[tommiebgood]

Hi guys,


got a question:
my bike has shimmy in the front fork if I let it decel at lower speeds (handlebars shake left right)
anybody else experienced that?


Another thing I noticed is that the wheels are not balanced cannot see any weights on the rims....


I got 70 miles on it since dealer did not register it yet. Is this **** normal or should I tear him a new one?

 

[Burke]

shimmy

Hi guys,


got a question:
my bike has shimmy in the front fork if I let it decel at lower speeds (handlebars shake left right)
anybody else experienced that?


Another thing I noticed is that the wheels are not balanced cannot see any weights on the rims....


I got 70 miles on it since dealer did not register it yet. Is this **** normal or should I tear him a new one?

Yes, I have the same shimmy, it is not an out of balance wheel. it's common some wheel/tires when mounted don't need additional weight. @eddie recommended to check and adjust the steering head bearing preload.
That being said i have researched the issue and found that yamaha has installed ball bearings at the steering head. i have purchased all balls 22-1004 bearing kit to convert to tapered roller bearings.
also i have purchased a Yamaha fork brace to combat the wobble.
Due to the fact that i am not using a front fender and run a large tire/wheel my shake is considerable. still waiting for the brace to arrive. will install both this weekend.
I recommend you return to your dealer and have them address your issue. I would be interested in knowing what they tell you.

 

[tommiebgood]

Yes, I have the same shimmy, it is not an out of balance wheel. it's common some wheel/tires when mounted don't need additional weight. @eddie recommended to check and adjust the steering head bearing preload.
That being said i have researched the issue and found that yamaha has installed ball bearings at the steering head. i have purchased all balls 22-1004 bearing kit to convert to tapered roller bearings.
also i have purchased a Yamaha fork brace to combat the wobble.
Due to the fact that i am not using a front fender and run a large tire/wheel my shake is considerable. still waiting for the brace to arrive. will install both this weekend.
I recommend you return to your dealer and have them address your issue. I would be interested in knowing what they tell you.

Thank you for the info Burke. I will convert to taper bearings soon, did the same on my Bonnie some years back and it made a big difference. I will see what the dealer says, never seen wheels that were not balanced other then on slow pure offroad rigs but this bike does 100+mph and I want my tires balanced. Maybe I get him to check/adjust Stearing head bearing or I will do it myself. TX Tom

 

[Burke]

Thank you for the info Burke. I will convert to taper bearings soon, did the same on my Bonnie some years back and it made a big difference. I will see what the dealer says, never seen wheels that were not balanced other then on slow pure offroad rigs but this bike does 100+mph and I want my tires balanced. Maybe I get him to check/adjust Stearing head bearing or I will do it myself. TX Tom

What i meant by no weight is that sometimes(rarely) when you mount the tire and check it for balance the wheel and tire balance out with no additional weight needed.
fork brace came, went for a ride, shake still there...bearings next.

 

[Rokrover]

Replacing the original bearings can be a lot of work as some Bolt owners found out the hard way. Problem is the original bearing races can be very difficult to remove from the stem and/or head tube. Tapered roller bearings do not always eliminate the wobble, either. Check out this link:
Replaced steering head bearings

 

[Burke]

Replacing the original bearings can be a lot of work as some Bolt owners found out the hard way. Problem is the original bearing races can be very difficult to remove from the stem and/or head tube. Tapered roller bearings do not always eliminate the wobble, either. Check out this link:
Replaced steering head bearings

good advice especially if you have never done anything like that before !!!