Hey guys, When I'm on the highway above 70-75 I experience a high speed wobble that is not rider induced. Has anyone experienced this. Thanks.
Fairly common. However, there are multiple things that can cause the same symptom. Could be tire related. Pressure or tread style can contribute. Could be suspension related. Check rear preload for your payload. Could be steering head bearing related. Check the torque (80 Nm, I think ???) Could be something else.
I get some wobble passing trucks on the freeway, what I do is relax my fingers lean forward and gently push on the bars. That always stabilizes it. On thing you can check is the rear wheel alignment. The marks on the swing arm and not always perfect.
Many guys here have posted about experiencing similar wobbles at higher speeds and I have noticed it on my Strada particularly when loaded. My bike starts to get a bit of a wander on at around 90+ mph, but I rarely get to those speeds anyway. The bike is not a high speed machine, but various factors can affect or improve the high speed handling. If yours is a fast handlebar 'wobble' as opposed to the speed weave I have which then becomes a whole bike wobble, then I would be looking toward the front of the bike for the problem. Check the front end carefully, bearings, alignment, front tyre pressure etc. Tyre pressures are very important and I run mine at 31 front 33 rear which has so far proven to be the best for me. Wheel alignment is also important, check it carefully. I do mine by measurement, as mag00 says, the swing arm marks are not reliable. Keep the weight down, previously I had all my luggage in a 37L Givi box fitted onto the back rack, now I have a set of Givi side boxes and can reduce the amount higher up in the other box, this has improved the feel of the bike at higher speeds. If your 'wobble' persists and it is not fixable by any of the above, then consider fitting a decent steering damper to control it.
i had a bike in the shop backin the day with a case of the wobbles i crawled all over the front end all day put a tire on the damn thing and it still try to rip your arms off... the culprit swing arm bushing
I got tired of the wobble. The Metzler front tire is not very good imho. I put a shinko 744 on and that was the worst tire ever. I then put on a TKC 80 and that tire was fine in the dirt, but wobbled at 65. With the constant flats and wobble, I decided to put a 19" from a GS BMW. I mounted a Shinko 804. I have a new bike again. It dropped the bike and made it more comfortable at stops. The wobble is all but gone, up to 85 mph and steering sensitive but no self induced wobble. In the sand is where this setup really shines. That pizza cutter 21 would just burry in the sand and not steer. I am a happy camper now. The Strada I had was running a shinko 805 rear and TKC 80 front. That wobbled pretty much starting around 70. Before I put the dirt tires on it, I could fly down the highway without regard to speed. I really like that tire combo in the dirt and the height of the Strada. So set up as in the pictures is a Shinko 805 rear and 804 front 18/19 rear/front. 1" lowering link. I had been driving my Sixty2 alot more recently because of the highway handling, and respectable off road capabilities of the Ducati Scrambler. But now I'm back to the Terra as the preferred ride. For those on a budget, I'm less than $300 into the new wheel and surely can sell the 21 for more. Those BMW 19's are cheap enough and easy to find.
Hi mag00, thank you for sharing your experience & feedback. As I do mainly highway riding I'm interested in fitting a 19" wheel to my Terra. What model & year BMW GS did you source your 19" wheel? I'm assuming existing axle & rotor will install onto the 19" wheel? Cheers
I think pretty much any of the 650 single GS maybe even the twins. Here is the title of the ebay listing. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 BMW F650GS Straight Spoke Front Wheel Rim 36317654026 I bought this one based on price and condition, not fitment. I think many more years and models will fit. The Sertao is a 21" I believe. The X- series bmw won't work. The BMW uses a spacer that is not needed on the TR650 due to our axles having the shoulder/spacer built in. Rotor bearing etc all fit the same best I can tell.
Make sure your steering head bearings are good and adjusted properly. Lower front pressure can help the wobble a bit. I'm sticking with the 21" and if I hit sand I just drop the pressures further.
I chopped the fender and that's what made the difference: This Strada came witht he Terra front fender only. It wobbled over 115kmh. Then I installed the strada fender and purely for aesthetics left the high Terra one, but chopped half of it at the front and half at the back. The looks of course, are only a matter of opinion, but the TR started cruising comfortably at 140kmh afterwards. No instability problem. I hope this helps for reference.
I am experiencing a wobble too. It is very inconsistent though. Most of the time a slow weave sets in at +- 105 km/h, with an alarming wobble starting at 120-130 km/h. Sometimes though (like last night), I was completely fine up until 125 km/h. With an alarming wobble setting in at 140 km/h. Steering head bearing should be fine. I got the front wheel off the ground and the handlebars moved freely and smoothly. I couldn't feel any play in the forks either. As I plan on getting some better handlebars, I will do some test setups without handguards. 120 km/h at least should be possible without worrying
I have not experienced wobbling, i have a Strada. I replaced the handbar with a lower flat one (without stabilizers), then added the handguards, then more recently I added a windshield.( see pic below) however despite all this changes I have not notice wobbling, i tried the difference with high and low pressure on tyres, and fortunately no problem, last time I tested with the new mounted windshield at 180 Kmh and I was fine.
i ma sorry but i can't upload a straight picture (look my profile pic too!!) even if i turn it the other side the authentic file in my HD it alwas comes turned 90° left. so annoying!! do you have any suggestion for me to straigh up them? Many thanks
