Harmonic weave at legal hwy speeds?

Machine said:
D404 fronts are very inexpensive.
There are few choices to match the D404 rear which is a good tire.
Awareness of your tire condition right up front would have been beneficial right from the get go
:whistle:
Click to expand...
I was aware of the rear tires condition at the rally:whistle:
 
Last edited:
peanut said:
yes that a very reputable make but far too expensive for my budget regrettably
Click to expand...
I find it somewhat ironic that those who have money and can afford the more expensive tires opt for the cheapest tires. While someone like me on a limited budget will spend the money necessary to have the best equipment I can afford to get. I never compromise on quality regardless of price it's my safety that is most important. So I believe you get what you pay for.
 
madmax-im said:
During the ride on Sunday at the rally . iwas riding at the posted speed limits.(55) on hwy 74. I entered a right handed sweeping turn..easy aangles nothing extreme...I was in the left lane and the bike began a harmonic weave..at first i thought i could ride through it..but it bacame worse so I immediately scrubbed off my speed to counter the weave. I suspect that road surface conditions might have had something to do with it..was very unnerving...
Is this indicative of the 40 year old suspension? Have others experienced this?
Click to expand...
By harmonic weave, I assume you mean a high speed wobble? That happened to me on my old 750Four. Definitely, check the suspension. On my old Honda, I attributed it to the spokes being a little loose plus a poor tire on the front. The wobble scared me quite badly and I sold the bike and gave up riding for a few years.
 
Yeah..a high speed wobble @ 55mph...no way am I quitting riding over it...
 
Madmax-im,
Try 80 mph and it crossing so hard and fast you can hear the front tire squeal...you get up off the seat to "get off the bike" and just as your about to swing your leg across, it straightens out, you sit back down on the seat and feel your skin crawl.... Damn, it seems like yesterday. Shop found the problem after it did the exact same thing to the Shop mech on a crowded hi-way. He was white as a sheet and shaking. Tightened the swing arm down 1/4 inch! Never did it again. Solid as a rock! I sold it in 1984 to a Yamaha dealer! hahaha. I never rode again till I fixed this oldie but goodie.
Thu
 
One of my favorite "flutter test"...

MildNegligibleGazelle-size_restricted.gif
 
Gary's hint: If you do get into a weave/ handlebar shake. You need to PUSH on both bars to damp it out. You CANNOT stop a weave by pulling back on the bars. This a human body, mechanics, reaction time, thing. An XS1B taught me this the hard way about 45 years ago
 
As soon as i felt it I backed down my speed ..I didnt allow it to progress into a tank slapper. I have checked the steering head and it is tight..both wheels are tight..swingarm has no play either...so it would appear to be my tires..Front tire is cupped but has good tread left and the rear tire is squared off and is at the wear bars.
When you come to the VYR and WNC..It is imperitive to have new or very close to new tires..i never bring any bike with worn tires,..that is just asking for trouble on these very technical and sometimes very wet roads...
 
Madness is stable but strap a 30 pound pack on the rear and it gets a bit squirrely at speed.
 
TwoManyXS1Bs said:
One of my favorite "flutter test"...

View attachment 151374
Click to expand...
Yah, that brings back some bad memories. I was racing a friend out on the highway. Cranked it up to 90. As I backed off on the throttle it started wobbling on me. Don’t remember what speed the wobble started at. Sped up and it was okay. Tried three times to ease off on the gas. Had to stop soon. We were coming up to an intersection. Eventually just braked really hard. That seemed to snap it out of the wobble. Probably shifting the momentum to the front wheel straightened it out. Had to pull over because I was shaking. Friend said I was white as a sheet. Never trusted that bike again. Definitely replace that front tire and get the wheel balanced.
 
Back
Top