Wobble wobble - tankslap?
 

i know that we started talking about this the other day in another thread, but i cant find it again now.

But it was about tank slapping, and that some people say the best thing to do is to let go (almost) of bars, and let the gyro affect take hold to correct itself.

Well i dont want to get into that again......

But i was out on sunday for a blast, and i dont know why, but i decided to let go (with hands very close to the bars still) whilst doing about 30/40 mph, and the front end got very twitchy, and felt like it would start a tank slap.

this happened at what ever spead i tried it at.

The bike seems stable as a rock normally, but do you think this might mean that something is out of ballance someware?

i have needed to fit a new mirror to it recently, any chance it could be that? or could it just be the bike in general?

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

I'd say so, nothing I advise on is BSAT or what ever but I know I can confidently let go, lean back and streatch as a come down a motorway slip road and it never so much as twitches.

Do you sit centrally with decent balance? Maybe you're hung like a donkey and its unstabalising the bike ;)

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

Have you checked that no weights have fallen of the wheels?

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

You would feel this through the bars though :confused:

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

Simples....don't let go...

HTH.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

If the wheel was out of balance and oscillating then sure you'd feel that though the handlebars.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

Well i have been told that i resemble a donkey once or twice!!! :cool:

but i would say that i sit centrally, i never had the problem on the SV, that is why i was wondering if it could just be that not all bikes have the problem! - and all other bikes i have ridden have not been mine, so not really wanted to take hands off at any point, just incase!

i was about to say that i would expect to feel that all the time, which is why i assumed it to me something really small, like the new mirror, i cant see that would have caused any problems, after all i was riding with no mirror on one side for a while with no real problems!

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

i thought you said it happened at whatever speed you tired it at?

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

My SV is highly pitched forward, much more aggressive geometry. You can take your hands off the bars for miles on a long enough hill and it's rock solid. Any healthy bike is the same.

So either you have loose bearing, defective or unbalanced tyre, or it is possessed by the soul of a dead GT750.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

well i only tried it a couple of times, and i was doing 30/40 ish, didn't want to try it at 60 or anything like that, as it was quite violent when i first tried it at around 40!! so i would assume that it would happen at any speed!

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

have you looked at your front tyre, is it unevenly worn, some big f off bolt stuck in the thread etc

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

get it checked over by someone competent. your bike should not be doing what you have explained.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

As said above, get it checked out, somethings not right

Theres a hill near where i live and theres a couple of minors bends and a speed camera down the bottom. In the right gear and with no slow cars in front, i can get to the bottom with no hands, bends and all, no worries

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

humm...!! yeah something not right then. yeah checked the tyre pressure before ride as always. i stopped about 10 mins after that happened, and checked over the whole bike.....seemed fine to me, back tyre is starting to get low, but still even. and front looks fine.

I was planning on getting it in for a service before summer, so may bring it forward a little.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

Axle loose, wheel unbalanced, wheel bearings shot, headstock bearings shot, headstock nut loose.

Re: wabble wabble!!
 

As has been said it might be a multitude of things that you have overlooked, perhaps it is better just to take it to a garage for a once over.

Re: Wobble wobble - tankslap?
 

Just to throw another option into the mix....

Are you sure this isn't psychological ?

I remember taking my hands off the bars for the first time, on my old SV, and after a few seconds it would feel like the bike would topple if I didnt grab hold of them again.

Then once I got used to it and learnt to trust the bike it felt fine. Would often have a nice stretch of the arms and back all the way down my road on the way home from work.

Re: Wobble wobble - tankslap?
 

no defo not. i have ridden the sv with no hands and no issues, used to think i was "well cool" at 18with my sv riding no handed!!! but this was a definate shake,of the front end. couldn't have been in my head!!!

I dont think it would lookse control, but something not right what ever!!

Re: Wobble wobble - tankslap?
 

Looks even cooler whacking the choke on and reading the paper :D

Re: Wobble wobble - tankslap?
 

Haha :)