I can't find my original post to update so I'll post the information here.
When I mounted some Continental Road Attack's on my ST1300 the first time I took it up to speed, above 2 digits, the front end because unstable and began to shake and wobble.
I wasn't sure what the cause was as this was the first time since I purchase the bike back in '06 that this had happened. I thought it could have been a bad wheel bearing that I might have missed at the tire change. I thought it might be loose steering head bearings. I thought it might have been a balance issue because I have a SmarTire sensor mounted on the wheel.
I have procrastinated in double checking any of these possible causes because it didn't become a problem unless you were into triple digit speeds. Then it struck me, after WeSTOC this year I backed off the preload on the rear shock once the bike was unloaded. So Monday after work I took it for a ride up into the canyon behind the house after cranking up the preload a little. It seemed to handle better in the turns but the next day there were no opportunities to test at speed. Tuesday I went up again and added some more preload and handling improved a little more. Wednesday night I cranked it up a little more and gave it another try. Things were feeling better so I went a little further from home so I could ride back on the freeway. The opportunity presented itself and the right wrist did the rest. Bingo! Rock steady again. The problem was in the preload setting and not in any of the other areas I mentioned earlier.
Even though I thought I had set the preload back to where it was before WeSTOC I was wrong. It took about 1 3/4 revolutions more to get the bike back to handling like it should at speed. The funny thing is that even with it set to soft the bike handled fine up to 80+ so when there was a little irregularity in the handling I just figured it was me or the new tires. Here is an example: When splitting lanes I'll ride the painted double yellow lines between the car pool lane and the #1 lane. With the soft setting the bike seemed to react more when getting on or off the painted surface. Now with the suspension set where it needs to be there is less reaction to the transitions going over the lines.
The reason I wanted to post this is for those that are experiencing wobble / head shake at speed on their bikes. If you are crank up the preload and see if that helps you. If your preload is cranked up all the way, as can be the case with heavier riders, and you still have a wobble / shake you may want to check into a new rear shock/spring to correct the under-sprung condition of the bike.
I hope this information helps.
When I mounted some Continental Road Attack's on my ST1300 the first time I took it up to speed, above 2 digits, the front end because unstable and began to shake and wobble.
I wasn't sure what the cause was as this was the first time since I purchase the bike back in '06 that this had happened. I thought it could have been a bad wheel bearing that I might have missed at the tire change. I thought it might be loose steering head bearings. I thought it might have been a balance issue because I have a SmarTire sensor mounted on the wheel.
I have procrastinated in double checking any of these possible causes because it didn't become a problem unless you were into triple digit speeds. Then it struck me, after WeSTOC this year I backed off the preload on the rear shock once the bike was unloaded. So Monday after work I took it for a ride up into the canyon behind the house after cranking up the preload a little. It seemed to handle better in the turns but the next day there were no opportunities to test at speed. Tuesday I went up again and added some more preload and handling improved a little more. Wednesday night I cranked it up a little more and gave it another try. Things were feeling better so I went a little further from home so I could ride back on the freeway. The opportunity presented itself and the right wrist did the rest. Bingo! Rock steady again. The problem was in the preload setting and not in any of the other areas I mentioned earlier.
Even though I thought I had set the preload back to where it was before WeSTOC I was wrong. It took about 1 3/4 revolutions more to get the bike back to handling like it should at speed. The funny thing is that even with it set to soft the bike handled fine up to 80+ so when there was a little irregularity in the handling I just figured it was me or the new tires. Here is an example: When splitting lanes I'll ride the painted double yellow lines between the car pool lane and the #1 lane. With the soft setting the bike seemed to react more when getting on or off the painted surface. Now with the suspension set where it needs to be there is less reaction to the transitions going over the lines.
The reason I wanted to post this is for those that are experiencing wobble / head shake at speed on their bikes. If you are crank up the preload and see if that helps you. If your preload is cranked up all the way, as can be the case with heavier riders, and you still have a wobble / shake you may want to check into a new rear shock/spring to correct the under-sprung condition of the bike.
I hope this information helps.
Robert-07-ST
