Drifter ride problems

[kw-retrorider]

 Really... 

[Troll]

Yeah, well....these "new" kids don't understand. Imagine what would have happened if you needed a set of points!

[kw-retrorider]

The hard spot in the chain doesn't make the bike bounce....I had a hard spot, so I know. I just changed the chain at 25k miles. The hard spot makes more of a jerking motion, no bounce.

Sorry Troll, but they looked at me like I was an alien when I asked for a regular chain. Went back with new sprockets and an X ring chain.

[Zoar]

hi again...i have now solved my bouncing problem..it was as easy as it is stupid..when i changed my tyres,i also changed my front sprocket ..to a 18 tooth..the chain got a bit tight...now this is the problem with these bikes..if your chain gets to tight,you get this stupid bounce..so try to loosen your chain(should be like an inch movement)..my problem got solved..so im one happy dude these days

WoW!

That is one interesting and yes JOYOUS solution. Congratulations!

[CDNRatMan]

ok not using the 150-80-b16 on my 800. so I'll step aside.

[Gooseberrie]

Well, I noticed something on the reviews for some models 880's. How do those customers know they are so uncomfortable when it feels the same as smooth. Two stars less for comfort overall. One states a cord broke and one patch came loose after as soon as 5.000 km.

https://www.banden-pneus-online.nl/motorband/metzeler/me-888-marathon-ultra/150-80-b16-tl-77-h-rf.html#test-me-888-marathon-ultra

[CDNRatMan]

  I have had the 880's and ran them right to the nubs and this summer am riding on 888's and have not noticed any issues with either set of tires.

[Gooseberrie]

This is getting helpful because I was looking for new tires.

Are those Metzelers the 880 Marathon's? These tires do not look too comfortable. Any motion out of the ordinary could be amplified by new shocks. Shocks will have a sweet spot carrying certain weight, this is mostly forgotten about. I have had bouncing on a former bikes front, that went away over time. It wasn't so unpleasant. Try a stiffer setting and move a passenger or a sandbag around, hopefully, in finding this to be the cause.

Can any-one say what tire pressure is used with bouncing? Having tried every possibility doesn't mean much and can still not have been high enough. I gathered the following recommendations on the Internet:

For the Drifter 1500, the manual calls for FRONT = 28 psi; REAR - 36psi (215 lb loading), 40psi (403 lb loading). (Bridgestone and Dunlop)

Metzeler recognizes the owner manual pressures but make the following recommendations: ME880 -   Solo: F=38-40  / R=44-46  ; 2up-Light: F=40-42 / R=46-48 ; 2 up-heavy: F=40-42 / R 48-50

Avon recommendations: Touring/Cruiser models: Solo: F=34-38 / R=38-40 ; 2up-Light: F=40-42 / R=40-42; 2up-Heavy: F=42 / R=42

Tires must be mounted in the right direction, shown by an arrow and are front or rear tires by definition. When used as interchangeable they need to be reversed. A thin line should be close to the rim indicating the position. Spokes can loose tension and should be checked periodically and tightened.

Can inner tubes have these tight spots, like bicycle tubes have? I was thinking to buy Ride-on, It is a gelatinous substance that distributes itself over the inside of the tube or tire, to both self balance the wheel and prevent it from leaking.

[tj]

Gents, at the beginning of the season I went through what sounds like the same issues.

New Michelin Commander II's were put on over the winter. Started riding in the spring and found I had a wobble at 50mph, handlebars would not stay straight unless I had a firm grip on the bars...was mostly on the decel.

Had both wheels trued.

Now at 50mph on the decel the wobble (side to side) was gone, but it felt like I was riding a horse. I could feel it in the handlebars mostly. I would change the tire pressures and go ride....again and again. The only thing the pressures did was change the speed at which it was most noticeable.

Changed the front tire to an OEM Bridgestone and the bounce diminished substantially. I couldn't feel it as much in the handlebars, but now felt it more in the seat...and also strangely enough an odd vibration appeared. I would swear it was coming from the front.

Changed the rear tire to an OEM Bridgestone...and a very smooth ride. Odd vibration was gone as well.

Hope this helps someone.

[Troll]

What brand of tire? Could be out of round. Bad wheel bearings do not cause this problem..Just because a tire is new doesn't mean it's good....

[HurtSoMuch]

hi there..new here..i have a 2000 model ,and after new tyres put on..i got this stupid bounce too..i can see the rims/tyres are balanced(leadstrips on the rim)...i think it has to be with the tyre..or the rim(maybe the bearings are shot?)..i too feel the bounce in the handlebar..mine only does this bounce in the front end..and its not constant..its like a second or two when its smooth..then the bounce starts again..going crazyover this

[greenbarn]

One of the keys to trouble shoot a ride problem is the frequency of your "bounce".

If you watch any vehicle in motion - the tires will constantly move up an down within the wheel well.  This is just the suspension working to absorb road un-evenness.  With the Drifter, the fender is attached hard to the tire (through the swing arm, of course) so when ever the tire moves up or down (or conversely YOU move up or down with the sprung suspension) the fender has no other alternative than to move up and down (with respect to the seat).

So moving up and down (bouncing) is not abnormal and cannot be avoided.  The "frequency" of this "bounce" would appear random - depending on the smoothness of the road.   What would be abnormal is for the fender/tire "bounce" to be with the same FREQUENCY as the tire speed, or engine speed.  It's abnormal to be just as bad or worse on a smooth road than a rough one.  Abnormal if it goes away or changes significantly when you coast with the clutch in.

[Zoar]

So I hope I am not repeating myself or posting two times but I was unable to find my previous question. Sorry if I am. I picked up a 2002 drifter 800 and it only had 4200miles when I bought it. It must have sat for a while. The front and rear fenders shake up and down. I had the fluids changed, new metzler tires, heavier fork oil with restricters put in to the front forks, I also had a rear progressive shock put in the rear. I have had it to the dealer and another shop. They told me it is the nature of the beast. It is not a wobble but a bounce I can feel in the seat and handlebars. I can see and feel with my hand the front and rear fenders bouncing when going down ANY road. I took the bike on some fresh paved blacktop and I could still feel it. The problem really starts up after 50mph but you can still feel it before. I had them spin balance the tires 3 times and "check" the bearings. I always wanted a drifter but I am regretting buying one. I have had a couple shops tell me "Its the nature of the beast" I think hogwash as they would not release a bike to the public that bounced like this. The problem still seems the same after all the work. The brakes do not seem to be sticking. Tires are both fully beaded. Tire pressure seems to not change anything. I have been riding for 12 years. Everything from a V-max to a c90. I have had front wobble problems with my c90. I smack the handle bars on this bike and it balances the wobble out fine. I am pretty desperate as I got this for 3k and have sunk a little over 2k in to it already  . Thanks for all the help.

The KEY clues you provided----"It is not a wobble but a bounce I can feel in the seat and handlebars. I can see and feel with my hand the front and rear fenders bouncing when going down ANY road. I took the bike on some fresh paved blacktop and I could still feel it. The problem really starts up after 50mph but you can still feel it before. "

BOUNCE is vital.  And BOTH front and rear are sources and it from what you wrote it has nothing to do with your motor or your chain.

It sound to me like your rims, and since you replaced the tires that makes it even more apparent.

My 2 cents.

[kw-retrorider]

The fender doesn't bounce, the suspension does....continuously....as you confirmed by holding your hand on it while riding. That is normal and in my experience does not translate to bouncing handlebars or other vibration anomaly.

[KEN.]

Sounds to me like you don't realize the rear fender is bolted to the swing arm not to the frame of this bike...same as the front fender is bolted to the lower tubes...Question for you,
what kind of bike have you been riding previous to the Drifter?  I had a BMW GS and the front fender was bolted to the lower triple tree and did NOT move, same with the rear bolted to the frame...KEN.

[CDNRatMan]

  That was really good the pipes seemed to be steady and not move but the fender was in constant motion.

Fink get someone to ride your bike for you and follow them and see how much that fender really moves.....might change your mind.

[Troll]

Yes, But does it continuously moves up and down going down the road? I put my hand on the back fender and it is always moving my hand up and down no matter what road I am on. I did not think tire moved that much inside a stagnant fender bike?

The answer to that question is YES!...you don't know just how much they move until you watch someone else' bike.  Here's a test vid I took of mine a couple of years ago....    https://goo.gl/photos/FVtksyZa4VnK7Dsq6  that should answer your questions!

[Tfrank59]

yeah that is kind of a unique feature of our bikes where the fender being attached to the swing arm moves with the swingarm and rear tire. I actually have a solo rack on the fender and on top of that I have a tail bag, and I can feel it touching my back on bumps and for a while it took a lot of getting used to but now I expect to feel it back there, it's normal

[CDNRatMan]

At this point I would really like to ride behind and then ride the bike. To see and feel what you are experiencing.
Fink to expand on what PC is saying I was somewhat awed the first time I followed my bike, I could not get over how much the rear fender did actually move up and down.
Before you do something drastic like sell the bike you might want to find a Drifter 800 close by and get together for a ride and compare bikes.

[mittico68]

Maybe it depends on the road itself: I never saw one with a perfect floor.
Anyway, if that bouncin' doesn't interfere with driving, I wouldn't worry at all...
I'm glad that the rear fender keeps bouncin': that's one of those things that I like, because it reminds me of early Indians!

[Fink]

Yes, But does it continuously moves up and down going down the road? I put my hand on the back fender and it is always moving my hand up and down no matter what road I am on. I did not think tire moved that much inside a stagnant fender bike?

[pcarrell]

You know that the rear fender on these bikes moves with the suspension, right?

[Fink]

Last year had the tires replaced with Metzlers. Had the tires spin balanced 3 times by two different shops. Took it to a Kawasaki dealer where I had the front forks re-done with rear progressive shock. This year I had the chain and two sprockets done at a 3rd different shop and the rear fender still continues do bounce up and down. I told them to check everything out. My fenders and handlebars bounce up and down. Especially my rear fender bounces going down the road. Love the looks of the bike but I am in to it more than I paid for it. It has had this bounce from day one. Its for sale if anyone is interested.

[CDNRatMan]

  I don't want to get off the topic here, but I used Counter balance beads last year and found them to be really good. After reading about the moisture I sent the company an email and here is their response.
Hi Andy, Dyna Beads and Counteract are similar yet different products. Dyna Beads has caused a wide range of issues inside tires, mainly because they are ceramic beads and free flowing, meaning they constantly have to rebalance when you come to a stop and start again, causing Dyna Beads to bang off the rim constantly breaking the beads into pieces. The ceramic beads tend to break apart inside the tire and actually start to deteriorate the inside of the tire.
Counteract, we are a tempered glass bead and due to our patents our product does not need to re-balance when starting and stopping. Once it find the original out-of-balance position they stay there and only move when they experience vibrations and need too. In over 20 million applications we have never cause an issue inside a tire and have never voided a tire warranty. You do not have to worry too much about moisture and Counteract. Our beads are coated in a special coating that resists moisture (every tire accumulates moisture inside) the special coating we apply to them allows Counteract to not be affected by moisture inside tires, therefore they will not clump, although it is a good idea to clear your air line of moisture regardless. The only reason they could clump is if there is a ton of bead lube dropped into the tire while they are being mounted, although this rarely happens.
We are not the same as Dyna Beads. You will not have these issues using Counteract.

Hope this clears up one issue. Now to figure out why the fenders are bouncing around......

[Troll]

All I have to say about DynaBeads is that Motorcycle Consumer News was less than impressed with them.