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I do have a fork brace; I think I should check to make sure it's tightened and installed correctly.My bike is harder to handle with a full luggage load because a small change in bank angle makes a large change in weight influence. It's often referred to here as being top heavy. That being said, do you have a fork brake? That makes a difference.
Steering head bearing was checked and tightened to spec thanks to Sprocket prior to leaving on my trip. It may be worth testing today when I look at the bike.can I assume you have checked for loose fasteners, most notably the steering head bearing, and tire pressure
"Spec" is too loose. Your steering head bearings are too loose. Tighten them up and the symptom will go away.Steering head bearing was checked and tightened to spec thanks to Sprocket prior to leaving on my trip. It may be worth testing today when I look at the bike.
I check tire pressure every time I ride more than around the town miles. It was within spec.
Unless grossly under inflated, a "lower" tire pressure will not cause this symptom. You actually will have better traction because of the increased contact patch. But, you will also wear your tires out faster too, because of this.I agree with BL that tire pressure spec is too loose, but not steering head bearings.
That's definitely worth checking before I take off.Unless grossly under inflated, a "lower" tire pressure will not cause this symptom. You actually will have better traction because of the increased contact patch. But, you will also wear your tires out faster too, because of this.
Loose steering head bearings cause the symptom the rider is experiencing.
There's only a very narrow range where they are correct, neither too loose nor too tight. My procedure was to tighten in small increments until there was no wobble at 30-40mph with my hands off the bars. No need to go tighter than that.That's definitely worth checking before I take off.
It should be noted that, your bike, as well as many other rider's, choose to ride with sidecases. There is a BIG difference in handling characteristics of a bike loaded with sidecases compared to a bike loaded on its centerline axis with gear. (Which is how I pack my bike; dry bags cinched across the rear seat. All of the weight is on the centerline axis of the bike, and not "hanging out" from the centerline. This DOES make a difference!)I have properly adjusted tapered roller steering head bearings and still notice a large difference in ease of handling a bare bike compared to a loaded bike at crawling speeds. 15mph should be fast enough to make handling easy though.
I helped arooni (David) adjust his steering head bearings shortly before he left Seattle. When we finished, they were definitely not loose--if anything, they might have been a little too snug. The service manual specifies that with the front wheel just off the ground, it should take between 200 and 500 grams of force parallel to the centerline of the bike applied at the end of the hand grip to make the front end begin to move. Our first two or three adjustments resulted in needing more than 500 grams of force, and after our final adjustment, it took just a smidge over 500 grams."Spec" is too loose. Your steering head bearings are too loose. Tighten them up and the symptom will go away.