weavy after new tires

hello. i took my bike to a shop. got new tires.

on the way home...not the whole time...

but toward the end of the 9 mile ride the bike started weaving back and forth fairly rhythmically at about 40-45.

it hadn't done this earlier in the ride...

was kind of windy...

i looked at the wheels once i got home and there are no weights on the back tire...maybe it was fine without...i saw no new cleaned off spot where they'd have stuck a weight...the front has one weight on one side.


never had this issue before the tire change.

any ideas? (ie what are symptoms of unbalanced tires, similar experiences)

thanks!

Is your rear wheel aligned properly? That'd be the first thing I looked at. I'd honestly take it back to the shop you paid to mount the tire and have them make sure everything is kosher back there, you paid them to do it right and they should stand behind their work IMHO.

i'll check it out once i eat dinner.

i totally agree about taking it back to them.

will probably head back that way tomorrow...unless

i may just check it out and do it myself though.

checked the wheel. it is fine.



THE HANDLEBARS HAD NOT BEEN TIGHTENED DOWN!!!!



I was rocking it back and forth to get it down from the centerstand and was amazed to find the bars moved all over the place.

mystery solved.

thank god i didn't have to ride any longer to get home.


one very pissed call to shop tomorrow


check!

Why did they loosen your handlebars to put tires on? :huh: :dry: :S

n8rade wrote:

checked the wheel. it is fine. THE HANDLEBARS HAD NOT BEEN TIGHTENED DOWN!!!! I was rocking it back and forth to get it down from the centerstand and was amazed to find the bars moved all over the place. mystery solved. thank god i didn't have to ride any longer to get home. one very pissed call to shop tomorrow check!

Don't know purpose of loosening handlebars incident to changing tires.

But am dubious about loose handlebars causing or being related to front end weave.

While the front end weave may indeed be tire related, to be on the safe side, would continue looking for some other reason besides loose handlebars.

Good Luck!

forgot to mention they were going to try another set of flatter bars that didn't end up working out.:laugh:

they didn't tighten them down after pulling them or whatever.
:ohmy:

i went out for a ride and had no wobble or weave problems.

i'll feel it out over the next couple of days to make sure the weave is gone. I really hope so. felt great finally riding with new tires once the bars were tight. nothing seemed out of the ordinary on this ride.

took off the passenger seat back thing today finally too.


i'll get some new pictures up once i get everything cleaned up!

still pretty upset they didn't tighten the bars...one more thing i'll always check to be safe every ride now too. good lesson learned.

n8rade wrote:

...took off the passenger seat back thing today finally too....

A sissy bar, especially a tall padded sissy bar, may sometimes induce weave.

Good Luck!

When double-checking the rear wheel alignment, it's best not to rely completely on the factory raised hash marks on the swingarm.

It's best to measure each side and assure equal distance between centerpoints of the swingarm pivot bolt and rear axle.

Also sight down the chain over the rear sprocket to the countershaft sprocket to assure it's arrow straight without cocking sideways at either sprocket.

While rear wheel is suspended, man-handle the rear tire in an effort to wiggle the swingarm at the pivot bolt, which tests for loose or worn bushings or needle bearings in the swing arm.

Good Luck!

Patton wrote:

When double-checking the rear wheel alignment, it's best not to rely completely on the factory raised hash marks on the swingarm.

It's best to measure each side and assure equal distance between centerpoints of the swingarm pivot bolt and rear axle.

Also sight down the chain over the rear sprocket to the countershaft sprocket to assure it's arrow straight without cocking sideways at either sprocket.

While rear wheel is suspended, man-handle the rear tire in an effort to wiggle the swingarm at the pivot bolt, which tests for loose or worn bushings or needle bearings in the swing arm.

Good Luck!

i'll check that out too! thanks so much.

i really appreciate your insight.

taking it for my first ride to work tomorrow.
really felt solid on my ride earlier, but I'll pay close attention tomorrow during the ride and do another check once I am back at home.

again thanks. i love that people care about these bikes and the people who ride them.

Some type of front tire tread patterns will wobble the front handlebars various amounts when running over the rain grooves in concrete roadways.