LIKE A CROSSWIND

[Semper Gumby]

I found my front bearing had wornout when in stop and go traffic it was difficult to keep the bike pointed in one direction.  I then on a hunch pulled my earplugs out and could "hear" the front bearing "roaring".

Yikes.

[Justin B.]

Oh, OK, so there are multiple symptoms, that makes more sense.  I have nothing to add that hasn't been mentioned yet...

[DgM]

Woaw.  I took the R65 to Rick Monahan at Black Kat, explained issues, he checked steering head, wheel bearings, swing arm bushings, took bike out for test ride, of course no problems.  I picked up bike, took it out over a variety of surfaces, tracked and rode fine up to 70mph.  The spooky handling symptoms I have described only occur after many miles on road.  Metzler front tire is six years old, tread rubber still soft, sidewalls blemish free, Metzler rear tire same age, same condition.  Could the electrical ground, after a couple of hours riding, actually change property of grease?  And would the grease return to pliable state afterwards?  Do older tires give up the ghost after a couple hundred miles and then return to decent form after prolonged cooling?  Puzzle.

[nhmaf]

I know that the metzlers that were on my LS when I first bought it passed inspection - no cracks on the sidewalls, plenty of tread, but they were old, and really the rubbers wasn't as pliable as it is supposed to be.  Those tires were very slippery and not confidence inspiring if leaned over very far, and were promptly replaced - I now have no worries about leaning the bike over as far as I dare, and it runs straight and true, no wobbles, and sticks like glue.  Maybe it is worth just changing your tires anyways.   I know that I never have tires last that long on any vehicle I own, so I don't generally have that problem.


Oh, and no, the grease would not revert from a hard, dry state (if it was) back to a soft, pliable state unless you managed to do something to raise the temperature of the steering head up to about the max temperature of your kitchen oven - and even then, it wouldn't be consistent.   Pay close attention to road surfaces, temperature, and weather conditions and note when the bike handles well or handles terribly.   I am betting it is the tires

[Bob_Roller]

Have you checked the balance of the tires ?

I had balance weights on the front tire of my R65 come off at 80 mph, I thought it was the end of the road for me !!

After I pulled off the road and found out what happened, I continued on home, I eased the speed up from 65 mph, and at abut 71 mph the vibration and wobble came back like someone turned on a switch.

[Justin B.]

I don't think I've ever heard of these symptoms only occurring after a good warm-up ride.  All of my issues seemed to be worse when cold...  How long do you have to let the bike "cool off" before the symptoms go away?

[DgM]

Bike cooled off from Sunday at 6pm until Tuesday at 8am.  After morning ride Wednesday with no symptoms, rode Wednesday afternoon, stable, tracked straight, one hand only on throttle.  Symptoms heat/time related?  Usual when I parked bike two people approached, walking past Yamaha R1,  with "nice Beemer".

[Justin B.]

So, you have made no comparo as to whether handling returns to "normal" after one hour, two hours, etc.?  I have no idea what could be going on but the only thing I can think of that might affect handling by warming caused by riding would be tires and wheel bearings.  I suppose in an extreme case a frame maybe could twist/warp (depending on internal stresses) if subjected to high temps but I would imagine the engine would go up in smoke, along with your feet, before that happened...

[Bob_Roller]

If you ride the bike, until this problem develops again, stop the bike and look at the tires, and see if you can see any differences in the tires., like the tread isn't straight, slight bulge in the tire etc., kind of sounds like a tire problem, but I have to admit this is the first time that I've heard of a problem like this .

How does the front brake feel when the problem starts ?

I'm going waaay out on a limb here, unlikely problem, but is the front brake(s) starting to drag or bind when this occurs ?

I'm thinking possibility of water in the caliper(s) area .

[DgM]

Braking is consistent.  As soon as possible I'll ride bike until symptoms return and take note of tires, brake drag, etc.

[larstorders]

You're describing a problem associated with the rolling chasis.

Tyres and inner tubes. They are the only components fitted to the chasis which are 'elastic' and can return, on cooling,  to something like their previous state, as you describe. They will affect handling when they are sub-optimal (wrong pressure, size, worn, splashed with oil from crankcase breather, etc, etc)
If you were on a race track or motocrossing we could include shocks n forks but it doesn't sound like you're riding that hard.
The chances of having a faulty tyre are very small, BUT it could happen! Yours might be that one in a million ! Faulty tyre walls can cause a blow out! As described, this seems like a serious  safety issue worthy of investment in new rubber.
Take care.

[MrRiden]

Torqued the engine mount lately? Just a WAG.
rich