Head wobble / tank slap

[isogear]

I had the fan R&R'd, which means they had to disconnect the rear shcok.

I now have head wobble/minor tank slap, peaking at 40 mph....occuring from 38-42 mph. Only wobbles about 1-2 inches at those speeds. not a big deal, but would like to get rid of it. Can't really feel it while holding bars.

Tried changing rear preload...seems to get better with more preload ( I had the bike fully loaded), but even with max pre-load, it's still there.

Anyone know if the rear shock preload at install can be changed, while disconnecting and re-connecting for example?

thanks

[owlmeat]

That sounds a bit strange, iso. I don't think there is a reason for any damping adjustments for that work. However, it wouldn't surprise me if they were changed by a mechanic that "knows better settings". What are the chances your tire is under inflated?

Edited due to my lack of ability to read.

[chucks_net]

WOW -be careful... slappers suck

Sounds like the rear tire is not alighned.

I wouldn't adjust the front until the rear is sorted.

It wont take much to turn that wobble into a slapper that results in a getoff

[owlmeat]

Just as a double check, it may be worth it to check the tail fasteners, swing arm bolt, and swing arm pinch fastener for tightness.

[BuellerPilot]

^^ What he said and....

Check front wheel axle and pinch bolts, front wheel bearings, front stem/triple tree bearings, fork pinch bolts, tire pressures, abnormal tire wear (scalloping) etc. You shouldn't get head shake at those speeds unless something is wrong and dicking with suspension settings is a big'ol Band Aid covering up a real problem.

Tank slappers SUCK, look at the damages on my body from a tank slapper (wasn't on a Buell)



http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/7525_20110221172735_L.jpg
http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/7525_20110221172132_L.jpg

Find the problem and FIX IT!!!

~Mike....

[AV8guy]

@BuellerPilot. That looks painful man. were you wearing proper gear at the time?

Can't really feel it while holding bars.Does that mean you only get the shake when you are riding with no hands? But yeah, like the other guys said, I would check tire pressure and all the fastners/mounts before I continued riding and taking the chance of losing some skin or worse.

[AV8guy]

Hope you get everything sorted out quickly BTW :)[up]

[BuellerPilot]

@BuellerPilot. That looks painful man. were you wearing proper gear at the time?

Nope, a combination of bad habits and stupidity.

I always wore my gear, except this one ride which was just up the street and back. That was enough.

I got into a bad habit of grabbing a handful of front brakes. I haven't been riding my Ninja much at all (well before I purchased my Buell), but I built a Pocket Bike. It came with a 50cc auto tranny and right hand front hydrolic brake and left hand rear hydrolic brake. I stuck a MUCH larger 110cc engine in it (I can't ever leave **** well enough alone lol) and with a manual 4 speed tranny. I rode it frequently through the neighborhood and got into the habit of using the front brake only (because the rear hand brake was now a clutch, and I didn't fab up a foot brake yet) and it required some force to halt the little bugger down from 40~60 using only the front brake.

http://imgs.tootoo.com/d0/a7/d0a7d13afa305d1a337004f9fd3dd49b.jpg
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff194/toddbradford/Pocket%20Bike/P1015115.jpg

So, I throw my leg over my full size real bike (Ninja) after not riding it for probably over a year or even two, the one time I'm not wearing my gear, the bad habit I developed riding that ****ing Pocket Bike, and a semi loose fork pinch bolt, not too mention a slightly squidly behavior resulted in months of pain for me. (The Ninja did a tank slapper after grabbing a BIG'OL handful of front brake and my left hand wasn't gripping the bar tight enough). And all I was doing was going up the street and back, right in front of my house. Doc said my leg was close to/could have used a skin graft but I insisted not too (and I'm glad I insisted).

Lessen learned.

BTW, that little demon of a Pocket Bike is for sale lol.

~Mike....