head shake solutions

[johnsweet]

this afternoon while riding my 2013 Husqvarna TR 650 I experienced head shake bad enough to slow me down and write this to all who ride this motorcycle asking there opinions of the best ways to eliminated the head shake. If I move my body weigh forward when it starts and reduce throttle it seems to come out of it. Will more psi in the tires reduce shake? I run 25 front 32 rear, should I increase to max 28/36 recommended for higher speeds? Should I bite the bullet and purchase the expensive GPR steering damper? I have installed the barkbuster storm hand guards with end weights removed, your thoughts and opinions are apperciated

 

[dmw_az]

I'm still using the stock Metzler tires and have no handguards. I get no headshake unless a large vehicle is nearby causing turbulence. In my experience on a previous CRF250L, the handguards acted like small sailes and caused problems at speeds above 50mph.

 

[PawPaw]

Have you checked you sag?

Paw Paw

 

[justintendo]

this afternoon while riding my 2013 Husqvarna TR 650 I experienced head shake bad enough to slow me down and write this to all who ride this motorcycle asking there opinions of the best ways to eliminated the head shake. If I move my body weigh forward when it starts and reduce throttle it seems to come out of it. Will more psi in the tires reduce shake? I run 25 front 32 rear, should I increase to max 28/36 recommended for higher speeds? Should I bite the bullet and purchase the expensive GPR steering damper? I have installed the barkbuster storm hand guards with end weights removed, your thoughts and opinions are apperciated

when cruising down the road, if you coast with both hands off the bars, will it start to headshake? if so its likely time to repack and adjust your steering head bearings. every streetbike ive had will pass this test once the correct bearing adjustment is made. i have no experience with your bike but you may find you do not need a damper..

 

[kiwiape]

bar weight ends are put there for a reason, so why did you remove them...?

As a matter of interest I have run below 20PSI on Dunlop D606 and currently run 20-23PSI on Dunlop D605...no probs so far and bar weight ends are on along with hand guards and screen.

 

[johnsweet]

Have you checked you sag?

Paw Paw

no, please explain

 

[Hansi]

Varying tire pressure was not making a noticeable difference in the headshake for me on my Terra. I switched my high fender to a low Strada fender and started to adjust my preload in the rear shock a little softer and that seems to do the trick.

My Terra with this setup will get light and sensitive at speed, but it will not progress in to a headshake, even with all the stuff mounted on the front and handle bars .

 

[johnsweet]

bar weight ends are put there for a reason, so why did you remove them...?

bar weight ends are put there for a reason, so why did you remove them...?

As a matter of interest I have run below 20PSI on Dunlop D606 and currently run 20-23PSI on Dunlop D605...no probs so far and bar weight ends are on.

not exactly sure but I did not think the bar weights would fit with the barkbuster storm handguards I'll take another look to see if they will fit

 

[johnsweet]

when cruising down the road, if you coast with both hands off the bars, will it start to headshake? if so its likely time to repack and adjust your steering head bearings. every streetbike ive had will pass this test once the correct bearing adjustment is made. i have no experience with your bike but you may find you do not need a damper..

I will try this and get back to you

 

[justintendo]

I will try this and get back to you

sometimes its nice to actually verify there is grease there..the difference between being too loose and too tight is small when it comes to head bearings but it can make a huge difference.

 

[nev..]

bar weight ends are put there for a reason, so why did you remove them...?

The Barkbusters fitment require the bar end weights to be removed. This alone doesn't cause any change to the handling of the bike.

 

[JBrown]

Ktm-parts.com has the gpr stabilizer for 495 and they have a discount code for 15% off for Labor Day. Not a bad price if you are thinking about a stabilizer.

 

[mcalistr]

As soon as I put the knobbies on mine I started to experience the headshake at around 120km/h, and the same thing happened on my previous DRZ. Tried removing various bits and changing pressures to see if it would make a difference but not to much success. Finally bit the bullet and got the GPR and can not get over the difference it made for the headshake as well as on gravel roads that have a lot of loose material. After the skid plate, this was probably my best purchase I made.

 

[robertaccio]

additional balance your wheels

 

[Moff69]

I also experinced this on a ride bad enough to slow me down.
l softened the rear shock 1 click and it improved out of sight, it was however still "skitish" in strong winds.
I lowered the forks in triple about 5mm, increase the rake as some call it, and now even in the strong winds she rides nice and stable.
My bike is the Strada and was running Mitas E09's at the time.

 

[johnsweet]

additional balance your wheels

New Mitas E07 front and back with balance weighs applied each wheel, I bit the bullet and purchased the GPR stabilizer at www.ktm-parts.com, with the Laborday 15% discount $420.75, I'll report back after install and a few miles

 

[Masterpotter]

Make sure your sag is set for your weight. Lots of people never check this. The sag will put more or less weight on your front tire. If it has head shake when you're loaded on a trip this is a sure sign that your sag is to soft.
Make sure you steering nuts are tight. The one in the center of the forks. I Just did a trip to Idaho with 3 other Terras' on two of these this nut had backed off.
Make sure everything stock is right before you "fix" anything new.

 

[duibhceK]

The Barkbusters fitment require the bar end weights to be removed. This alone doesn't cause any change to the handling of the bike.

My barkbbusters fit nicely with the bar end weights in place. I used the G650GS barkbusters, but there is no reason this wouldn't be possible with the TR650 sepcific model.

 

[kiwiape]

The Barkbusters fitment require the bar end weights to be removed.

unless they are Touratech, then they fit with bars weights included. Za Germans are tight barstads and if they didn't need to use them they wouldn't have....and I'm betting they know more about this, than all of us.

 

[AUS_TR650]

I found that without or with bar weights did not make much difference to head shake so I've omitted them. Getting rid of them also makes it easier to push the bike through doorways at home.
After installing a lowering link, I played around with the rear shock preload & fork height combinations that fixed the issue. It was an experience riding into a roundabout after an initial adjustment and finding the bike wouldn't turn like I was use to!