Ralph Nader and the Corvair.
we need to find a way to differentiate a weave from a tire balancing issue. Years ago I had a bike that only intermittently had a weave at above 110 mph. If your bike does it every time at a certain speed I think the balancing need to be checked first. The pan weave is not exact. When the Honda engineers looked at the problem they did not come up with a definite answer ( to the best of my knowledge ) like a recall.We've been reading about "Pan Weave" since I first bought my ST in 2004 and please, don't let it figure into your decision, it's really a non-event for most riders and most situations.
I was curious, having never in +100,000 miles of riding experienced it, so one time when I was out in Nevada north of Vegas, ET Highway more specifically, I wicked it up. Now I'm traveling with a touring load and a Hondaline top box, good tires, OEM suspension (since replaced), a well-maintained bike. The bike was rock-solid up past 125mph in calm winds. As I pushed her up towards 130 the handlebars started to shake a little. It was quite odd. Sometimes I see a similar action when I ride no-hands at low speed but it disappears when I grab the bars again, and I don't feel it. But when it started at speed, holding the bars didn't impact it.
The wobble was directly proportional to speed, the faster I went, the more vigorously they oscillated. The bike still felt stable but it was unnerving enough that I ended my experiment at about 137mph. I repeated it a few times after that, same day/road/location (there's a lot of room out there) to confirm my observations and consider road surface as a potential input BUT ... at NO TIME did I feel like the bike was out of control. All I had to do was slow back down.
Any speed less than say, 125mph isn't a problem so, buy your ST1300 and enjoy it without worry.
Cheers!
We've been reading about "Pan Weave" since I first bought my ST in 2004 and please, don't let it figure into your decision, it's really a non-event for most riders and most situations.
I was curious, having never in +100,000 miles of riding experienced it, so one time when I was out in Nevada north of Vegas, ET Highway more specifically, I wicked it up. Now I'm traveling with a touring load and a Hondaline top box, good tires, OEM suspension (since replaced), a well-maintained bike. The bike was rock-solid up past 125mph in calm winds. As I pushed her up towards 130 the handlebars started to shake a little. It was quite odd. Sometimes I see a similar action when I ride no-hands at low speed but it disappears when I grab the bars again, and I don't feel it. But when it started at speed, holding the bars didn't impact it.
The wobble was directly proportional to speed, the faster I went, the more vigorously they oscillated. The bike still felt stable but it was unnerving enough that I ended my experiment at about 137mph. I repeated it a few times after that, same day/road/location (there's a lot of room out there) to confirm my observations and consider road surface as a potential input BUT ... at NO TIME did I feel like the bike was out of control. All I had to do was slow back down.
Any speed less than say, 125mph isn't a problem so, buy your ST1300 and enjoy it without worry.
Cheers!
If you don't mind, try my suggestion and let us know whether it makes any difference.I have tried different things, recently upgraded the suspension front & rear, changed head stem bearing, but nothing seems to improve it.
It won't.I've posted a few times that I believe steering geometry has something to do with the wobble. In theory at least, all ST1300s are built the same, but not every rider experiences the issue, as suspension adjustments vary.
I suggest as an experiment to lower the rear suspension an appreciable amount, and keep track of how much to return it, without making any other changes, and see whether it makes any difference in stability. I'm betting it will.
That is counter-intuitive. Race bikes have more-vertical forks, and corner well but are twitchy.It won't.
It's counterintuitive but riding at speed with minimum or minimal preload, lowering the rear, makes the bike more likely to weave.
Would you say that the rear of the bike is higher now than before the repair?However, since fixing my preload adjuster I have not felt it. I’ve only ridden it twice since then though, so it’s too early to tell, but have found myself in same spots where it used to wobble, but it didn’t.
That is counter-intuitive. Race bikes have more-vertical forks, and corner well but are twitchy.
Cruisers and choppers have less-vertical forks and are straight-line stable, but corner poorly.
The twitchier bike should have the more-vertical forks, which you get when you raise the rear.
I can’t tell for certain, but I think it was “bottomed out” before, and should be higher now with proper fluid.Would you say that the rear of the bike is higher now than before the repair?
Refilling the preload adjuster gave you back the ability to raise the ride height of the rear shock. Whatever the ride height was before it is now higher for the same amount of CCW turns of the adjuster wheel.I have had the weave, usually behind semis and around 100 mph. However, since fixing my preload adjuster I have not felt it. I’ve only ridden it twice since then though, so it’s too early to tell, but have found myself in same spots where it used to wobble, but it didn’t.
Slowing down in traffic (always a good idea), and lowering the windshield help greatly.