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Posted by Troll
- October 22, 2012, 15:48:14 PMJust a thought, but raise the front wheel off the ground and slowly turn the bars side to side...if there is ANY notchiness at all, the neck bearings are bad. When I bought my 1500, the P.O. had just put tires on it, trying to correct this same problem. I am running a set of Michelin Commander IIs and after 4,000 miles (since mid August) I'm delighted. MUCH cheaper than the Metzeler I was running, and smoother too...with the promise of 20,000 miles, maybe I won't have to put tires on next year!
Posted by Drift Away
- October 22, 2012, 15:45:39 PMcheers for that ralph. I think with all the aquired knowledge of every body on this site i`ve come to the conclusion that my tyres must be knackered. Replacements shortly.
I`m glad to hear that at least my bike has the potential to handle well.
Posted by aralph
- October 22, 2012, 15:33:31 PMI had 2 problems with a front end wobble.
The 1st was caused by a loose headlight bezel. It's held in place by two screws
and a clip, when I would cruise at about 30mph it would start to vibrate and shake the front end
really bad.
The 2nd was what you are describing and as pcarrel suggest, it was the tire even though it still
looked pretty good.
regards aralph
Posted by CDNRatMan
- October 22, 2012, 15:30:47 PMI have the tires that came with my bike still on, Maxxis Classics white walls also. At low speeds I have never had an issue. I did have a priod of time to get used to the bike, sitting diffrent and feet in a diffrent position then I was used to so it took a few rides to get comfortable with it, but no wobble on any speed. not much help am I.....lol....ok
ok Drift Away you posted the same time I did, I really like the handling of the bike it handles really well, I have let a couple bussies ride it and they all compliment the handling and like it. In slow traffic I have no problems slow riding with my feet on the boards and just leaning and using the handle bars to keep tracking straight and in line....
Posted by Drift Away
- October 22, 2012, 15:30:26 PMokay, so i think i`ll have a go at the Metz, bearing in mind what ever tyre I put on will last forever anyway. I only do about 3000 miles a year, cos i live in the miserable UK. we`re not blessed with nice weather like our brethren overseas. Overall the bikes handling is pretty bad, obviously nothing like any road tests i`ve read. It can only get better as the saying goes. When i change them i`ll let y`all know how it went. 49Reo, overall how`s the handling of your bike?
Posted by 49Reo
- October 22, 2012, 15:12:27 PMMetzler 880's are my choice for my Drifter; I also run the wide white-walls, more money but look GREAT on a Drifter. If your bike is in storage for that long, I think I would change them anyway; tires don't necessarily need to show wear to be bad; they can start to separate on the inside, (I have had that on automobile tires, always trying for the last usable mile, but change them sooner on my bikes) all that being said, tire choice can sometimes be dollar-driven; you have to be able to afford them.
Also, I have been told that the wobble can be caused by bad or loose steering neck bearings; for now, considering the long term storage, I would be looking at the tires.
Good luck and let us know what you come up with;
Regards and such,
49Reo
Posted by pcarrell
- October 22, 2012, 14:38:16 PMWell, most agree that the original Dunlops pretty much stink.
I run WWW tires, so my choices are a bit more limited. Avon tires are pricey and they wear out a bit sooner because of their soft compound. On the other side of the fence, they make the road feel like it's made out of gummy bears! Metzler 880's are real nice. They last longer then the Avons, yet still have good grip, plus they're pretty easy to find comparatively. I also ran a set of Continental Milestones (Conti's for short) that had nice grip and lasted FOREVER it seemed. I got 14,000 miles out of my rear, riding mostly 2up, and I still have the front on (though it's about time to replace it), and it has nearly 22,000 miles on it. I bought the Conti's because they advertised a harder, thicker sidewall, giving a bit more load capacity, but sacrificing some comfort. I never got to loading them up, so I don't know about that. For comfort, I never noticed them being real harsh or anything. They just last forever!
Personally, I'll probably stick with the Metzler 880's for the near future. It's a nice combination of sticky and long life.
Now if you want to run blackwalls, you have a lot more choices. Maybe someone else can tell ya 'bout them better then me.
Posted by Drift Away
- October 22, 2012, 14:23:39 PMThanks for that. That kinda backs up what a few people have said. `change the tyres` I think the bike has original rubber on it and could do with replacing, that`ll have to wait till next spring with the price of them. Any idea what the best combi is. i`ve heard so many different opinions ya dont know what way go.
Posted by pcarrell
- October 22, 2012, 14:12:20 PMAhhhh! The Vulcan Shuffle!
It's actually pretty common. The problem is cupping on the front tire as it wears. If you listen, when you lean into a turn you'll hear a hum coming from the front. That's the cupping of the front tire. Riding straight, seems like 35-45 mph is the worst usually, there is a shimmy in the front. You can feel it all the way down to parking lot speeds. If you run your hand over the tire you can feel the raised edges on the tire tread.
Think of it as your bikes way of letting you know you'll need tires before long. It seems to show up, then, at least on my bike, it really doesn't get much worse. I just ride it till the tire is needing replacement and the problem magically goes away with the new tire.
Lots of people have tried to solve this basic design issue, with some reporting that DynaBeads help, other suggest fanatical tire pressure maintenance, but I don't know of anyone that's SOLVED it.
Posted by Drift Away
- October 22, 2012, 13:29:42 PMHi all,
Since owning my 800, about 9 months now, i`ve noticed a steering `wobble` at low speed, ie slow moving traffic . its difficult to ride slow behind traffic through town etc and is very difficult to keep under full control.
To give you a bit of background, the bike was taken out of 5 year storage, tested then put on the road.
The tyre pressures are ok, can`t find any thing obvious wrong and never had a problem with slow speeds on any other bike. Any suggestions?
Has anyone ever fitted a steering damper to a Drifter? Is this how Drifters behave at low speed or am I expecting too much?
Any feedback would be much appreciated 