Help! Front wheel wobble

Hi all,
Just took the new-to-me 2000 VFR 16,000 miles on a ride up into NY State and have discovered there's something off with the front end. It does not enter/exit turns evenly or smoothly....seems twitchy.

If I take my weight off the grips and apply only rear brake, a front wheel "wobble" or oscillation of the front forks/bars develops. Needles to say, having taken the VF 500 down in the 80's at 75mph from a "tank slapper" this is disconcerting! I've got to get this fixed.

The tires have maybe 500 miles on them according to the old owner. The rear shows almost no wear. There is a 1 1/4" flat spot round the center of tire (appears normal wear but more worn than it should be). When I got the bike it had sat for two years with the front tire deflated. While the tire may be a bit deformed from sitting under 10psi for so long, I get the sense that something else is out of whack to cause it to wear flat spot. I did 100 miles and the tire was quite warm to the touch when the outside temperature was just 48 degrees F.

What else could it be ??(bent fork, uneven fork pressure, axle, wheel bearings....is there "alignment" on a bike?). Need your help.

This is probably out of my league to fix at home but please enlighten me on the route to take with a dealer so I can get to the bottom of this without a massive bill!

Also, please elaborate on steering stabilizers. Thanks ,

 

front tire issue, replace it. jack up front end and test brake rotors with a dial indicater for run out. check wheel bearings for noise and smooth rotation. check steering head bearings for play and side to side movement. hope that helps

 

Grab the front forks firmly with one hand, then the front wheel with the other. Shake the wheel back and forth while keeping the forks locked in place. Should all move as one solid piece. If you feel any play in the wheel side to side, it's probably the bearings. Remove the front wheel and inspect the inner races of the bearings. This should take you all of 10 minutes with a decent front stand.

 

Pretty much start with rjgti's suggestions but also look into the tires for uneven wear and for proper balance. Look at the date code as well and see how old the tires are, sitting for a long time and under inflated could have caused some damaged/weakened the side wall. While the bike's front end is up, check the steering head bearing too.

 

Thanks so much for your replies. I jacked up the front. The head and wheel bearings show no signs of play. The brake rotor appears perfect. It appears the tire is the culprit. If the date code is where I think it is. It ends in "05". Good God! Time to do some tire shopping!

Best to you all and thanks for the info!

 

good call

 

Any thoughts on a good performing, confidence inspiring set of tires for a 5th gen?
I've been out of motorcycling for 25 years and know nothing of today's tires.

 

I've been running Michelin Pilot Power 3's on my 5 Gen but it's used mostly for sport riding. Definitely confidence inspiring grip, but longevity isn't the best, maybe 5-6k miles. On my 6 Gen, I had Pilot Road 2's and they work well as far as grip too but mileage is really much better, got nearly 10k miles out of my last set. If you're planning on commuting and/or touring mostly, then the Pilot Road series is what you might want to look at. If you do a lot of wet weather riding the PR3 or PR4 would be the better choices.

I have not tried other brands other than Dunlop Q2's and they have really great grip but didn't last that long, just over 3k miles. That being said, you probably can't go wrong with any of the main brands sport/touring tires, if your looking for mileage with good sport perfmance.

 

AS above but also this. This was a recent discovery and as you can see by the replies, it went over well. A very easy task costing you half a can on Brake Cleaner and about 1/2 hour of your time. Hell, get your wife to do it.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/46539-Brake-Disc-Bobbins?highlight=brake+bobbins

 

Well, now you tell me....I got rid of the wife three years ago and crap, I'm all out of brake cleaner--clearly bad timing on my part. I'll have to get it myself:smile-new:

I don't think that's the cause in my situation as the front brake isn't involved but I did check it and the front rotors barely float. I'll do the thing in the video tonight.

I never would have known that....I assumed only the caliper floated. Thanks!

 

Congrats on the new to you bike. I can't believe no one told you to post a picture.

Before I read through all the replies, I was immediately thinking tire as well.

Where in Jersey are you? Although I am currently sans bike, I do miss my 2000. If you're close enough, I'd be glad to lend a hand with whatever I could.

 

Thanks! I look forward to riding it without a "death grip" ...like I said in my original post, I went down with a tank slapper at 75 mph and went thru 6 layers of leather on my elbow pad. The wobble leaves me scared s**+less.

I'm in the Ramsey area. I'm going to the Triumph dealer in Suffern. He did my DR650 and he has owned a series of interceptor. He's the one who told me to go 5th gen. I've got no space and not enough tools.

Hit me up when you get a bike....I'm 10 miles from Harriman State Park and some pretty good riding!

 

Out of interest, what pressure did you have in the front tyre? My 81 CB750 did exactly the fame with just 3-4 psi below recommend pressure.
Pilot road 4 are awesome tyres.

 

36 psi.
I'm leaning toward the Michelin brand. I'm a little confused by the offering...2, 3, vs. 4? Road vs. power??

I don't foresee doing track days (too cheap to buy full leathers) but I need something for touring with the occasional ability to unleash the "excitable boy" in the twisties .

Also, as far as winter storage, should I put it up on center stand and block up the front tire so it's off the ground to prevent flat spots?

 

Pilot power is very sport oriented - the PR 4 will have more grip than you will use unless you are a boy racer (that is my opinion anyway).
If you park bike up for the winter then put it on centre stand and you can jack the wheel off the ground or just go in the shed every few weeks and rotate the front tyre a bit.

 

PP = Pilot Power
PR = Pilot Road

As Thx mentioned, PP is more sport oriented. Usually good for 2-3K miles.

PR are a dual compound tire. The center is "harder" for longer lasting, highway miles. The sides gradually get softer, which means they will also warm up quicker, and therefore hook up better in the turns.

The PR 2, 3 and 4 are just the latest generations of the tire. I went through 2 sets of the PR2 - loved them. Supposedly the PR 3 and 4 are better in the rain than the 2 was, but I never had any issues with my 2 (including various times where I was, ahem, over the speed limit and no hydo-planing whatsoever).

Whatever brand you get, you sound like a candidate for a dual compound tire.

 

I am also a Michelin guy. I have tried others, but this is where I am staying now. I had a PR2 (front)/Avon Azaro (rear) combo on the V65 Sabre and loved it. On my Trophy I went with PR3 and I find it feels better in all conditions than the PR2. Granted they are different bikes and circumstances so there is likely only a small difference between the PR2 & PR3.

BUT, any PR2 still for sale has probably been sitting on a shelf for a couple of years by now. I'm sure they don't make them anymore.

I just put Pilot Power 2CT's on the VFR and they feel GREAT.

Cheers,
Glenn

 

Thanks! Makes sense now.
This place is great...a veritable cornucopia of knowledge!

If business would stop getting in the way, I could get this thing up to the mechanic and git er done!

More stupid questions to follow!

 

Front tire. Put a Dunlop on the front last year, wobbling 55 -45 with hands off.
Yesterday, replaced it with a Metzeler, now all smooth with no hands.

 

Tires vary in size and do not necessarily comply with their size rating. If you go into a tire dealer, ask them to allow you to take a metric ruler to a couple sets of tires. You will see the variance of rating vs. actual tire. The reason this matters is that a fatter tire mounted on the same rim begins squaring off, so it is not a nice round profile but somewhat square shaped. When you lean and go past the square edge, the bike will not want to be on the edge so it will simply lean/fall past this edge. Do not quote me but in my case I think my mechanic measured the rear tire and it was closer to 170mm than its rating of 180. This will yielding leans that are more concise and respond faster.