Shaking in Front

[wbetheajr]

I just bought me a 92 aspencade and I noticed today if I let go of the handlebars the front goes to jumping back and forth eracticly. As long as I hold on to the handlebars there is no shaking at all at any speed. Now on my 82 interstate I can set the cruise and sit back and it will almost drive itself. What could be causing this? I am having the front tire balanced tomorrow, hope that is it.

[WingAdmin]

It's very common on a lot of Goldwings. Some have it, some don't. Sometimes it can be fixed by altering wheel balance, bearing torque or by mystical incantations. Sometimes you can work at it for years and never get rid of it. Sometimes it happens only while decelerating.

Universally, the accepted solution is to not let go of the handlebars.

[wbetheajr]

So you are saying there is nothing seriously wrong with my Aspencade just the operator, lol.

[WingAdmin]

Just a bit of tightening of the nut that sits in the seat, and it should be fine, yeah.

[thrasherg]

I used to have it on my 1800 not just under deceleration, but also under constant throttle. If I set the cruise control at a specific speed (think it was around 30mph) and let go of the bars, they would shake constantly until I grabbed hold of the bars again. It is not normal for me to ride with no hands on the bars, but occasionally I like to let go and do not expect a bike like the wing to start shaking it's head. I once rode for over a mile with my hands off the bars at 30mph, the shake started immediately and although it never got very bad, it didn't stop either (that was 2 minutes of head shaking!!).. I had a Traxxion suspension upgrade (Front and rear) and the problem completely dissapeared..

It does not seem to be a serious problem, I just find it unacceptable on a bike the size and cost of a wing!! As wingman says, the nut holding on to the bars needs to be tightened!! But it does seem fairly normal for goldwings to exhibit this behaviour..

Gary

[wbetheajr]

I wouldn't think a wing should do it either, never had any problems like this with my cruiser or my sport bike, I can ride my 82 wing forever without holding the bars, even at high speeds, but the 92 almost got out of control yesterday at 35 mph. I have it in for servicing, and timing belts right now and they are going to check eveything over and balance the front wheel. Then we'll take it from there.

[izzyh1957]

I learn not to let go of the handle bar, my old lady,better known as, my co-pilot, would bury her fingers into my ribcage every time and got me back on my senses...lol.

[wbetheajr]

Front wheel a little out of balance , repaired that, still cant let go. Mechanic checked the entire front forks could not find anything loose. I guess I still need to work on that nut in the seat.

[wbetheajr]

A new front tire took care of the problem. Go figure

[WingAdmin]

...until it wears a bit.

[giturgun]

My 88 was the worst I have ever been on. I changed to progressive suspension on front , no help My front tire was cupped noticably and when it got to replacing that it is steady as a rock. I knew it was probably the tire . But I have had bearings on the old 1000 series that would cause the same problem.

[j.maclean]

I have a 84 Aspencade GL1200 and it does the same thing at times (mostly at slower speeds) It was really bad when I first bought the bike and I discovered that the front wheel bearings where not the best, I changed them out and it is not nearly as bad as it was.

[giturgun]

May want to try torqing the stem bearings , If thefront hasn't been rebuilt or at least fresh oil lubed bearings in the stem and proper torque all over it would be a good thing to do the whole front end from top to bottom. It is amazing what new and properly adjusted pieces and parts will do to an older bike.
I run 5 lbs pressure over the recommended max on both my wings 77 ( 1000 ), and the 88 1500. It don't hurt a thing and gives you a little lee-way on tire pressure also.
Found a neat gizmo the other day at Wally World , A green slime tire gauge . It is heavy made and what is the neatest thing is how it reads pressure. Put it on the valve and pull it off . the needle locks at the tires pressure . after you read it there is a release button on the side to zero the gauge. This thing is the stuff man , it makes reading the tire pressure on my bagger much easier .

[bubbave3]

It's very common on a lot of Goldwings. Some have it, some don't. Sometimes it can be fixed by altering wheel balance, bearing torque or by mystical incantations. Sometimes you can work at it for years and never get rid of it. Sometimes it happens only while decelerating.

Universally, the accepted solution is to not let go of the handlebars.

[bubbave3]

New to forum but interested in this area.. my 82 wing with vetter fairing and bags plus a Tow Pac Trike kit vibrates it seems on the front of the bike between 50 mph to almost 60 mph... there is a steering weight on the forks as well.. l did notice today (as l am trying to figure this out) that the steering weight is not centered side to side between the forks and it is not loose.. could this be part of the prob... and with the vetter fairing do l really need the weight installed?. l have two new tires on the bike as well with maybe 1000 miles max... any info would be appreciated..

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[Viking]

I just put brand new tires on my bike, and have this problem, balanced with dyna beads. Upon checking real close, it appears that the shop that mounted the tires may have used grease to ease the beads into place, so maybe the dyna beads are sticking to a bit of the grease on the inside. I am going to add some beads to see if it helps. If not, I may have to go have a conversation with them about grease.

[Viking]

Well, I added an ounce of dyna beads, and all is well. Perhaps a bit of grease caught some of the dyna beads, but the extra ounce has compensated for whatever. There is still an almost not noticeable shake at about 5 kms per hour, which pretty much disappears right away, so we are good to go.

[canuck623]

You might want to give the rear tire a look too. A little bump on the rear can cause it to feel like the bars are moving.

[jtstevenson]

I have never experienced shaking in the front end by letting go of the handlebars, but I have had my '98 1500 front end wobble a couple of times when pulling out and turning while getting on it pretty good. I let off the throttle and it settles right down. I assume this could be the forks torquing. I currently do not have any after-market braces on them.
Also mentioned were beads for balancing. I currently am not using them, but have thought about switching to them this fall with my next tire change. I don't know of anyone who runs them, only what I have read. Do they really help tire wear too?

[canuck623]

Can't say 100% on the tire wear but any time a tire runs smoother with no imbalance shake the tread will run cooler and therefore last longer.

[bubbave3]

The wife and l inspected the front end of my 82 wing with the Vetter Fairy today... there is a weight front forks near the top... the wife being more agile ( had my knees replaced recently and cannot get down on the ground well at the moment) noticed the weight was installed off center to the left by at least an inch... l am very suspect of that with the problem l am having when l increase speed slowly or fast getting a front end shimmy from about 50 mph to 55 mph give or take on the speed up and speed down.. she also told me the rim weights are as follows... right side has 1/2 ounce weight and the left side has a 3/4 ounce weight.. I am either going to remove the front fork weight or at least try to center it by loosening it and adjusting it... I do intend to put the Dyna beads in and rid the tire weights too when l get a chance... that being said you all should know that l have a Tow Pac kit on the bike to keep it vertical when l stop as my knees will not allow me to do it for now..

[canuck623]

The kit could be your issue. Because your bike can no longer lean into turns correctly your steering will be heavy and not feel the same as it should. I would leave the weight alone. You could cause more issues. Are those kits even legal in Ontario? I heard the Voyager kit for the 1800's was not legal there. I like how they call it a trike.....maybe that's how they get away with it. It has 4 wheels, not 3. Trike = 3 Quad = 4. Anyway I hope the knee's get better because that 2 wheeled motorcycle does not handle correctly with training wheels on it and I wouldn't try "fixing" anything until it is off there or you install a proper trike on the rear.

[bubbave3]

Thanks for the reply.. it all makes good sense.. it is a removeable kit with 3 bolts off and pull it out... then back to the regular bike... l will do one of 2 things in the meantime... l will pull the kit and ride it myself or ask a trusted friend to road test it for me as a bike to see if it presents the shimmy issue... re the weight... l will loosen it off and try to center it as well.... there are only 2 kits in Ontario that l know of....when we brought it over the New York Border we claimed it and paid all the required paperwork was completed plus the nearly $500 at Customs... fyi.. the voyager and Towpac is the same guy....

[canuck623]

That's cool. We were just in a discussion here about those kits and there are several States that place them on the illegal list and Ontario was one of the Provinces mentioned. Even though an individual state claims it as forbidden doesn't mean you can't have one though. In the US they are under the Federal Disabilities act and that trumps the state law.
I am a former Ontario boy. Moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2002. Love it down here. I can ride 12 months of the year. Where in Ontario are you?

[bubbave3]

Wow, thanks for that... makes me wonder and the fact that when we were at the border bring it into
Ontario there was a stall time of about 1.5 hours sorting it out as to whether they were going to lets us even do it.... l was polite to them thus getting lucky... the guy at the Border later told me that had l asserted lip he could have done major damage like charges and seizing or car and and and.. lol

We live near a Town called Newcastle Ontario out in the farmland over an acre which is about 20 miles East of Oshawa and about an hour East of Toronto... Maria my wife Came to Canada in 2002 when we got married.. She is from Phoenix after living there for 35 years or so.. l have a Phone number still in Phoenix so her Son and family can pick up a phone and call that number as a local call and our home phone here rings... (neat deal).. l can provide you with that number and we can further chat on the kit etc... small world EH..!!