wobble- is it wheel alignment?

[j2x]

Folks,

I've been trouble-shooting a wobble on my Valkyrie for a while now. At low speeds there is a very obvious wobble up until about 40-50mph when the wobble seemingly disappears- though I'm sure it just becomes unnoticeable. It feels like it's coming through the front end but now I'm not so sure. In a straight line it feels like its coming through the handlebars, but when I accelerate while turning sharply, like when leaving a driveway, the wobble is most obvious and feels like its equally in the handlebars and the seat.  When I chop the throttle the wobble becomes less noticeable and when I accelerate it is most noticeable. 

Up until very recently I assumed that it was due to the Kenda rear tire that I wore on the front for the last two years. I thought that the wobble had slowly gotten worse and I assumed it was because of poor wear on an improper tire. Or, maybe it had something to do with the Bridgestone car tire I wore on the rear for the last three years. Regardless, last month I had both tires replaced with proper rubber.

At first I thought the wobble went away, but I think I was just being optimistic. I just got back from a 700 mile 4-day ride and the wobble is just as wobbly as it was before.

A few things to note: I haven't been the best steward of my Valkyrie. She and I have been on many, many miles of off-road adventures that would be much more appropriate on a KLR. I've hit many potholes at significant speed. We've spent a lot of time outdoors in all sorts of inclement weather.  I drag pegs on nearly every corner in town and out.  I rode it onto a shoulder last year that involved a 5" drop of asphalt to the gravel and bent the kickstand mount (which is welded to the frame) and had to have the mount cut off and re-welded because it proved too beefy even for the body shop to straighten. But, she's never been in a collision and I've only dropped her at a standstill.

So, what do you think? I'm now thinking that all those miles of washboard and the dozens of potholes could have tweaked the front forks and disrupted the wheel alignment slightly. Or maybe something at the back? The independent rear shocks on either side- if they had different stiffness settings could it affect this? The stickers that indicate the stiffness on the shocks were worn off when I bought the bike and I don't know what they are set to.

Help!

Thanks,
James

[NITRO]

Mismatched shocks could contribute, I would start there. Try turning both shocks all the way in the same direction and see if you can get them matched to the same preload that way. It's good to see you're still around and that the Valk has survived your spirited rides!

[El Borrego]

Hey, I'm no guru but I had a similar deal with a car several years ago and found out it was a misaligned tread on the tire.  Couldn't see it unless you were dead center looking at it as it turned.  Then we put a monitoring device against the tread and sure enough, it wavered back and forth.  I could only feel it when the car was going at a slow speed.

Since you've been off road a lot, etc., I'd check the wheels.  You can get a shop or do it yourself by placing some fixed object against the wheel side and slowly rotate the wheel.  I'd do both front and rear.  Chuck holes can do a lot of damage that's not caught until later.  I would think a bent axle would cause constant wobble but it possibly could be slightly bent enough that the bearings are picking it up.

I'm sure other riders will have some more intelligent advice.  Tire tread check is easiest and quickest.  Then go from there.

[Fritz]

Wheel Bearings, change both ends!

[Valker]

Just a thought, but how do the bushings (grommets) in the top and bottom of your shocks look? Is the shock bolt centered in the bushing?

[JetDriver]

On your shocks, if they're OEM, there are only 5 steps to them.  You can figure out where they are because when you try to move it to the "next" step after 5, there will be a loud bang, and it will be back at step one.  So turn them both until the bang, and you'll know they're both on step 1.  Set them where you want from there.  I don't know if they would cause a wobble or not, but if you're still running the OEM shocks, they're burnt up by now- it's time to replace them!

If you have a manual, it will give you the steps to taking off the front wheel, loosening the fork tubes, and making sure they're aligned.  The axle holes in the tubes need to be accurately aligned with each other.  Don't know if that would cause a wobble or not either, but something doesn't sound right.

[Dallastar]

"At first I thought the wobble went away, but I think I was just being optimistic. I just got back from a 700 mile 4-day ride and the wobble is just as wobbly as it was before."

did anyone else catch this line ... LOL my 1st thought is WTF    just how bad or unbad is this wobble   let me tell u   if i had any, ANY kinda wobble i would NOT take it out for a 700mile test ride wtf ,,,,im here to say theres a wobble in this riders head ha ha ha lol

[NITRO]

"At first I thought the wobble went away, but I think I was just being optimistic. I just got back from a 700 mile 4-day ride and the wobble is just as wobbly as it was before."

did anyone else catch this line ... LOL my 1st thought is WTF    just how bad or unbad is this wobble   let me tell u   if i had any, ANY kinda wobble i would NOT take it out for a 700mile test ride wtf ,,,,im here to say theres a wobble in this riders head ha ha ha lol

Look back at some of the OP's older posts and pictures. He's not your typical rider!

[ricoman]

Just a thought, but how do the bushings (grommets) in the top and bottom of your shocks look? Is the shock bolt centered in the bushing?

+1, rear shock bushings
replace with the VTX ones- they work well

[timmer]

"At first I thought the wobble went away, but I think I was just being optimistic. I just got back from a 700 mile 4-day ride and the wobble is just as wobbly as it was before."

did anyone else catch this line ... LOL my 1st thought is WTF    just how bad or unbad is this wobble   let me tell u   if i had any, ANY kinda wobble i would NOT take it out for a 700mile test ride wtf ,,,,im here to say theres a wobble in this riders head ha ha ha lol

Show a little respect, J2X is a rider, not a polisher. My bet is on damage to the front end, most likely the front wheel. If you know another valk rider in your area see if you could put his front wheel on for a test ride, this would help you narrow it down a bit. Also as mentioned above you are probably overdue on replacing the OEM shocks, they have to be toast by now from the type of riding you have done.

Welcome back, good luck and keep us updated.

timmer

[Weslox]

I get a charge thinking of a Valk as an off-road bike. Man that's some crazy riding....love it  
Me, I will stick to the highways and back-roads, as they are are my utopia. I looked up some your previous posts to see pics of some of the off-road trails that you ride J2X. WOW amazing..hats off to you bud!

[Chicago Mark]

Your wobble could very well be loose steering head bearings. I just bought a tool to adjust mine as I get a wobble around 40-45mph when slowing down.

All the best,

Mark

[honda*mann]

Your wobble could very well be loose steering head bearings. I just bought a tool to adjust mine as I get a wobble around 40-45mph when slowing down.

All the best,

Mark

Hi,

can you post a pic of this tool?

Thanks

[salty]

I agree with the posts questioning the integrity of the shocks, shock bushings, wheel bearings, and loose head stem bearings. You might also want to consider tire inflation, tire balance and swing arm bearings. 

[Chicago Mark]

Here's a link to the VRCC forum that includes two pictures of the tool. On the last post, I give you the information to purchase the tool from the guy in Wisconsin. The tool is excellent and I'm sure it will work perfectly.

All the best,

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,38473.0.html

Mark