Steering wobble on 07 ST1300

I brought my bike in march 16 by private sale. It is an 07 ST1300 with 22000km on it. Soon after getting iy i replaced the tyres with pirelli angel gt, and have had steering wobble issues ever since. I managed to resolve some of if by following the tightening sequence written elsewhere in this forum, however still experienced slight wobble while decelerating between 80 and 60 kmh. I put new tires on last week and followed the same tightening sequence. I have a worse wobble than previous, and I can feel it through all gears and worse while decelerating. Balancing is ok. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the issue might be.

Some here will say to replace your steering head bearings as this will cause this, with the low miles on that bike I would say it is the tire on the front as I have had two different brands of tires do the same. Try replacing with another brand or your old tire and see if that changes things.

Suspension settings are important for proper handling. You need to ensure that your suspension is tuned for you and not just the prior owner as this could cause issues. There are plenty of threads on this site and others about setting up your suspension properly. Different tire profiles can affect the way the bike handles either increasing things like turn in speed (more pointed profiles) or decreasing it (rounder profiles). If you are uncomfortable with performing the suspension tuning yourself, seek out an individual or shop that can assist you.

Wobble and weave is basically witchcraft. For a god insight view the Murray Walker/Dunlop video on you tube.
I rode new ST1100's in the mid 90's on OEM Dunlop's and they were basically unrideable because of weave. Switched to Bridgestone's problem solved albeit with slight weave at stupid mph.
Similarly my last bike a CBF1000 always shook it's head at 40 to 60 mph especially when slowing. It was better on Bridgestone's than Michelin's. The bikes mentioned above were all new with no defects.
I'd say check the obvious and then maybe try different rubber. I find 023's work really well on the 1100, I'm sure others will advise on best rubber for the 1300. For best rubber, read Best, not those which last forever, they aren't normally the same thing.
Upt'North.

MarkRNZ said:

I brought my bike in march 16 by private sale. It is an 07 ST1300 with 22000km on it. Soon after getting iy i replaced the tyres with pirelli angel gt, and have had steering wobble issues ever since. I managed to resolve some of if by following the tightening sequence written elsewhere in this forum, however still experienced slight wobble while decelerating between 80 and 60 kmh. I put new tires on last week and followed the same tightening sequence. I have a worse wobble than previous, and I can feel it through all gears and worse while decelerating. Balancing is ok. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the issue might be.

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Before you start throwing money at it, and replacing steering head bearings, fork springs, and such, search this forum for the article(s) on pre-load adjuster service.
I'm betting your rear preload adjuster is empty, or close to it, and this would cause the issues your having.
Its a ten minute job, all you will need is a 5 mm allen to remove the side cover, a 10 mm box end wrench, a 10 inch or larger cresent or adjustable wrench, and a small bottle of hydraulic jack oil.
Please feel free to contact me if you need me to email you photos or info on this service.
Igofar

Igofar said:

Before you start throwing money at it, and replacing steering head bearings, fork springs, and such, search this forum for the article(s) on pre-load adjuster service.
I'm betting your rear preload adjuster is empty, or close to it, and this would cause the issues your having.
Its a ten minute job, all you will need is a 5 mm allen to remove the side cover, a 10 mm box end wrench, a 10 inch or larger cresent or adjustable wrench, and a small bottle of hydraulic jack oil.
Please feel free to contact me if you need me to email you photos or info on this service.
Igofar

Click to expand...

I agree with Igofar. Your steering head bearings are most likely not the culprit. Do the rear shock service first and set to your weight with gear and what you are hauling. Check to be sure that your nice new tires are not out of round - sorry, but it happens. Ditto for the wheels. Then make sure you have tightened all fasteners in correct sequence, at the correct torques on the install of the front and rear wheels. If all of this does not fix the issue, check that the tires/wheels are properly balanced. The only way to accurately assess this is to remove them.

Tire pressure and suspension settings. Get them right and your fix is free. I've got Angel GTs and not 1 weave or wobble. Stable, tracks straight as an arrow and stick like glue.

If you still have your old tire, compare the stiffness of the sidewalls with the one you recently installed. Feel a difference? I had the same trouble after I installed an Avon storm on the front of my ST1100. Nasty wobble on decel through 40 mph. Not acceptable. I went back to a Metlzer Z-6 Road tec and the problem was solved. I recently switched to a Bridgstone T30 Evo on the front after finding other selections were very limited in my size. I think this tire has the stiffest sidewall of them all and it is working very well. The first bead went on with no tools used. The second took a little persuasion.

Did you, or someone else remove and install the rims back on the bike? I ask, because as you know, there is a certain sequence that needs to be followed, and sometimes the shops don't do it correctly.
Many folks talk about the front end tightening sequence, but never speak of the rear wheel installation. When the rear tire is replaced, the Axle nut should NOT be tightened before the stopper bolt is tightened!
This can cause problems with your brakes, as well as an alignment issue.
As stated, I would start with the suspension (preload adjuster) tire pressure, etc.
Let us know what you find.
Igofar