wondering rear end

wandering rear end

i have an 85 vf500f and in the past week or so the rear end of the bike seems to wander around some, usually when im going through a curve and sometimes just cruising straight down the road. ive had the bike for a little over a year now and this is the first problem like this that i have had with it.

i have checked the tire pressure, plenty of air in both tires
made sure everything on the swing arm is tight
the bike was aligned when we put new tires on it a couple months ago (the tires are the correct sizes)


but i was just wondering if anyone on here has had the same/similar problem and/or know how to fix it.

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

I wander if its the rear hub, wheel bearings, and/or hub assembly. I read that the swing arm is tight, but I'm wandering about the condition of the swing arm hardware, bushings and shock linkage. :redface: I wander if the only way to correct the wondering would be to pull the wheel, run your axle through it and check for inappropriate play. Next, I'd pull the swing arm and shock and make sure all of those linkage components are in good condition. Anyway, good luck with that wondering rear end

 

what does your tire wear look like? that will tell you right away if you have a problem... try this... loosen your chain tensioners all the way out.. then start tightening them a set number of turns go with say....ten...then switch to the other side and turn ten.and do that till your chain is tight...remember to stay equal on the number of turns...

 

JTC - ill have to check that out
Crusty - the tires don't really have any noticeable wear on them since they only have roughly 300 miles on them, but ill do that when i get everything that JTC said to check out and put it back together

 

Shock is no good. No damping, jus wo out.

 

Worn out shock +1.
Or your needle bearings could be worn out, the shock is the more likely culprit.

 

what kind of wandering does it do? is it "slipping from side to side ? or does it only do it when your turning? or does it do it when you hit a pothole? SM probably nailed it on the head...he might be a little bit crazy but he knows his stuffs

 

I had a similar issue with my old VF500.

Turned out the axle nut fell off somewhere.

Make sure the axle is secure. If all is well there then check the shock.

 

when i get some time later this week i'll get the shock off and check it out.

crusty - that's pretty much what its doing, and occasionally it does it while going straight down the road, but most of the time its through a curve

 

what would be my options if the shock has gone bad?
would it be able to be rebuilt, would i have to find a new/used one, and are there any upgraded shocks for these bikes?

 

anyone know how to tell if the shock is bad or not?

 

the wind isn't blowing is it? with the correct size tires my little 500 feels like your riding on a dirt road if the wind gets over 5 mph, I all most scrubbed the pegs on the interstate one day on a straight away about 2 miles long because of a rouge wind gust. It depends on the angle of the wind as to which tire feels like it's not connected to the ground at that time.

 

when i noticed it there was some wind, but ive ridden in much stronger wind with no issues...tire wise.