"Oversteering" with my 3rd Gen

I have bought -93 3rd gen VFR with 60 kMiles in the clock. Still it goes well and probably has many miles in front of her.

But there is one thing which bothers me, I wonder anyone can help. The bike goes well in high speed but in cornering it tends to "oversteer" so that I have to push against not to turn too much. The feeling is the same when you have too small pressure in front tyre. I have tried different pressures but with no help.

I have driven few other similar bikes without this feeling. Does anyone have solution of idea what is wrong?

 

Do you mean low speed cornering, like going around a roundabout?
It might be a case of worn or loose steering head bearings. IMO this feels like when you want to go left at a slow pace the bars want to go left and 'drop in'. Put it on the centre stand and wiggle the front to feel for any play. Hope this helps, anybody else got a suggestion?

 

agreed ck bearings but also when was the last time the fluid in the forks have been change, that is overlooked a lot.

 

Yes Mark, I mean slow cornering in town and roundabouts.

Steering head bearings has been changed by the previous owner. They were bit loose and I had the adjustment done by Honda importer garage and now there is no play there but it did not cure the problem.

I replaced the fork seals and I'm thinking if the oil viscosity (7) was correct because the old oil was much thicker. Could it be the reason?

 

slow speed handling sucks ( well on my 6th gen ) so it is most likely just the way it is. how is it over 40mph?
and when you did the seals did you change the fluid in the forks?? a little fuzzy on that part.

 

Ok, so was the back squatting or the front too low when you bought yours??

 

+1

If the rear squats too much the bike won't turn at speed but will "flop" over at low speed. The first thing to do is set the sag front and rear properly. I'm sure there are threads here on that or Google one, sportrider.com has a nice write up. If you can't set the sag within the limits then you'll have to look at upgrading the suspension components, adjusting ride height, etc.

 

Thanks all, I will try to find out the right setup for the suspension.

 

I had a suzuki that dove into a left corner ( hard like you are saying, I had to almost pull it out of the corner) but not to the right......turned out the frame was bent a bit

 

No help this far.

Yesterday I found out that rear tire is 10mm wider then the original (now 180/55), it may cause the problem as well.
Anyway, I think I have to check the suspension during winter time.

 

I read the write up on suspension setup on Sportrider.com
It was pretty clear and easy to follow. I'm going to go through it in the next couple of weeks. Now I have a new rear tyre, chain and sprockets, head bearings checked etc.

 

OK, after trying different setups for the suspension, higher and lower front, harder and softer rear without any help for the issue, I finally purchased the new set Michelin Pilot Road2's and surprise - all problems gone.

It seems that the front wheels had a flat middle and when turning there was a corner on the tire, which caused the touch point to ground to move outwards and caused the issue.

Thanks all for the help, now I love my VFR even more!

 

Glad that you have solved your problem. Besides worn tires, too narrow of a front tire or too wide of back tire can make the bike feel like that.

 

Good to hear!
This is yet another example of reported handling woes miraculously SOLVED by fresh tires! To all you with handling issues, searching these forums out there, listen up! Very few bikes have loose bearings, bent frames, etc etc etc, but HALF of all bikes have tires that are worn out!!

 

Having fitted a fresh pair very recently, I was astonished at how much sweeter my third gen was to throw through the bends. Of course I was expecting an improvement - my old Avons were becoming just a little scary.... But just how much sharper and more positive the turn in became was a genuine suprise.

Like yourself - I now have even more appreciation for my (scruffy, old, tired, battered.....yet) perfect VFR!