Question about front end
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Abilene TX
Question about front end
So on the way to work tonight going around a roundabout on base my bike got extremely wobbly. This is the only time my bike has ever felt this way. I went for a 150 mile ride earlier today and everything felt normal.
So when I got to work I checked to make sure everything was tight and noticed that when standing with the front tire between my knees and wiggling the handlebars the front wheel flexes from side to side in relation to the fender. I can't tell exactly where it is flexing for sure but it looks like it's in the forks.
So my question is should this be happening? It moves about 1/8th of an inch to each side. It's not loose like there is excessive play in the bearings or anything. No noise, just flexing. I checked that the pinch bolts are tight and the axle nut is tight. When I checked the tire pressure I thought it was way low because the guage didn't even register but it turned out the guage was bad and I didn't realize it until putting more air in it. So I got a different guage and got the tire to normal pressure and will check again in a few hours. I just put air in the tires last week so unless there is a leak it shouldn't have been low. I can see how some flex would be normal but I didn't think there would be that much.
Anything else I should check? Thanks in advance for any help.
So when I got to work I checked to make sure everything was tight and noticed that when standing with the front tire between my knees and wiggling the handlebars the front wheel flexes from side to side in relation to the fender. I can't tell exactly where it is flexing for sure but it looks like it's in the forks.
So my question is should this be happening? It moves about 1/8th of an inch to each side. It's not loose like there is excessive play in the bearings or anything. No noise, just flexing. I checked that the pinch bolts are tight and the axle nut is tight. When I checked the tire pressure I thought it was way low because the guage didn't even register but it turned out the guage was bad and I didn't realize it until putting more air in it. So I got a different guage and got the tire to normal pressure and will check again in a few hours. I just put air in the tires last week so unless there is a leak it shouldn't have been low. I can see how some flex would be normal but I didn't think there would be that much.
Anything else I should check? Thanks in advance for any help.
Last edited by AFDynaRider; Jan 4, 2016 at 02:22 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Minnesota
Remember to check tire pressure "cold".
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Abilene TX
I am in the middle of checking the spokes and have found a few loose but they will not tighten. I even deformed one of the nipples trying. I also tried letting all of the air out of the tire thinking that might help. Also the bike is of the ground. A few of them have tightened but not enough to get rid of the dull thud sound. I am already starting to hate spoked wheels. Why would they not tighten if they are loose?
Last edited by AFDynaRider; Jan 4, 2016 at 06:34 PM.
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From: Galt's Gulch - MI
I'm going to come at this from a different direction. I completely agree with checking your spokes and monitoring your tire pressures but I will add this: My '13 Wide Glide was very much the same, nervous front end and no corner stability, add surface irregularities and it was a squirming mess; excessive front end movement and running to the outside with line corrections in sweeping curves along with a huge amount of fork travel under braking. I do quite a bit of parking lot practice and it was very noticeable how froggy the front end was.
I also held my front tire and moved the bars and did see play in the front end as you've described. I installed Progressive heavy springs but one thing I know for certain: there is no way the prescribed 29.4 ounces of fork oil in each fork was in those fork tubes; maybe they were a Friday at beer-thirty build but I removed the forks and inverted them and pumped the lowers multiple times to remove all the oil and it was just 1.5 quarts, around 48 ounces, not the near 2 quarts for the two forks it should have been.
Since I added the heavy springs and properly did the oil level all my issued disappeared, the bike will perform slow speed exercises with ease, no issues in corners with mid corner corrections and the movement in the front end when you hold the front wheel and move the bars is gone...
I also held my front tire and moved the bars and did see play in the front end as you've described. I installed Progressive heavy springs but one thing I know for certain: there is no way the prescribed 29.4 ounces of fork oil in each fork was in those fork tubes; maybe they were a Friday at beer-thirty build but I removed the forks and inverted them and pumped the lowers multiple times to remove all the oil and it was just 1.5 quarts, around 48 ounces, not the near 2 quarts for the two forks it should have been.
Since I added the heavy springs and properly did the oil level all my issued disappeared, the bike will perform slow speed exercises with ease, no issues in corners with mid corner corrections and the movement in the front end when you hold the front wheel and move the bars is gone...
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Abilene TX
Tincup, I will have to do as you suggest. I was already thinking about doing it for the same reasons. I have always thought the front suspension was way too soft. I guess I just need to get on it and keep procrastinating. My concern is that while I have always had to make minor corrections in turns it has never been to the point that I felt like I was going to wreck like it was last night. However, I still haven't ruled out that it could have just been a little slick from condensation or frost on the road since it was very close to freezing while riding to work and maybe I'm just being paranoid.
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From: Galt's Gulch - MI
Add cold road surface temperatures to excessive front end movement (not enough compression) and front end instability on irregular road surfaces (rebound damping) and perhaps a tire not fully warmed and you can find yourself in a world of hurt, I agree the Wide Glide is way too soft in the front. I'm 145 pounds and running the heavy springs and 15wt oil and she is a bit on the firm side which I do like, if you're want a more plush ride go with the Progressive standard springs...
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