DODGY FRONT END OVER 70MPH?!

[drj]

my baggy just went over 15000km recently and over the last few months the front end seems to be increasingly sketchier and sketchier on the freeway over 70mph...and i cant tell if its and axle issue - or something else...

any ideas?

drj

[DAVID THOMPSON]

can be many things but all the old timers i knew said check the rear end
as well as the front "the tail some times wags the dog"

tire pressure... tire wear
did you adjust chain and not get wheel true
did a tire go down and get pumped back up and not reseat on the rim properly

neck bearings did you hit a pot hole and stove something up
i hit a pot hole on us I77 in central ohio one year and busted both front wheel bearings and the race in the lower neck bearing doing about 80 mph
on a r90s bmw

rear swing arm bearings
the list can be long
ar dave

search words steeringbearing

[Drew]

Check for steering head play- involves lifting the bike up so that the front end is free to move, and moving the wheel by grabbing the axle to see if there is any play, front-to-back and side-to-side. The other thing to look for is to compress your forks (once it's all back on the ground!) and listen and feel for a "notch". You'll also want to check the nuts and bolts holding your steering head together.

15000km is about time you might think about having the head bearings checked, if not replaced. Typically motorcycle manufacturers use normal round bearings in their races (races in this context meaning the rings that hold the bearings in place), which eventually form a groove due to offset forces. If this is what you have (as most bikes come with this for upper bearings at least), then consider tapered roller bearings. The bearing assemblies themselves cost between $10 and $30, and you'll want to replace both upper and lower at the same time.

You'll want a reputable shop to do the work, as removing the bearings from the frame can be tricky without the proper tools, plus it's soooo easy to hide damaged goods in the steering head

Skim through this linkto get a better understanding of steering head anatomy, and what's involved.

don't have a baggy myself (strongly considering getting one soon) but I've had the steering head prob on a sportbike and had it sorted by a professional suspension shop.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

the link to the f650 site in drews post is a good read on the subject

and for the fellows with the rotax powered bikes a note

the OIL TANK IN THE FRAME seems to cook the oil in the steering head
bearings on bikes used in warm areas

so you fellows with the ROTAX MOTORS 4T
watch those neck bearings
as most of the rotax powered bikes are over 10years old
and even with low miles may need grease

ar dave

[MSW]

the OIL TANK IN THE FRAME seems to cook the oil in the steering head
bearings on bikes used in warm areas

ar dave

Wow. I never thought about this. The Baghira (and, I assume, the Mastiff as well) also has the oil in the frame, and not only that, a reservoir of oil connected directly to the steering head. Has anyone actually had issues w/this?

Maybe an add-on oil cooler is in order if one lives in a particularly warm environment. Or maybe a better grade of grease for the steering head bearings next time I have them out.

Thanks Dave.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

a reservoir of oil connected directly to the steering head

if BP and MASTIF have a frame oil tank

i would look close at the head bearing service intreval

mine a saxon tour with 504e rotax runs very hot and it
seldom gets past 90deg F in my area even on the hot days

ATK may have used oil in frame as well as CCM and HD in the MT500
if you have the front end off do check the neck bearings

ar dave