[LeanAngle]

I was on the highway going about 70mph somewhat near a tractor trailer, and the turbulence, had my Vee shaking like a Beyonce video.

I've been riding for a while, and am comfortable dealing with some highway turbulence, but this was REALLY bad. It seemed to have an oscillation to it, almost like it was thinking about working its way into a tank slapper. I was at a neutral throttle while behind the truck, and once it moved over I gently rolled on and moved past. Under acceleration it decreased some, but it was still quite pronounced and very disconcerting.

Tires seem to be ok, and the bike seems to behave normally at other times. I don't think that the front is as planted as it should be, which I have thought about raising the fork tubes slightly since I've already put extra preload in the back. That will decrease my rake though, which you would not think is the way to add stability.

Is there some kind of maintenance issue I need to look at? I thought about steering stem bearings, it seems awful early for that at 9k miles.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[kenneth_moore]

I had similar problems with my Vee when I first got it.

A fork brace was a big help.

I had too much preload on the rear shock. I asked a local suspension shop to show me where to set it for the right sag, and they put it at almost none. They also put 2 turns on the forks. Its made a big difference.

The Trailwings were not good for me at high speed. I don't want to start a tire thread, but there are better choices.

 

[awannabe veewee]

Fork Brace

I have had a similar experiance with my 07 Wee. One day I was passing a semi in the right lane while following a semi in the left lane, combined with a cross wind the Wee was shuddering and wobbling like I have never experianced in my over 30 years of riding:yikes: The PO had lowered the forks, my air pressure was a little low on my front tire and I had not yet added the fork brace. Since that event, I have added a fork brace, I chose one from Murph's, replace my tires, they were worn-out, from the TW's to Pilot Roads, and I keep better track of the air pressure. I have a 120 mile superslab commute so semi's are part of my every day ride, the fork brace has been the best farkle for my riding needs.
The Strom is a tall bike, winds will affect the ride, others have posted similar crosswind events, soften your grip on the bars, hug the tank with your knees, slow down a little, I will also put some pressure on the foot pegs to stabilze the bike, it seems to work.
Stay safe, ride often!

 

[greywolf]

The big things are a fork brace to keep the wheel in line and raising the fork tubes in the triple clamps 10-15mm on bikes with stock rear suspension heights to keep the fairing from acting like a wing and lightening the front end. Those changes calm the bike down. Then there are suspension adjustments to keep the tires on the road and changes to aerodynamics to keep the rider from getting beat up.

The Science and Black Magic of Suspension Setup
http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl650-specific-wee-strom/40635-buffeting-wind-thread-only-one-80.html

 

[LeanAngle]

Thanks guys, these all sound like good ideas to me.

I have not set sag on this bike since I got it, so I'll start there. As well, it sounds like the fork brace is going to need to be on my shopping list.

I never would have thought about raising the fork tubes affecting the aerodynamics, but that makes sense. I'll start going through the list one at a time so I can see how things improve.

I already have a madstad, which is fantastic and has made me more comfortable aerodynamically.

 

[PTRider]

Some of us have found the steering stem bearings to be loose. Black Lab has a great article on replacing them, but just tightening works when the bearings are still good (as yours probably are good).

 

[greywolf]

I just got back from lunch in Wisconsin with the intent of adding steering head bearings as I realized I forgot that possibility. I shouldn't have been concerned.

 

[LeanAngle]

I will add steering head bearings to the list. I'm sure within a couple weeks it'll be better than new.

 

[wfostrom]

I'm not a expert but I've had the same thing happen to me passing a semi. I have a 09 wee with less than 10,000 miles and new conti 2 tires. As I got momentum up to pass the truck I came up beside it and let off the trottle alittle because I had enough passing speed built up, this is when it wobbled. In retrospect I think I should have left the gas on until I cleared the truck. just a thought.

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

There is a zone in the slipstream of big trucks where the air currents are very nasty. At the corner of the rear back 20 feet or so and maybe 5 feet to the side. My Vee will go nuts sometimes when I pass through it.

I never ride beside a truck, I sit back until I can pass it completely and then do it quickly and settle back down on the other side. Sometimes this creates a tailgaitor as they wonder why I am pacing the truck in the fast lane...they figure it out soon enough though.

 

[ozart]

Original metzler tourances are the least stable tire I've run, at higher speeds. The bike was affected waaay more by wind turbulence with them on than any of the others.

 

[V-Tom]

Original metzler tourances are the least stable tire I've run, at higher speeds. The bike was affected waaay more by wind turbulence with them on than any of the others.

I wonder if it is a combination of setup and tires. I have run the normal Tourances for about 100,000 miles (I really like the tires) and don't have any issues with wind turbulance. Basically any issues I had dissappeared when I raised the forks/lowered the front of my bike back when I had the stock oem tires on it.

..Tom

 

[SV Racing Parts]

Fork Braces,

Hi, Dirty air behind semi's and big motor homes is brutal at best, Stabilizing the front end of your bike in these situations is one of the benefits of the SuperBrace for our bikes,

The SuperBrace will also help you in controlling your bike on grooved pavement, and when you get the wind blast form the side as you pass billboards and other objects,

Your bike will thank you once you put it on,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

 

[ozart]

I wonder if it is a combination of setup and tires. I have run the normal Tourances for about 100,000 miles (I really like the tires) and don't have any issues with wind turbulance. Basically any issues I had dissappeared when I raised the forks/lowered the front of my bike back when I had the stock oem tires on it.

..Tom

That's a possibility, as I didn't have my forks slipped at the time but ...
There were no setup changes to my bike from the tires I had on before the tourances, through 2 sets of tourances, and afterward a set of dunlops. I didn't slip the forks untill the tires after the dunlops.

The only hairy experiences I've had at high speeds were with the tourances. OTOH, they were great below 60-65 mph, very flickable. <--- I think there is a connection.

 

[1.3G]

The only time I ever experienced any kind of wobble was with a new set of dealer installed tires that were slightly out of line and filled to 36psi front and rear, and I was midway on a 3 1/2 week trip (luggage). Twice while passing vehicles I got into an extremely noticeable wobble. A change in pressure and a slight correction in alignment and all was well. My bike is lowered 3/4" front and rear.

 

[bschoolz1]

wobble

you answered your own ? go faster

 

[DougInKY]

The big things are a fork brace to keep the wheel in line and raising the fork tubes in the triple clamps 10-15mm on bikes with stock rear suspension heights to keep the fairing from acting like a wing and lightening the front end. Those changes calm the bike down. Then there are suspension adjustments to keep the tires on the road and changes to aerodynamics to keep the rider from getting beat up.

The Science and Black Magic of Suspension Setup
http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl650-specific-wee-strom/40635-buffeting-wind-thread-only-one-80.html

+1 on what Greywolf said. The fork brace and raising the tubes in the triple tree made a huge difference. The final thing that took the rest away was changing my mostly worn out stock tires for Shinko 705's. Now the bike feels pretty planted although it can get a little squirmy under hard braking. I am going to change my head bearings out for tapered bearings this winter. I expect that will take care of the rest. If not, I will then address the rear shock and spring by replacing it or having it rebuilt.

 

[andreas]

I get that death-wobble daily when going to work. It's always a Semi-truck, windy days make it worse, I also think full luggage is not a very good option. When passing I like to get it over fast. But I will also look at suspension like mentioned here in the thread.

 

[biggyfries]

Do you have side bags, and do the bags mount rigidly or do they have a little 'give' to them? I think the bags cause their own vortex much like a semi-truck does when following close--it will swat you left then right rhythmically. Your bike does the same because of the aerodynamocs, and the truck added to your own oscillatins will make er wobble all the more.
If you have no luggage then disregard my suggestion, but if you have luggage, remove it one day and go out and run it 100 mph and see if it tracks better.

 

[Big B]

Tall bike with budget suspension and no aerodynamics........but the things listed previously will help some.