally got new shoes for this pig and the wobble is gone. It was the factory tires. My guess--something about the geometry of the bike makes is more susceptible, and some tires may have just enough defect in them to cause this. The wobble was worse when there was more weight on the rear of the bike (loaded  top box, more gear in side cases). Now, it's gone. So much so that the new "off road" tires I got allowed me to ride all of the MABDR. Who said this pig was not an ADV bike?!?!? I beg to differ and there is video proof!  By the way, this video was also featured in an article in Revzilla, we did not submit to them, they found it somehow.