So I was riding to work this morning and for fun I let of go of the bars just to see if I could balance for a second. Well they started shaking back and forth getting close to a tank slapper and I grabbed them immediately and everything evened out. Now I wasn't going to fast so I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with my front suspension to cause that. I have noticed a rubbing sound occasionally from the front but I was thinking it may be a warped rotor.

A warped rotor will not be so "occasional" so be sure to check for a sticking front caliper as well.

check for play in head bearing, check tire pressures, check wheel bearings




check local dealers for a trade in for a R6, they come with steering dampners

Okay ill give the caliper a look as well. Would low brake fluid cause it to stick as well? I can't imagine a caliper being bad after only about 7000 miles on the bike though the last owner took bad care of it.

I would love an R6 but I don't have the monies right now. The FZ6 or maybe a ninja 650 will be my next progression before I consider supersports.

It's unlikely that low brake fluid would cause such an effect. If the caliper is sticking/dragging, a good cleaning (may require dissasembly) may solve that problem.

Asspyre added some good items to check also but didn't mention the stem nut. I had to tighten mine just last week. You can check for a loose stem nut/play in bearings by pushing the front forks up and down. Listen for a pop/clunk sound.

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Front_End_Wobbles

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Front_End_Wobbles

Well that's a bit of a relief. Thank you for that. I'll still give things a once over just to be sure.

I would check the alignment of the rear wheel with something more accurate than just the hash marks on the swingarm - like carefully measuring from the center of the axle to the center of the swingarm pivot.

You shouldn't need a steering damper or anything additional to give you decent stability.

As noted, also check tire pressure, and look closely for unusual wear patterns on the front tire.

..........I'll still give things a once over just to be sure.

Bob,

Besides checking all the things pointed above, check if your front tire has weights on any side.
If it does, move them to the opposite lip and try again.

I assume that your handlebar has weights at both ends.
If they are not there, you need to add some.

Also, read this thread:
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=121404

lol Hernan!

How could I forget to ensure the tire(s) was in balance. Duh!

Check your tire wear for scalloping.

so as the front tire wears down, its no longer in balance the same as it was when it was fresh and balanced... so now its out of balance because there is less rubber.


or something

Did some digging for the Concours, results here:
http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/frontWheelWobble.htm

The solutions are:
1) tighten steering head bearings
2) steering damper
3) put up with it

Check your tire wear for scalloping.

That sounds delicious I mean OK I will check that out. Are the head nuts the big ones on the top of the bars? I haven't noticed any unusual wear and as long I keep one or both hands on the bars I have no issues. My tires are the crappy OEM dunlops.

Sorry, I forgot to mention the ball bearings of both wheels and the needle bearings of the swing-arm: they should not have any noticeable play.

A chain with tight links could be introducing some cyclic disturbance as well.

The possible dynamic imbalance of the front tire is the most critical in this case, because weights or heavy spots out of center induce small left-right-left steering inputs for each revolution of the tire.
Those little inputs are dampened by the hands, but in hand-free mode, they could get amplified into resonance at certain speeds.

http://i315.photobucket.com/albums/ll442/bowtieguy199995/NSR%20TECH/balance.jpg?t=1270489140

That sounds delicious I mean OK I will check that out. Are the head nuts the big ones on the top of the bars? I haven't noticed any unusual wear and as long I keep one or both hands on the bars I have no issues. My tires are the crappy OEM dunlops.

Yes Alex and all his comrades fit into this category.

Handlebars do have weights but didn't see any weights on the front tire.

A warped rotor will not be so "occasional" so be sure to check for a sticking front caliper as well.

Also checked the brakes while I was down there to try and get to the source of the occasional noise. It seems like the pistons are getting stuck so I guess I need to take a toothbrush and brake cleaner to them. Also the pads may need changing.....

http://i.imgur.com/XT9GWAY.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/XzSv13h.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/cT9OMjn.jpg?1

Pads still look like they have life left to me.

Agree, looks like you can squeeze a few more miles out of the pads but I can understand replacing while you have them apart. Crossing my fingers that cures your issues.