ok as a newbie to big bikes (3 weeks to be precise) i was out with cabernet last week following him through the cheshire countryside and on a few of the bends i felt what i can only describe as a wobble from the back end,not a slide but a flex kind of feeling .i know a swing arm is called such but how much flex if any should i be feeling through it,or does it sound like a problem elsewhere ? dont have the same feeling two up as we were out on sundays ride with no probs however speeds were drstically slower with the rain .
I had this on my old bike, it was fine with a pillion due to the extra weight but on my own around corners it felt really unstable, turns out I had a small kink in the rim couldn't see it looking at the rim though. But I'm no bike mechanic, just sounded abit like the problem I had
Check the basics first. Tyre pressures. Suspension settings (first thing i do when i get a new bike is put suspension back to the original settings)
I get that too, rear wheel loses traction and tries overtaking the front of the bike...I sort of get it under control as the rear end slides erratically from side to side while the bike shakes its head violently. Often get this when riding on mud or on a wet track.
looks like its all been said .... Tyres first... then suspension ........ then the actual wheel itself... chain adjusters set up wrong ? chain tension ....? My VF threw a right tantrum coming up Chunal Hill bend towards Hayfield tyre had dropped to 18psi ........ instead of 42 ...... no idea where the air went or why? re-inflated it and its remained sound but she was an unhappy bunny. with it being settled two up but unhappy lighter it sounds to me more like rear damping issue .. but then I am no bike mechanic....
rear damper is wound up tight and the front forks are at the lowest tightest setting guy i bought it off said he set it this way because the front kept lifting on take off ? i loosened the rear but it felt worse .its as if the bike is bending in the middle if that makes any sense.tyre pressures are right at 38 rear wheel "looks" ok .think it needs a test ride of someone more experienced than me .
Eddie, get the bike booked in at kais in atherton. Suspension experts. Only about £40 for a set up. They will tell you for definate rather than someone guessing for you. http://www.kais-performance.com/suspension.htm
Tighter/harder suspension settings will give you a little more grip but less feel/warning. As soft as possible will give you more feel but a bit less ultimate grip. So once you've done the basics (tyre pressures and how worn they are), wheel alignment, etc, try backing it all off then wind it up til it feels comfortable. If it's good 2 up but squirrelly solo I'd guess the rear is set too hard for your weight. Always worth looking at the tyre wear, new one end and worn the other can cause all sorts of weird handling issues. My Triumph has legal but worn front and nearly new rear. Makes it a bit edgy at the front but stable at the rear. When the rear was worn it would whiteline and feel edgy starting to lean, go stable once well leant over. Getting off the flat and back onto the curve of the tyre again is where it goes stable. Hope some of that will help. I've followed (and been pillion) with Cabernet. My general experience was that if I was catching up at a bend or roundabout I'd got it completely wrong and was in trouble. Sparrowpit was a classic he'll remember.
i knoe the feeling lol id be behind him going into the corner/bend by the timme i exited the corner he was off in the distance .
Yes, there and at the Hernstone Ln chicane a few miles prior. Was a few years ago now mind. Scotia living in Kent at the time had not ridden with me for a good few years as I had taken residence up here. However, when he saw himself gaining on me approaching both the aforementioned features, he recalled a lesson he had learnt in Kent years prior.
now the bends climbing out of peak forest ( couple of miles after Sparrow pit) you could do knee downs because a) on the first, the left hander , you can see whats coming down the hill and b) because on the 2nd, the right hander, there is a verge and banking if you get it wrong rather than a barrier ...... That, I take it, is what you call the Hernstone lane chicane ? better taken up hill than down .....down hill you risk crossing the road and finding a barrier and the lower right is a barrier and wall https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?safe...=1366&bih=643&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl
I hope your observation skills are better on the road than on the forum. Check out EDDIES signature. PMSL.
