front wheel wobble

this morning I let off the handle bars while coasting and they started to shake VIOLENTLY
my other bike doesn't do this

it rides perfect as long as I hold the bars but what would cause this to wobble while coasting with no hands on the bars?
I don't do it a lot I was just clutching in traffic and stretched for just a second on the off ramp

There are certain brands of tires that will do that and some will say that your steering head bearings are bad. What brand of tire is on the front?

It's not unusual for ANY motorcycle to exhibit head shake when decelerating hands-off from about 50 mph to lesser speeds. The shake may be affected by loose bearings in the wheel, or headstock, heavy loads on the back of the bike, or tire wear. Most of the time one or both hands are on the bars so we don't notice it. It's almost normal.

its the stock tires and the bike has only 5000 miles on it
and I can do this on MY VFR with no head shake at all
maybe I should replace the tires for next season to be sure

Not unusual to have a head shake on a bike at some specific speed that resonates.
Could also be helped along by tire profile, psi etc. and loose head bearings.
Load on the rear and light weight on the front could also contribute.

dduelin said:

It's not unusual for ANY motorcycle to exhibit head shake when decelerating hands-off from about 50 mph to lesser speeds. The shake may be affected by loose bearings in the wheel, or headstock, heavy loads on the back of the bike, or tire wear. Most of the time one or both hands are on the bars so we don't notice it. It's almost normal.

Click to expand...

Especially with modern, low fork-angles, makes for more precise handling, but introduces some interesting handling characteristics.
My ST shakes a bit when the front tire gets cupped.

I had the same promblem had Shinko ties put on had wobble at 35-40mph sent front tire back same thing to make it short went o Michlins tires and it was like day and night no wobble at any speed tracks better and all around better ride and handling,Shinko lasted 10,000 miles but we're not good for this bike 2004 st1300, good luck...

Mind wobbled with my old tires. Forget front back was Pilot 2. Have new Pilot GT 4's with less than 400 miles on them. No wobble now.

ST1300? Put 44 psi in the tires, ensure the rear preload is set properly (not too soft) and see if that makes it go away.

Had same promblem changed to Michlins Polit 4 like day and night no wobble tracks straight and handles better.

Probably a tire problem.
Contrary to popular belief, this can be caused with a problem with the rear tire too.
Also, I have mounted brand new premium tires that were out of round.

Do, in order:

Run 42 psi F/R
Set rear preload and rebound per the weight you are carrying
Check your steering head bearings with the front end elevated, they are probably fine.
Balance the wheels/tires. Check for out of round on both tires when you are doing this.
Replace both front and rear tires. I like BT030 GTs.