June 20th, 2019, 11:06 AM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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Front Wheel Wobble
Recently picked up 2007 Ninja 250 that was dropped at moderate speed, cleaned it up and it runs great in all ways but one. I noticed the other day when riding at maybe 40 mph that I have front wheel wobble. Tires are okay and inflated properly, so assuming alignment. The bike was dropped at one point. How do I troubleshoot or is this something I bring into the shop?
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June 20th, 2019, 11:11 AM | #2 |
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Hey, nice bike!
Does it physically wobble at 40mph? Like you can see its surface or edges is uneven? Or is it a shaking that you feel? No shaking or wobble @ less than 40mph? Alignment and out-of-round issues would also show up at all speeds. Does it go straight and not pull to one side or lean? It probably just needs balancing, I don't see any weights on wheel. |
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June 20th, 2019, 11:16 AM | #3 |
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Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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I let go of handlebars at 40mph and front wheel shook where I had to immediately grab. I don't notice it driving normal, but I've just taken up riding this year after a 25 year hiatus. Front wheel does appear to be out of alignment.
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June 20th, 2019, 12:40 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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I did free spin the tire. No discernible wobble at all. I took a picture with front tire aligned to rear tire. You can see the slight twist from handlebar to fender to wheel. So twist in fork. Is this easy to fix? Or is this indicative of a bent chassis?
Edit: Found this > https://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/I_need...nd_front_wheel Will hopefully work on it this weekend. |
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June 20th, 2019, 01:24 PM | #5 |
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Yeah, that guide is good. Loosen all the clamps so there's no twists anywhere.
Also using string strung around front & rear tyres is good way to make sure they're both aiming in same plane. |
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June 20th, 2019, 01:32 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
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Thanks Danno!
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June 20th, 2019, 01:56 PM | #7 |
Rev Limiter
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Does the tire have scalloping of the tread blocks?
It looks to me like an old stock tire, if so, throw it in the trash and install a new one before you ride around the block. Doesn't matter how much tread is left. |
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June 20th, 2019, 02:51 PM | #8 |
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Name: Hector
Location: SoCal
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I had that happen on a race bike after a low speed crash. turned out the rim was bent. You couldn't visibly see any flaw. Got the wheel straightened out for little cost and all was good.
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When you see me, it's already too late. |
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June 20th, 2019, 03:40 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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It is stock tires. I will have them replaced. I'm open to any suggestions!
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June 20th, 2019, 03:45 PM | #10 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
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Quote:
However, there is physical wobble that starts at 35 mph and goes away at around 55. Assuming that's tire balancing? Sounds like I should replace the tires which I'm also assuming will make problem go away. |
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June 20th, 2019, 04:37 PM | #11 | |
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MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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Quote:
Yes, vibration in specific range of speeds sounds like wheel balance. With new tyre, you still have to balance. Without balancer, a lot of people just clamp an axle sideways in bench vise and spin wheel. It'll roll back and forth and settle with heavy spot on bottom. Tape weight to opposite side and spin again. |
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June 21st, 2019, 06:16 AM | #12 | |
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Name: Jay
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Quote:
We have had Pirelli MT75s and Diablo Scooters on our Ninjas, and my son liked the Scooters better. I've since sworn off Pirelli tires. I've had 2 sets on a car as well, and in both cases the rubber has dried and cracked, significantly reducing traction, long before it should have. Chances are your current problems will disappear with a new set of tires. |
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June 21st, 2019, 07:01 AM | #13 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
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It's not unusual that a worn out front tire will cause exactly what you experienced, with nothing else being wrong. It happens right around the 35-40 mph zone with hands off the bars. If you don't feel any wobbling with your hands on the bars, I'd assume you just need a new tire.
A hands-off test is really not recommended on any motorcycle, no matter how well it's set up, since it doesn't tell you much and can lead to uncontrollable wobble. |
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June 23rd, 2019, 08:21 PM | #14 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
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Quote:
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June 23rd, 2019, 08:25 PM | #15 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
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Quote:
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June 24th, 2019, 08:29 AM | #16 | |
Rev Limiter
Name: Jay
Location: WI
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Quote:
Another way to dampen vibrations getting to your hands is to fill the bar with lead shot or a similar material. Worked for my Ninja 750, which would numb the fingers on my throttle hand quickly during hwy cruising before doing it. |
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June 25th, 2019, 12:30 PM | #17 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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Quote:
You say people clamp axle sideways in a bench vise and spin wheel. faq.ninja250.org recommends setting axle ends on jack or milk crates. So, why not, with tire off ground and level, just spin on the bike to find heavy side? Also, tire appears to have been balanced at some point. Attached is a picture. Seems heavy. Finally, when is a motorcycle tire bad? I have Dunlop K630s 100/80-16, 130/80-16 with cracking on the side. Tread looks okay. I did purchase Shinko SR740/741s. Just curious if the K630s are safe to ride on until I install the Shinkos. |
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June 25th, 2019, 02:10 PM | #18 |
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Sure you can spin it on bike as well. Have to loosen axle-nut so there's no pressure. Also remove brake-caliper so pads don't rub. There's still some friction from bearing-seals and axle-seal, so won't be as free-spinning as balance stand.
Other thing that may at work here is fix-a-flat sprays. I've seen lots of wheels that had this crap sprayed in to seal minor leaks. Problem is most of it stays liquid inside tyre and heavy spot moves around. This causes crazy bouncing of wheel and vibrations to your hand, and it can't be fixed by balancing! Purpose of sidewalls is to provide tension against air-pressure (think of a suspension-bridge rolled up into donut-shape). This tension is carried by the fabric cords in sidewall. Cord tension is reduced by weight of bike at contact-patch area on bottom (thus why tyre bulges out). Reduced tension there is carried by air-pressure and increases tension along all other cords not in contact area. Sidewall rubber itself doesn't take much load and its main purpose is to seal against air-pressure since fabric doesn't seal too well against air-pressure. In cases of performance tyres, rubber layer is minimized so much, you can actually see fabric pattern showing through sidewalls. In extreme cases, there's no rubber at all on sidewall, just thin sealant infused into fabric itself (skinwall tyres on racing bicycles). Best tyres I've ever used was 100gm silk sew-up slicks on my velodrome bike. You can actually see light through sidewall of tyre! And tread had just enough rubber for 6-laps, just 2-km !!! Yeah, those tyres are fine to use. Don't be too aggressive, however I was able to regularly scrape centre-stand and exhaust on my 2002 with those 15-year old tyres. Smooth is fast. Tyre is "bad" when it no longer grips. This is caused by thin rubber layer which does not have enough flex to transmit hysteresis forces into inner layers. With experience, you can tell when tyre-grip is going off by gradually increasing speeds until it slides. Worn tyres will slide at lower-speeds with different "feel". Cracked sidewalls are also bad because eventually cracks will spread to fabric layers and you may have rapid decompression. Although more likely, it'll manifest as slow-leaks that can last for years. |
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June 26th, 2019, 06:09 AM | #19 | |
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Name: Jay
Location: WI
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Quote:
2) Cracking is telling you the rubber compound has dried out significantly. 3) No. |
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June 29th, 2019, 06:05 AM | #20 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
Join Date: Sep 2018 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 24
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Update... Pulled front wheel and rebalanced using milk crate method. The wobble is gone. Thank you!
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
June 30th, 2019, 02:48 PM | #21 |
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July 2nd, 2019, 05:37 PM | #22 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mick
Location: Green Bay, WI
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I just had to move the existing weight about 20 degrees from original location. Then wheel spun balanced. Doesn't take much to be off, does it?
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July 2nd, 2019, 07:51 PM | #23 |
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Location: placerville
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interesting, i ran for years with out balancing the wheels on the 300 with no problem.
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July 2nd, 2019, 09:25 PM | #24 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
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When I put tires on my DT100 road racer without balancing them and got up near 70, both wheels were close to hopping off the ground. A couple ounces in the right places and they're rock steady. There was never a wobble though, just hopping.
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July 3rd, 2019, 05:54 AM | #25 |
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guess i was lucky. wont do that again,
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July 3rd, 2019, 06:08 AM | #26 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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