New ST1300 Rider, seems a bit bouncy

Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
17
Location
Arizona
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ST1300 (Winter Bike
Hi all,

I purchased my 2006 ST1300A 2 days ago.

I had to drive 120 miles on the highway to get it home. I noticed excessive bouncing in the front end as I approached 75+ mph to the point that I thought I was going to lose control. I stayed around 65-70 mph for a while where the bike was smooth. After approximately 30 miles or so the bike no longer "bounced" as I approached higher speeds and I was able to reach 80-85 mph with no issues. What could cause this kind of behavior? I didn't experience this kind of handling from my ST1100 or other bikes for that matter.

I drove the bike around the neighborhood this morning and now I think it rides as if it doesn't have a front shock absorber. I no longer get pushed around by the wind, but the suspension makes me look like this little guy :06biker: The bike has 52K miles so it might need a new suspension? Previous owner told me that the fork seals were changed approximately 2 years ago (~1K miles)

I am looking for recommendations for troubleshooting this behavior, thank you in advance for your suggestions.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
193
Location
Orange County California
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2006 ST1300A
Here is a possibility. But I hope not!

My ST1300 fork seals were leaking and I was making plans to replace seals and dust covers.
The next day I was driving about 40mph and hit a tiny dip in the road. The front end started shimmering and shaking.
I decided to have the Honda shop to look at it and change the seals. What they found was the wrong bushings in both front shocks.
The ones on the left side had failed. A previous owner had installed them.

My advice to you is to check the bushings as well as replacing the seals and dust covers.
 
Joined
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Might as well replace the fork oil and generally look over the forks.
 

dduelin

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Maybe the first 30 miles the tires were flat spotted and set up an oscillation until getting good and hot?

Forks are pretty simple - just take them apart for an inspection. If the springs are correct for the bike the only variables are fork oil and oil level. Bushings should still be serviceable at 52,000 miles.

To post #2 I can't imagine the wrong bushings being installed and the forks even going back together. The tolerance for fit is very close and bushing halves fit like puzzle pieces. Perhaps something was lost in translation.
 

Kevcules

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What about fork sag? That would affect the reaction of the forks....I noticed the very same thing when I purchased my 08 last October. The front was very rough as if the springs weren't compressing. Thanks to Dduelin and others, I had to change the spring spacer (longer) to get the right sag for the bike and my weight ,(170) so that there was some room for spring action while riding.
 
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Assuming the oil is still in there, the only reasons for losing the damping would be if the damper rod has become disconnected from the fork cap, or if the rebound piston has come off the end of the damper rod inside the cartridge.
 
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First thing I would check is the rear preload adjuster (search forum for instructions).
 
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cyman73
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Apr 11, 2016
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Arizona
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ST1300 (Winter Bike
Thank you all for your suggestions. I purchased a Honda Service Manual and it should arrive in a few days.

I also notice that the bike has a Fork Brace installed.

image1.jpg
 

Dave.David

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You won't believe how much rear suspension feels like up front and effects up front, same other way around. Plus servicing the rear shock is much easier and cheaper than working on the front.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
Joined
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You will also need to find out what make (who made it) fork brace it is, and find the mounting instructions.
I have had several folks who had fork issues because the fork brace was either crooked, torqued down wrong, or misaligned.
I probably go against the grain with several of the other members here, but I don't care for fork braces on these bikes, as I think they cause more problems than they help.
.02
 
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given the issues you're having, I'd remove the fork brace just to get that variable out of the equation before going any further.
 
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Dave's flat spot theory is the first thing I though of. Larry's preload adjuster is undoubtedly spot on. Plus the rebound can and maybe should be adjusted on the rear. I would lose the fork brace for now and do the front end tightening sequence properly.
Probably needs fresh fork oil, and probably needs the front preload increased.
 
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Can you clarify... are you saying it was bouncing uncontrollingly over bumps or vibrating and bouncing as you rode along? When you said it was almost unrideable, my first thought was the tires were flat-spotted , possibly from sitting deflated for a long period of time.
 
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cyman73
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ST1300 (Winter Bike
Hi Bmacleod, I am feeling bouncing as I ride along on a smooth road, doesn't matter the speed. Just as you would feel on a bumpy road, definitely not what I feel when I ride my other bike. The worst of it was when I rode home on highway, at 75 mph, when I wasn't expecting it.

I attempted to adjust the pre-load setting on the read spring. I turned the knob counterclockwise until it stopped, felt like it reached a stopping point. I then started turning clockwise approximately 30 "clicks" before it started getting hard to turn (not impossibly hard). I continued to run another 4 clicks until it reached a stopping point and that's where I left it.

I also attempted to adjust the damping adjustment for the rear shock. I followed YT video by dduelin. I chose to turn the screw all the way clockwise and unwound it one revolution.

I rode the bike this morning and still feels "bumpy" at slow speeds. Interestingly pretty smooth at highway speeds.

Thank you.
 

dduelin

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Re: the 30 clicks of "nothing"............ the preload adjuster needs refilling. After turning all the way out counterclockwise and beginning to turn it CW you should feel resistance by 2 or 3 clicks. If there is no resistance it is not adding preload. Essentially you have described adding 2 turns of preload when up to 18 are available.

Still, a inoperative preloader shouldn't have anything to do with the bouncing feeling. Can you check the tires and wheels for runout to rule out a bent wheel or a tire not quite seated to the rim?
 
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1. Check to make sure your BRAKES are not grabbing or dragging! Check the SMC unit & pivot point needle bearings. 2. Remove the fork brace (at least for now) 3. Service and fill the preload adjuster (search forum for instructions) 4. Set damping screw 1.5 turns out (counter clockwise) from seated (clockwise).
5. Check front wheel tightening procedure. 6. Check Wheel bearings in front wheel 7. Check flange bearings in rear wheel. 8. Check Tire Pressure(s) & condition. 9. Run your finger along the edge of the rim while you turn the wheels (looking for dents and or damage to tire/wheel.
10. Do you have a top box? Is it overfilled? Are your saddlebags overfilled or unbalanced?
These are just a few of the things that come to mind, that you should check.
 
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cyman73
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Arizona
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ST1300 (Winter Bike
Hello everyone.

Well, I finally finished changing the front fork seals and oil last weekend, almost 1 year after the original post. The old oil was black as opposed to the new red Honda oil.

I also serviced the preload adjuster as it was almost empty. Instructions on this forum for all the work I did were immensely useful.

The ride is still bouncy and I've been adjusting the shock absorber and preload in order to find a smoother ride. My ST has over 54K miles and I'm pretty sure the rear shock is original. I need to do additional research on what I should do with it.

Thank you.
 

Mellow

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What tires are you running? Have you ever had any different ones on? sounds to me like a problem I had w/Roadsmarts a few years ago.. Brand new set but at around 65mph the front end started to bounce due to a loose belt or something in the tire. You couldn't tell by looking at the tire or feeling around it, looked brand new, and it was. Replaced w/different manufacturer's tire and all was well. It only happened at higher speeds. This was a known issue w/early Roadsmart tires and some actually came apart.
 

Kevcules

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I re-read your first explanation. If you're experiencing this "bouncing" issue while going at slower speeds over a rough road, it's more than likely your suspension, as that was my problem. If your having this issue on a flat highway at higher different speeds, then tires ,balancing, rim defects etc ,would be a good start .
 
Joined
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60
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British Columbia, Canada
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2004 ST1300
Hi all,

I purchased my 2006 ST1300A 2 days ago.

I had to drive 120 miles on the highway to get it home. I noticed excessive bouncing in the front end as I approached 75+ mph to the point that I thought I was going to lose control. I stayed around 65-70 mph for a while where the bike was smooth. After approximately 30 miles or so the bike no longer "bounced" as I approached higher speeds and I was able to reach 80-85 mph with no issues. What could cause this kind of behavior? I didn't experience this kind of handling from my ST1100 or other bikes for that matter.

I drove the bike around the neighborhood this morning and now I think it rides as if it doesn't have a front shock absorber. I no longer get pushed around by the wind, but the suspension makes me look like this little guy :06biker: The bike has 52K miles so it might need a new suspension? Previous owner told me that the fork seals were changed approximately 2 years ago (~1K miles)

I am looking for recommendations for troubleshooting this behavior, thank you in advance for your suggestions.
If you're "bouncing" I would say that your fork oil level is suspect, either from faulty servicing (failure to properly set fork oil level) or a long term leak that has caused the fork oil level to drop. If a leak is the problem replace both fork seals and dust wipers with OEM parts and adjust your fork oil level in accordance with the maintenance manual. You may have other issues (Old flat spotted tires, low air in the tires, nitrogen leak at the rear shock, steering head bearings out of adjustment, excessive wheel run-out etc...) You'll never know what the previous owner may have done, have a pro check things out if you can't yourself.
 
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