[atleastbehandy]

Nothing fun about a tank-slapper while cornering at 120km/h.



My 2005 needed new tires. I bought the stock TW31/34 combo and dropped off at my local motorcycle garage. But I quickly noticed the front-end was a little unpredictable above 90km/h and started to wobble at 110km/h.



Now the common fix is to increase the tire pressure, so I pulled out the compressor and tire pressure gauge. That's when I learned the motorcycle garage had left the tire inflated at 45PSI! So I let air out until it was at the stock pressure (28?) - That helped a lot! No more squirrelly steering, but there was still a speed wobble above 120km/h.



Next I installed a 2" Powermadd riser and Tusk D-Flex hand-guards: FIXED!!! No more wobble. Maybe it is the increased mass. Maybe it is the increased wind resistance. And maybe it is the increased leverage and different steering geometry I now have.

 

[pgilles]

Nothing fun about a tank-slapper while cornering at 120km/h.



My 2005 needed new tires. I bought the stock TW31/34 combo and dropped off at my local motorcycle garage. But I quickly noticed the front-end was a little unpredictable above 90km/h and started to wobble at 110km/h.



Now the common fix is to increase the tire pressure, so I pulled out the compressor and tire pressure gauge. That's when I learned the motorcycle garage had left the tire inflated at 45PSI! So I let air out until it was at the stock pressure (28?) - That helped a lot! No more squirrelly steering, but there was still a speed wobble above 120km/h.



Next I installed a 2" Powermadd riser and Tusk D-Flex hand-guards: FIXED!!! No more wobble. Maybe it is the increased mass. Maybe it is the increased wind resistance. And maybe it is the increased leverage and different steering geometry I now have.

Probably your handguards that helped, probably helped reduce the buffering your drink holder is creating on one side of the handlebar. Maybe try removing the handguards and the drink holder and see the results out of curiousity.



Be sure to check you steering stem bushings as your changes may be covering up the real problem.

 

[atleastbehandy]

Probably your handguards that helped, probably helped reduce the buffering your drink holder is creating on one side of the handlebar. Maybe try removing the handguards and the drink holder and see the results out of curiousity.



Be sure to check you steering stem bushings as your changes may be covering up the real problem.

Ran without the cup-holder: no change.



But the steering stem bearings might be due for an overhaul. Any other symptoms for shot bearings?

 

[pgilles]

Ran without the cup-holder: no change.



But the steering stem bearings might be due for an overhaul. Any other symptoms for shot bearings?

The races within the stock bearings are known to be soft and the balls create little dimples in the races. Raise front wheel off the ground and turn handlebars trying to feel for the balls "locking" in the dimples. Make sure bearings are holding stem tight within frame. If you find they are questionable or just want to change for peace of mind then go with All Balls Racing bearings.



Also, double check both rear axle adjusters (snails) are set to the same notch. If out of alignment you'll be fighting it with your steering.



Or, if you had ridden the bike prior to new tires and it didn't do it then and now the only thing that changed were tires then maybe it's something with the tire(s) or just a break-in period that's needed? I hate to say ride it out with caution and see how it pans out, but that might be the option especially if it's gone now.

 

[yamamont]

Cmon guys! Simple fix here. Insert beer into cup holder, then twist the grip on the right. Problem solved..

 

[atleastbehandy]

Cmon guys! Simple fix here. Insert beer into cup holder, then twist the grip on the right. Problem solved..

lol. With the thumper vibration that beer would be nothing but foam!

 

[lizrdbrth]

I agree. You've temporarily masked the real problem by installing the equivalent to bar end weights in the form of the handguards.



Maybe it'll bite you in the butt later, maybe not.



Worn swingarm bushings and/or an under-torqued swingarm pivot bolt are often overlooked when it comes to speed wobble, as well as the other possible causes. Tail wags the dog.

 

[sinophilia]

Wobble above 120km/h... I thought that was normal for a TW! At 120 my bike is so scared it starts to shed bolts...

 

[evan]

Were the wheels balanced after the new tires installed? Are they normally balanced after getting new tires? I would get wheels off the ground and grab each wheel and check for play in wheel bearings.

 

[atleastbehandy]

Gave the pivot nut a few whacks with a hammer and screw-driver; it was solid.

Pivot bolt turned about 1/16th of a rotation. As did the upper engine mounting bolt. All other fasteners were tight.



No play in the pivot or the wheel.



BUT, the wheels were not balanced. The shop where I took it did not generally use wheel-weights; especially on a dual sport (they would come off in the mud!). Now, I have never balanced the wheels on any of my 2-wheel toys (many scooters and dirt-bikes). And this usually results in vibration at high speeds, not wobble. However, there are many posts on the scooter boards about balancing tires with "Dynabeads". I may give them a try...



http://www.innovativebalancing.com/motorcycle.htm



EDIT: Also "Ride-On" makes a liquid tire balancer:



http://www.ride-on.com/motorcycle-formula-mot.html

 

[bradbeer]

I agree, Tw is just kinda crazy feeling over 60 MPH....

 

[sorethumb]

If you have a wobble at or over 60mph, there is either something wrong with your bike or your tires. My TW with 203/204s does not wobble over 60.

 

[bbagwell]

Mine feels fine over 60 as well as long as the road is in good condition.

 

[qwerty]

Tdub feels fine over 80 with street tires, proper inflation, balancing, and everything tight. TWs really don't have the geometry for high speeds, though. It's a compromise.

 

[bcscammell]

Did the bike have a wobble before you changed the tires. Did you ask the"mechanic" what if anything else he did or didn't do when he had your bike. It really annoys me off when a supposed professional can't do such a simple job without screwing it up and endangering people at the same time. .

 

[atleastbehandy]

Wobble above 120km/h... I thought that was normal for a TW! At 120 my bike is so scared it starts to shed bolts...

LOL! now that you mention it, I have lost two exhaust mount bolts recently!!!

If you have a wobble at or over 60mph, there is either something wrong with your bike or your tires. My TW with 203/204s does not wobble over 60.

Perhaps that is the culprit: 203/204 seem like a better set of tires for high-speed. The 31/34s may be too soft for the highway.

Did the bike have a wobble before you changed the tires. Did you ask the"mechanic" what if anything else he did or didn't do when he had your bike. It really annoys me off when a supposed professional can't do such a simple job without screwing it up and endangering people at the same time. .

For this exact reason I prefer to do all my motorcycle work myself. I have ridden away from shops with missing axle nuts, missing engine mounting bolts, and missing brake pads!



But I never had the bike over 100km/h before changing the tires. I just bought the bike this summer and it needed new tires to pass the safety.

 

[atleastbehandy]

Update: I checked the fork oil today. Was within specification, but I flushed and re-filled anyway. Used Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF.

 

[kmxman]

I am new here but after riding numerous other dirt bikes and such (snowmobiles) over the last 20+ years I have discovered a handling flaw with the good old TW.



My 2009 is a great bike but I found the rear of the bike to high and the front to low. This steepens the fork angle, resulting in wash outs of the front wheel on slippery surfaces and "headshake" or "speed wobble". To fix this i removed the rear shock and installed a shorter shock of a YZF 600 streetbike. i made a bracket to lower the overall length of the installed shock as shown by others on this forum. This lowered the rear of the bike by a inch. Much better handling, it is stable and the front end does not want to "wash out" on sand as bad. The TW 200 first reminded me of my 2010 YZ450, a bike i sold as I did not feel comfortable with its handling. I noticed there is three preload adjustments on the OEM shock but you have to compress the spring and move a c-clip to adjust, pain in the $%%^.



I am not slagging the TW 200 so please don't be too hard on me. I am fussy about setting up my bikes, i think it comes from years of MX riding.



On my bike i have a tm 28mm (jetting is 15 pilot 230 main P-6 needle jet and stock jet needle in second clip, sea level to 2000 ft at 5-15 centigrade), wieisco 10.5 to 1 compression piston from the 80's YFM 200, shorea battery, and since the guy I bought my bike from gutted the exhaust I had to custom make baffles to quiet it down (I could not stand it and I have owned mx four strokes), five angle valve grind with some head porting. My rear shock is from a 2005 YZF600 street bike with the OEM spring.



Thanks to everyone who has written about their bikes and adventures, this is a great site!! Planning some trips this summer so I will let you know how it goes.