Frontend shaking

[bobenhaus]

I just noticed that when I take my hands of my handbars my frontend starts to shake. Anyone know what the probelm could be? Thanks in advance. My bike is a 2000 750R Katana


Brian

[Billy Ricks]

I just noticed that when I take my hands of my handbars my frontend starts to shake. Anyone know what the probelm could be? Thanks in advance. My bike is a 2000 750R Katana


Brian

Could be one of several things or a combination. Tire pressure, balance, or uneven wear of the front tire. Steering head bearings too loose. Tire alignment or swingarm bushings.

[chuckycheese]

Yikes

Also....I wouldn't ride too fast or too far until I figured it out.8-[

[tconroy]

Put it on the center stand and check out the wheel bearings and the steering bearings and I would hold off on the wheelies also till ya figure it out!!!

[Boondocks]

I just noticed that when I take my hands of my handbars my frontend starts to shake. Anyone know what the probelm could be? Thanks in advance. My bike is a 2000 750R Katana


Brian

It sound like you are describing a low speed wobble, which may occur at some point between 25-50 MPH. This is a high frequency oscillation (4 to 9 Hz) of the handlebars caused by underdamped natural harmonic frequencies. All motorcycles have this tendency to react to harmonic frequencies, but if they are adequately damped then the tendency to wobble is not of sufficient magnitude to be an issue. Some bikes have more of a tendency to manifest the wobble depending on their design features. The wobble forces increase when decelerating or going downhill. It decreases under acceleration or going uphill.

Loose connections like bearings, etc. will magnify the wobble. The effect will be noticed more by lighter riders, as the mass of heavier riders increases the damping force. You can experiment with increasing front tire pressure, increasing front fork damping, and changing to a different type of tire to see if it improves the situation. A steering damper is a good solution, but isn't always practical. The easiest way to increase the damping force is to keep your hands on the bars when you are passing through the resonant frequency peak at the MPH range affecting your bike.