Front end wobbles at high speed.

JaysGone · Jun 7, 2015

Yesterday while riding with a friend. After the obligatory 30 mph ride up A1A the local shore line road.
Me being bored. Decided to take the Interstate back home.
While fooling around and doing a rather fast for me steady 80-85 mph. My friend decides to hit about 90mph.
So I accelerated to catch him.
Once Im at about 90ish the front end began to wobble. Not uncontrollable but not making me feel very comfortable.
Front tire is a MPA at 38psi. Has been @ 38 for the last 10K miles.
Tire is in good shape and I have a Super Brace on it.
I know some of you will say increase the tire pressure but I know the major cause of wobbles from Darksiding my 2 wheelers.
Usual cause is the sidewall not being stiff enough.
Low speed wobbles are steering head issues.
The problem here is. While I don't make a habit of 90+ on a trike.
I have done it many times before. with no issues.

Any thoughts??

Lucky · Jun 7, 2015

I would (like you said) increase the air to 41. Slowing down may help some to. Ride Safe

pcombe · Jun 7, 2015

:Coffee: I would limit my speed to the level my trike likes, What do you need with 90 plus mph speeds?

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly and all that noise?:laugh:

Put a set of wings on it, You have reached lift off speed and the front end is getting lighter?:Shrug:

There are old bikers and there are bold bikers but there are no old bold bikers?:AGGHH:

I would suggest max inflation on the front tireThumbUp

Trail Blazer · Jun 7, 2015

high speed wobble

the first thing I would look at is the front tire, pressure as shown on the tire, balance. I have never had a high speed wobble but did have a low speed. I changed the neck bearing, checked ever thing I could think of. front tire looked good, as a last resort I change the front tire and the wobble was gone, never to return. tire pressure at what the tire has on side wall. raise the front wheel of the ground and move the hand bars slowly from side to side if you feel a little flat spot, usually in the middle. change. and until you have a fix lay off the 90 mph we need you on the forum.

Mick · Jun 7, 2015

Also this may sound off,but check rear tire pressures and tires, and see if youve lost any weights off of them.

TwoBye · Jun 7, 2015

Mick said:
Also this may sound off,but check rear tire pressures and tires, and see if youve lost any weights off of them.

EXCELLANT POINT !! Noise and vibrations can travel the frame and when they go from one end of the trike to the other, they grow louder and more severe. I have been bitten by this one before.

3W-lonerider · Jun 7, 2015

JaysGone said:
Yesterday while riding with a friend. After the obligatory 30 mph ride up A1A the local shore line road.
Me being bored. Decided to take the Interstate back home.
While fooling around and doing a rather fast for me steady 80-85 mph. My friend decides to hit about 90mph.
So I accelerated to catch him.
Once Im at about 90ish the front end began to wobble. Not uncontrollable but not making me feel very comfortable.
Front tire is a MPA at 38psi. Has been @ 38 for the last 10K miles.
Tire is in good shape and I have a Super Brace on it.
I know some of you will say increase the tire pressure but I know the major cause of wobbles from Darksiding my 2 wheelers.
Usual cause is the sidewall not being stiff enough.
Low speed wobbles are steering head issues.
The problem here is. While I don't make a habit of 90+ on a trike.
I have done it many times before. with no issues.

Any thoughts??

that front end wobble could also be caused by play in the heim joints to.
check the bolts holding the heims from the ladder bars to the rear end and see if they are tight.. it does'nt take much play to get a shimmy at that speed. it may feel like a front end wobble but the back end could be causing it.
also check all of your jamb nuts on your heims.

Gorilla · Jun 7, 2015

the steering neck nut being a little loose can also cause a high speed wobble. I would also check that along with the other good suggestions.

JaysGone · Jun 8, 2015

pcombe said:
:Coffee: I would limit my speed to the level my trike likes, What do you need with 90 plus mph speeds?

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly and all that noise?:laugh:

Put a set of wings on it, You have reached lift off speed and the front end is getting lighter?:Shrug:

There are old bikers and there are bold bikers but there are no old bold bikers?:AGGHH:

I would suggest max inflation on the front tireThumbUp

I don't make a habit of hi speed riding.
70 - 75 mph is fine with me.
Once in a while one opens it up.
The trike has not done this in the past. I have at other times hit 90mph rather comfortably. Not on Saturday though.

- - - Updated - - -

Trail Blazer said:
the first thing I would look at is the front tire, pressure as shown on the tire, balance. I have never had a high speed wobble but did have a low speed. I changed the neck bearing, checked ever thing I could think of. front tire looked good, as a last resort I change the front tire and the wobble was gone, never to return. tire pressure at what the tire has on side wall. raise the front wheel of the ground and move the hand bars slowly from side to side if you feel a little flat spot, usually in the middle. change. and until you have a fix lay off the 90 mph we need you on the forum.

Front tire has 13K on it. I keep it at 36-38 psi.
When I got home. 1st thing I checked was the tire pressure and to see if I tossed a weight.
Pressure was at 40 psi hot no weights gone.
Trike was fine yesterday back at 70-75mph.
Just a little head scratcher now.
Only difference in the trike since my last run at high speed and Saturdays was my windshield.
Stockers gone and running a National now.
Areo on that my play into all of this.

- - - Updated - - -

TwoBye said:
EXCELLANT POINT !! Noise and vibrations can travel the frame and when they go from one end of the trike to the other, they grow louder and more severe. I have been bitten by this one before.

Rears are at 24psi as they have been since day one no weights gone.

- - - Updated - - -

Gorilla said:
the steering neck nut being a little loose can also cause a high speed wobble. I would also check that along with the other good suggestions.

I know from a loose steering head. Had that at one time with my Yamaha Roadstar. Which was what my friend was riding, my other bike.

Im leaning now towards it being my windshield.
Its a National V-Stream. Not your normal flat wind screen.
But it might be a while before I hit 90 again.
Not planning on it any time soon.
All else checked out normal yesterday.

kybigmac · Jun 8, 2015

Could it have been a bad patch of highway? I have hit patches of concrete road that is grooved and it has caused my butt to tighten up!

wehrme · Jun 8, 2015

Back tires, improperly inflated or out of balance can make the front end wiggle also...

Solidbob · Jun 8, 2015

Goldwing front forks can get a wobble anytime after 25,000 miles as the front fork shims need replacement about then. Per Traxxion as they have torn many down... FYI

JaysGone · Jun 8, 2015

kybigmac said:
Could it have been a bad patch of highway? I have hit patches of concrete road that is grooved and it has caused my butt to tighten up!

Id have to say nope on pavement issues.
Florida at least my part here has some of the newest smoothest best kept roads Ive ridden on.
The Interstate here I-95 is constantly being repaved on one section or another. Every 3 to 4 years its repaved down here. Your tax dollars are well spent here. Not mine mind you but yours...........:laugh:
You honestly have to search for crappy conditions bumps etc when testing your suspension.

JaysGone · Jun 8, 2015

Solidbob said:
Goldwing front forks can get a wobble anytime after 25,000 miles as the front fork shims need replacement about then. Per Traxxion as they have torn many down... FYI

I for one am no fan of a Honda front end.
For the class of bike it is its pure crap.
I hated it with my 99 Valk. The Gold Wing is no better.

Not enough travel in it to absorb anything.
My Yamaha front is much smoother and better. A bike needs 2 shocks up front. One shock and a stabilizer that does nothing. What idiot engineer came up with this front end????:qpnmt:

Well in short didn't come up with anything mechanically wrong.
So I will be staying at my normal speeds and going with the areo of the National windshield. It does flap around a bit at high speeds. It s the only real change made from last time till this time.

eastkytriker · Jun 9, 2015

JaysGone said:
Yesterday while riding with a friend. After the obligatory 30 mph ride up A1A the local shore line road.
Me being bored. Decided to take the Interstate back home.
While fooling around and doing a rather fast for me steady 80-85 mph. My friend decides to hit about 90mph.
So I accelerated to catch him.
Once Im at about 90ish the front end began to wobble. Not uncontrollable but not making me feel very comfortable.
Front tire is a MPA at 38psi. Has been @ 38 for the last 10K miles.
Tire is in good shape and I have a Super Brace on it.
I know some of you will say increase the tire pressure but I know the major cause of wobbles from Darksiding my 2 wheelers.
Usual cause is the sidewall not being stiff enough.
Low speed wobbles are steering head issues.
The problem here is. While I don't make a habit of 90+ on a trike.
I have done it many times before. with no issues.

Any thoughts??

I hope you find what it is. I have the same prob with my 1500. Replaced all 3 tires and it seemed to go away but after about 7000 miles on the new tires it is starting to show up again. It gets a little scary at freeway speeds.

JaysGone · Jun 10, 2015

wehrme said:
Back tires, improperly inflated or out of balance can make the front end wiggle also...

I might put beads in the tires over the weekend. The rears have weights. Front has nothing. Never has.

Trikindan · Jun 10, 2015

JaysGone said:
I might put beads in the tires over the weekend. The rears have weights. Front has nothing. Never has.

Hummmm, This may be the culprit!

JaysGone · Jun 10, 2015

Trikindan said:
Hummmm, This may be the culprit!

Yup just might be the ticket.
Usually Im a Ride-On type guy.
But as Im not the original owner I have no clue other then wheel weights on the inside of the rear wheels. What is or isn't here.
If there is goop in the tires. Beads will 100% screwem up.
So short of cracking a tire as in the front open.
Im not 100% sure of which way to go.
I have over a pound of beads so Im good there.
I also have 3 bottles of Ride-On.

What to do what to do??

Gold Rush · Jun 10, 2015

JaysGone said:
Yup just might be the ticket.
Usually Im a Ride-On type guy.
But as Im not the original owner I have no clue other then wheel weights on the inside of the rear wheels. What is or isn't here.
If there is goop in the tires. Beads will 100% screwem up.
So short of cracking a tire as in the front open.
Im not 100% sure of which way to go.
I have over a pound of beads so Im good there.
I also have 3 bottles of Ride-On.

What to do what to do??

NO WEIGHTS - No Surprise....

Jay I've had two BT45s that took zero weights... I thought it might be that high dollar wheel I had on the '06 MotorTrike but I'm running a stock Honda tire on my 2015 Roadsmith with no weights.

I have to be honest and tell you I do add a couple ounces of Dyna Beads to each tire even after the Road Force balancing. As tires ware they go out of balance. The Dyna Beads keep them right. Good insurance..:xszpv::xszpv:

JaysGone · Jun 11, 2015

Gold Rush said:
NO WEIGHTS - No Surprise..
The Dyna Beads keep them right. Good insurance..:xszpv::xszpv:

Will see, at least we know beads cant make them worse.
I meant to use them in the car. But With its new tires for now. I just let them use weights.
Most times I just leave the weights on. That's part of the beauty of Dyna beads. Toss a weight it doesn't matter. The beads keep you balanced the life of the tire.