Don't just try it, you sound like well maybee but gosh I don't know Iguess so Ok. DO IT AND DO IT RIGHT. ALL OF IT. and your wobble will go away. Checkyou steering head bearings.

FOG

 

Steering head bearings, tire balance, and tire condition. A high mileage front tire that's been operated mostly on the highway will often do this.

 

Hi,

I primarily read around and do not post... anyways I have a wobble that I really want to get resolved and I am hoping that you guys can steer me in the right direction.

I get a front end wobble but only between 70 to 80 km/hour (approx. 45 miles/hour) then it goes away.... This happens when I accel up and when I slow down.

I am going to try the string thing alignment .... but is there anything else I can check? It just seems odd that this only happens at a certain speed... The RPMs and choice of gear does not change the wobble

Thanks

Do like FOG says with the string alignment,and make sure you do a good job of it to,don't half @$$ it. I had the same exact problem with my bike last year. Mine would get a headshake that would start at 44mph and end at about 48mph. I had my tire balanced and I put in new headset bearings and still had the problem until I did the string alignment.

 

question about the front end wobble, just wondering if its something you get with your hands on the bars or off. I got curious about this and took my hands off the bars ( I know I know not safe) and I noticed a wobble between 50-40, but it would go away with the slightest pressure of my hands back on the bars. Just wondering if I have what this topic is about or if mmine is normal, I'll check the alignment anyway on tuesday, but if I need to do it sooner I will.

 

Sounds like the same problem i have here still... shop tried to tell me i have a BENT front axle... I was yea ok.. hmm

I am going to mess around and really try the string thing again tomorrow *I actually have a day off work*

 

Hey, same problem here. Mine is between 38-45 ish. I initially noticed some wobble with my hands on the bars, but with my hands off the bars there is visible side to side wobble. I initially thought tire balance might be the issuel, however since its fine at highway speeds, that doesn't make much sense. I was talking to a mechanic at a shop over the phone about the issue, trying to get the bike scheduled in, and after describing the problem he suggested that some bolt above the forks needed to be tightened. Anyway, did you ever figure out what was causing your problems??

 

I've been telling you what the probles is: Your rear wheel is out of line. Yyour riding a two track vehicle that's supposed to be a one trak one.

DO the String thing and do it right, no half ass measures will work.

FOG

 

Well, I'm going to try this this evening, hopefully this will take care of everything, as no place locally can balance the tire, even though they seem to think thats what it is. The local kawasaki place doesn't have a tire balancer, and another bike place has some manual, rotate by hand balancer, which they can't use with my wheel because they said the wheel bearings are too tight and it won't rotate freely enough on there.

So anyway, you really think the odds of it being out of balance aren't very high? The bike has 12K on it, and I just bought it, so I have no idea if the previous owner hit a hole and threw something off. The bike is currently at the kawasaki shop, with the tire off, I'm thinking of leaving it there and taking the tire/wheel to a different place tomorrow on my day off to try to have it balanced, unless you all really think thats not what it is.

Also, the wheel bearings being tight, they're not rough, just a little tight to turn when sticking a finger in there and turning them, should I have them replaced now, or will they be ok?

Thanks for all the help.

 

Read the above post again..

FOG

 

Ok, tire was balanced, off by a decent amount, and I've still got a wobble. So I'm going to align it, as you said to begin with. Does it matter what point on the front wheel I'm measuring to? Also, bike didn't come with a manual, so if anyone would like to elaborate slightly on the correct meathod for adjusting the chain, I'd appreciate it. I've looked at it and it seems pretty self explanatory, but I'd appreciate I step by step walk through. Oh, and as for play in the chain, I know its supposed to be about one inch, but thats overall, as in half an inch up, half an inch down, correct?

Thanks

 

Ok, I set everything up and can't get the string to touch all four points on the front wheel, so I can't be sure its parallel. I can turn the front wheel and get the following results:

On the front wheel, the rear right point is touching, front right within a hair of touching, front left touching and rear left about 3/8's of an inch from touching.

These seem to be the best results I can get, any suggestions?

 

Whoa, Your not understanding the concept. The strings do not ever touch the front wheel. The strings are pulled around the back tire till they just touch the front edge of the BACK tire and extent past the front. Now turn the front wheel till it's parallel with the strings and measure from each string to the wheel.
The Idea is to show the path the rear wheel is aimed to follow.and to adjust that path to the center of the front.
Got it .

Read the string thing carefully and do it exactly as I describe.

FOG

 

Ok, so the strings extend out in front of the bike entirely. So the front wheel has a string on either side of it. The wheel is sandwhiched in between the strings, and I'm measuring from the string to the wheel on each side, correct?

| |
As in. | ---- | This is the the front wheel looking at it from above. String on either side, and I'm measuring
S | |W| | the distance in between, where the + signs are, correct?
T | |H | |
R | +|E | + |
I | |E | |
N | |L_| |
G | |
| |
| |

Thanks again, and sorry this is taking me so long to get. I'm clearly a visual learner, and its just not clicking yet!

 

yea thats how I did mine

 

Ok, good, did this fix your problem after doing it like that?

 

Hihi, I'm bored tonight..

String________________________
+
-----------------------
( Wheel )
-----------------------
String +___________________

Yeah, it fixed many peoples problem

If anyone ever feel like reusing this draw, please do

 

Ok, good, did this fix your problem after doing it like that?

mine were within the specs

 

It is absolutely wise to follow all of the suggestions above about aligning the rear wheel and checking the steering head bearings BUT.... after all of that's done and if all of that checks out OK, a slight wobble on decel, somewhere between 50 down to about 40, with the hands off the bars, can be fairly normal if it's not extreme AND the lightest touch on the bars, not even really gripping them, stops it. I've had this on other bikes including Gold Wings which have no adjustments as they are shaft drive. A brand new tire stops it but it re-appears after only about 1500 miles. Also does this on my CBR-1000F. Same deal. Brand new tire is OK but within 1500 miles or so, it will do it.

I just checked my EX tonight and it has this same characteristic wobble. Very slight but definitely there. Stops immediately by just touching the bars and doesn't take off uncontrollably even if I never touch them, coasting down with the hands off. Starts around 48 MPH and stops around 43 MPH.

Additional pertinent facts are: the head bearings have been replaced and yes, it's all in good shape. It has the rear raised 1 1/2", front up 1/2", and resprung stiffer for my weight. Radials with the rear being a 150. The raised rear may aggravate this some as it reduces the caster but even if it does, it still isn't something worrisome. I'm not the least bit worried about it and consider it normal AFTER checking all of the above listed items. Hope that helps.

 

It is absolutely wise to follow all of the suggestions above about aligning the rear wheel and checking the steering head bearings BUT.... after all of that's done and if all of that checks out OK, a slight wobble on decel, somewhere between 50 down to about 40, with the hands off the bars, can be fairly normal if it's not extreme AND the lightest touch on the bars, not even really gripping them, stops it. I've had this on other bikes including Gold Wings which have no adjustments as they are shaft drive. A brand new tire stops it but it re-appears after only about 1500 miles. Also does this on my CBR-1000F. Same deal. Brand new tire is OK but within 1500 miles or so, it will do it.

I just checked my EX tonight and it has this same characteristic wobble. Very slight but definitely there. Stops immediately by just touching the bars and doesn't take off uncontrollably even if I never touch them, coasting down with the hands off. Starts around 48 MPH and stops around 43 MPH.

exactly how mine is, glad its normal, figured it was that even place my open palm on one the bars stopped it.

 

There are no mysteries as to the cause of the wobble. The wheels on you bike are large gyros, Remember when you spun you bicycle wheel in your hands and tried to turn it ? ,and how hard it was to do?
Well you motorcycle has two of them and they generate huge forces (they are what keeps your bike upright) if those two gyros can't agree on what direction they are going to travel in. the stronger one (the rear) overrules the weaker (the front).

OK Got the principle?
Now on your bike Say the front wheel wants to go straight. but the back wheel is aimed a little to the right as you go along slowly the tire just scrub a bit sideways or there are enough small steering balance corrections to absorb the side load on the front caused by the more powerfull rear (gyros remember) as the speed builds so dose the force of each gyro and soon that force is enough to wind up the frame then the frame unwinds and re winds over and over and what you feel is wobble. It only happens at certain speeds because the combination of gyro force and frame stiffness and tire adhesion is jut right to produce a harmonic oscillation that you feel as wobble.

The fix and the only fix is: to get the two gyros going in the same direction.

Sometime changing a tire will change the balance of power a bit and may even cancel out some of the forces, but eventually they will win.

This phenomen is so common it's labeled as normal, Only if your definition of normal accepts errors.

FOG

 

I understood the principal, and I did the string thing 3 times and each measurement came up within the tolerance zone.

 

Anyone want to quote the directions from the manual for adjusting the chain slack/ aligning the rear tire? Seems to be pretty well common sense, but I'd like to know the specifics as far as torque specs for tightening everything back up. I need to buy both an owners manual and service manual. I'd like to simply download it, I'd pay for it if there was a legal site or something, just so I could have it quicker. Anyone know where I can find either manual online? If not, whats the best place to buy them? Kawasaki's own website, or?

 

I understood the principal, and I did the string thing 3 times and each measurement came up within the tolerance zone.

That's all well and good. BTW what tolerance zone? The 1/16" I stated in the String thing? That's just a reasonable number that will achieve good results in most cases. As always there are exceptions to the rules.

If you understood all the underlying principles of the gyros, It's not hard to see there are additional factors. The tires themselves can have a built in steering effect due to carcass errors (this can change over time and wear and can be a factor in why a tire was good and then went bad). Often changing a tire can have a good effect.
Finally but most difficult, you may need to steer the rear, but deliberately setting it slightly to one side or the other, to compensate for invisible factors, as a bent frame or tweaked front end (this is why I included the Rock the forks part of the string thing).
FOG

 

Adjust for 35mm-40mm of slack halfway between the sprockets. Axle nut gets tightened to 80 ft-lbs.

 

I understood the principal, and I did the string thing 3 times and each measurement came up within the tolerance zone.

That's all well and good. BTW what tolerance zone? The 1/16" I stated in the String thing? That's just a reasonable number that will achieve good results in most cases. As always there are exceptions to the rules.

If you understood all the underlying principles of the gyros, It's not hard to see there are additional factors. The tires themselves can have a built in steering effect due to carcass errors (this can change over time and wear and can be a factor in why a tire was good and then went bad). Often changing a tire can have a good effect.

yes I was referring to the 1/16", and it is possibly due to the tire age, but as the problem isn't noticeable unless under decelleration w/o hands on the bars then I'm not going to worry about it.

And not wanting to nit pick, but you did put this at the end:

That’s it. No alterations or changes to these instructions will work.
FOG

let's not confuse everyone by telling us no exceptions, and then telling us there are exceptions