Front Judder...

A few days ago there was a minor judder whilst I was braking on the Goose,
but nothing major, so I thought nothing of it, just presumed it was
something to do with the road surface.

It happened again today but much worse. I was braking for some traffic
lights, only from around 30mph, and the whole bike went into a judder. It
felt like an extremely high frequency tank slapper.

Any idea what this might be?

Tyre's are near the wear limit, but I don't think it's them. I've thought
that the head bearings [1] have been dodgy for a while, so I was planning on
taking a look at them.

The other option is the brake pads, but I think the judder made another
minor appearance whilst I was accelerating so I don't think it is the
brakes.


[1]Do head bearings tend to be standard amongst different bikes, and is it
something that a bike garage is likely to stock, as I don't wanna strip the
bike tonight, only to go down tomorrow and find out they don't have any.

TIA

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dynamic"

You've pretty much identified the likely cause - head bearings. There's
a lot of common sized bearings in use in headstocks, so it's likely your
dealer will have bearings for it.

If you plan to do it yourself, it's fairly straightforward.

Another cause might be worn sliders on the forks, but that doesn't
usually crop up until several tens of thousands of miles have passed
under the wheels.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

Pretty standard, yes.

The bugger is if they're taper rollers, because getting the old ones out
can be an absolute bitch.

 

Had similar on my BMW and Trophy.
Both turned out to be warped braked disks.
I'd run a dial gauge or similar round the disk's before replacing the
bearings. Disk's are _much_ more expensive to replace, but a fecking lot
easier IMHO.

 

So, not heard of "Sod's Law" then?

If it's an unpopular one it will be special order only and if it's a popular
one they would have sold out.

Well, that's how my life goes anyway ;-)

David

 

Disks on my BMW have been warped since I bought it really. Doesn't
bother me greatly. In fact, I've a new set of disks but think I'll save
those until the others have worn out...

 

If you need to do the tyres anyway then that might be worth a look.
I've had the SV feel a bit wobbly when on worn tyres. See:

http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl=en&lr=&selm=3cf4d169.172714375@ne
ws.umist.ac.uk

 

From the post/thread I replied to Dynamic with, have you checked your
tyre pressures recently?

 

FFS! What is this with tyre pressures.

I have a man check them when I get them changed.

Now and again when I push the bike if it's hard to push around I will
prod them with a boot but that's it.

 

fx: Shakes head in despair.

Kids these days.

Even though I spose DNC's tyres get a harder time than most.

 

says...

Quick rider is he?

 

An excellent time to check them then, to see if they're still at the
recommended pressure, and the tyre fitter hasn't made a mistake or the
tyre is slightly faulty.

According to the Avon website tyre fitment guide[1] your bike should be
36psi at the front and 42psi at the back.

[1] http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/us/en/Fitments.asp

 

dwb wrote

The mirror.

 

Can you give an alternative thing for me to look at to explain vague handing
[1]on my bike?


[1] different to normal.

 

The rider.

 

dwb says...

If its been sat not going anywhere all winter then fork seals have a
habit of drying out and leaking.

 

Rusty rider.

Maybe the damping adjustment is slightly different on one fork to the
other; IIRC you recognised this in the past.

 

The ZZR did that in France too.

Inferior Froggie roads. And - in my case - a shitload of luggage. ;^)

 

The nut behind the handlebars

 

the old ones are the best, eh?

Well, you keep telling yourself that - whatever gets you through the
night.