Steering shakes at high speed

[Dante]

Last week I was on a trip for vacation and I had to rush a bit to catch the boat.so for my first time I got to speeds up to 180km/h.I noticed that at 160km/h and more the steering begins to shake a bit and as the speed increases such does the shake.At 180km/h I felt like the bike would tank slap so I left my hand from the steering and decelarated.
Does anyone else noticed something like this?
I'll get the front tire checked and the wheel balanced and checked to make sure that there is not a problem there ,but what else could it be?
My tire is the Bridgestone S20.

[JimBo]

Only had head shake on my 1000 under very hard acceleration, but it settles down once you reach the desired speed.
I don't find it disconcerting at all, if anything I find it re-assuring and certainly don't feel that it will turn into a slapper.
It's just a bit more feed back!

[Dante]

In my case the shake remains even when I maintain stable speed at ,for example 180km/h.

[snapdragon]

I've only had that happen on bumpy roads with low fuel (lower weight at the front maybe?) but I don't power on very often.
I remember the Raptor racing lads used to use steering dampers.

[Dante]

I've only had that happen on bumpy roads with low fuel (lower weight at the front maybe?) but I don't power on very often.
I remember the Raptor racing lads used to use steering dampers.

In my case I had and a bag strapped on the back seat so I guess this made the problem worse.
by saying steering damper I guess you mean that?


A friend of mine who owns a ducati took my raptor for a ride and told me that the steering feels quite light and that a stabilizer would be useful.

[Miz]

Hi,

You should check:-

Do both tyres match?
How worn are the tyres?
Are the pressures OK?
Any play in your head bearings?
Any play in the swinging arm bearings?
Any wear in your wheel bearings?

[Dante]

Hi,

You should check:-

Do both tyres match?
How worn are the tyres?
Are the pressures OK?
Any play in your head bearings?
Any play in the swinging arm bearings?
Any wear in your wheel bearings?

What do you mean if they match?
The front and the rear are Bridgestone S20.
They are a bit worn but dont need change.I fitted them before 7500km's
The pressures are OK,I checked them before the trip,32-36 psi.
I guess I'll have to check the bearings but the bike has 15500kms total.Seems to me a bit weird to be the problem there as its almost new.

[Miz]

Hi,

You should check:-

Do both tyres match?
How worn are the tyres?
Are the pressures OK?
Any play in your head bearings?
Any play in the swinging arm bearings?
Any wear in your wheel bearings?

What do you mean if they match?
The front and the rear are Bridgestone S20.
They are a bit worn but dont need change.I fitted them before 7500km's
The pressures are OK,I checked them before the trip,32-36 psi.
I guess I'll have to check the bearings but the bike has 15500kms total.Seems to me a bit weird to be the problem there as its almost new.

I mean't are they compatible, i.e. if you had a Bridgestone on the front and a Michelin on the rear it could be a problem.

If everything seems OK, try the bike at the same speeds without the luggage.

Also, how much luggage did you have, maybe you needed more pressure on the rear.

[Dante]

The luggage was a bag about 5kg,nothing really heavy that could affect the stability ot the bike.I guess it could be a problem for the aerodynamic of the bike,because of the way it was fitted.
I had noticed the problem and without luggage but it wasn't so intense.

I guess that if there isnt something wrong with the wheel ,the tire or the bearings a stabilizer is the only solution.

[AZ]

Did you have any baggy/loose fitting clothing on,this can cause weaving at speed that`s why racing leathers are a snug fit and every one in the 70`s wearing flared jeans had tank slappers.

[weirdo]

If your tyres are ok then you should maybe check out the suspension.

Are the wheels aligned correctly?

Have your forks been leaking at all ?

What about the rear end? Raptor suspension bushes seize very easily if not maintained. Rear shock ok?

Do you have the forks too far up through the yokes?

Any of these could cause high speed problems.

[Miz]

A steering damper "may" solve your problem, but it will only be masking it, it would be better to find the problem and cure it.

It needs you to try things one at a time and then go for a test ride to see if there are any changes.

Also, I don't think anyone has answered you who actually rides a 650, so maybe once that happens you will get better answers.

On your trip to the ferry, what was the weather like? Was it windy? If it was, were you riding into the wind?

[shedmonkey]

As Miz says .The usual issue is hitting a bump on the crest of a hill the front end gets a bit wild under power. If you get it at any other time then you have a problem, and as the others say probably play in the front or rear bearings or suspension. The luggage does make the handling worse (you should see the weight i carry sometimes) but shouldnt set up a weave.

[vassilis67]

Try to push the bars to the front when the shaking starts instead of pulling onto them, if you can understand what i'm saying. Hold on to the bike with your legs squeezing the tank and not holding from the bars.

[Dante]

Firstly thank you all for your help.

Did you have any baggy/loose fitting clothing on,this can cause weaving at speed that`s why racing leathers are a snug fit and every one in the 70`s wearing flared jeans had tank slappers.

Not really,I was wearing a dainese jacket.my jeans wasn't really tight but do you think this could be the reason?