jrhendryx Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 ok, so heres the deal... replaced the oil seals on the forks yesterday, and when i emptied them, a total of maybe 50cc's came out of both of them together (specs call for 147cc's per fork)... after double checking that everything was tightened back up as it should be from the spindle up, i noticed that at speeds below 20 mph, if i take my hands off the bars and just let it coast, the bike wants to roll to either side in a slow swerve. it will roll left first usually and then correct and come back to the right in a weaving pattern as though i were slaloming around cones. i didnt mess with anything that should have affected the tightness of the head races (i dont think i did anyway, im relatively new to this), which is what my manual says could cause this problem... any ideas? at speeds above 20mph it isnt noticeable, and will ride straight without hands on, and it doesnt pull hard enough to feel it at low speeds with hands on, though it does feel a bit..... not mushy, but almost like the tires are coated in oil when making tight turns at low speeds (like a u-turn).... im just trying to figure out if this is normal and im not used to how the machine would behave with the proper amount of oil in the front forks, or if i managed to screw something up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted February 17, 2008 Moderator Share Posted February 17, 2008 check tyre pressures, steering bearings for notchiness, check they are not loose by rocking bottom of forks fore and aft. (nautical, but nice), wheel alignment with the rear wheel, check front wheel runout, check brake caliper is not sticking. let us know how you get on please, for other forum users drewpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 check tyre pressures, steering bearings for notchiness, check they are not loose by rocking bottom of forks fore and aft. (nautical, but nice), wheel alignment with the rear wheel, check front wheel runout, check brake caliper is not sticking. let us know how you get on please, for other forum users drewpy tire pressure is fine on front and back. it will be a while before i can check the bearings themselves. as for them being loose, hard braking using the front brake causes a slight shift in the handlebars.... it feels as though the handlebars are shifting forward slightly.... I checked wheel alignment after working on the front forks and it is correct. im not sure what you mean by wheel runout, as im new to this. the front brake seemed to be a bit tighter once i remounted the front wheel, it didnt spin as freely as before, but now it is back to spinning freely again. so, thats what i have for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I would go back to the steering head bearings, get someone to push the rear of the bike down so the front is of the floor. Check the bearings by turning the bars and if it feels at all notchy they need replacing(taper roller prefered option). Also hold the wheel pointing forward let it go and give it a slight tap on one side then repeat on the other, steering should travel to its stop with very little effort, if it doesn`t the head bearings are to tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XSwheels Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Are you running a fork mounted fairing or windshield? Sometimes these can effect slow speed handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Are you running a fork mounted fairing or windshield? Sometimes these can effect slow speed handling. no windjammer, fairing, or windshield. i centered the wheel, and released the grips, and it immediately swung to the right.... no tap necessary. in fact, it feels as though it is being pulled that direction ever so slightly. could the throttle cables be too tight or hung up on something? Also, while i had it up, i attempted to pull the wheel fore and aft (drewpy), and noticed a definite movement in the steering assembly, as though there were some wiggle room, but noticed no "notchy" feeling to the bearings as the handlebars twisted. finally, based on this image, am i correct in assuming that i would tighten nut 11 (bolt 19 on the inset, but the inset says its for the 500b, and mine looks like the main picture... perhaps this is a different front end on the bike?) to tighten up the head bearings? Im also beginning to think that these are some kind of aftermarket handlebars on my bike, because they come up much higher than any others i have seen, and sweep back quite far. perhaps the old owner switched to these handlebars, but did not change the cables to meet the new length? COMMON SETUP --> MY HANDLEBARS --> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 To adjust the head bearings it would be number 8 in main picture, normally 2 together i think to lock them against each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 If you have had the fork legs off or they are not fully extended then I think that the steering angle has shrapened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 To adjust the head bearings it would be number 8 in main picture, normally 2 together i think to lock them against each other. If you have had the fork legs off or they are not fully extended then I think that the steering angle has shrapened. Dave C - if it is number 8 in that picture (which makes sense now that i look at it, the bottom one to adjust tension, the top one to hold it in place), then it appears that i need a special wrench of some kind. yoda - i took the legs down one at a time so as not to mix parts together, but marked all of the original positions of everything and made sure it went back the way it was before, could the fact that there was not enough oil in the forks have been hiding that this problem was there all along? how would i measure steering angle? would it be off the frame or off a plumb line? should it be on the ground or lifted clear? the front end also feels slightly loose when cornering at regular in-town speeds (35-40mph), but there is an awful lot of gravel/sand on the roads from the snow, and these tires appear to be in need of replacements due to age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted February 20, 2008 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2008 loosen top nut (11) and clamps (12) around top stanctions. tighten #8 till no more movement, don't over tighten as you can load a ton weight upon the bearings. check that there is no notchiness now as the bearings will be running in their cups properly. re-tighten the top nut and then the tube clamps. those cables do look tight and I've never seen those daft handle bars on an xs500. get BT45 tyres, as they are the best for this type of bike drewpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 loosen top nut (11) and clamps (12) around top stanctions. tighten #8 till no more movement, don't over tighten as you can load a ton weight upon the bearings. check that there is no notchiness now as the bearings will be running in their cups properly. re-tighten the top nut and then the tube clamps. those cables do look tight and I've never seen those daft handle bars on an xs500. get BT45 tyres, as they are the best for this type of bike drewpy went out and started to do what you said before i realized that i dont have the right kind of wrench/spanner needed to tighten the locking nuts (8). any ideas on how i might get by without one? the metal on these is very soft, so any impact force is out of the question. i thought that they felt a little tight myself, and am planning on purchasing these handlebars when i get the chance... they have the same width, but only 4 inches of rise and a 1.5 inch pullback. ive been wanting to get rid of these since i got the bike because they arent comfortable for anything longer than 20 minutes. as for the tires, where would i find the bt45's? are they made by a specific company? can i get them in the US? im currently running some old dunlops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 The correct spanner is a C Spanner but if you dont want to purchase one i have known them to be adjusted with a hammer and a punch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 The correct spanner is a C Spanner but if you dont want to purchase one i have known them to be adjusted with a hammer and a punch attempted the hammer and punch option, but the metal is surprisingly soft, and it started to dent under the pressure. went out and got an adjustable c spanner, hopefully it will do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted February 21, 2008 Moderator Share Posted February 21, 2008 went out and started to do what you said before i realized that i dont have the right kind of wrench/spanner needed to tighten the locking nuts (8). any ideas on how i might get by without one? the metal on these is very soft, so any impact force is out of the question. i thought that they felt a little tight myself, and am planning on purchasing these handlebars when i get the chance... they have the same width, but only 4 inches of rise and a 1.5 inch pullback. ive been wanting to get rid of these since i got the bike because they arent comfortable for anything longer than 20 minutes. as for the tires, where would i find the bt45's? are they made by a specific company? can i get them in the US? im currently running some old dunlops. the're called ace bars used on cafe racers. not comfortable at slow speeds. Bt45 are made by Bridgestone, i'm sure they are available in the US! I bought a c Spanner but had to grind it a bit thinner to fit the nut. just tighten to get the loosness out and no more!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted February 21, 2008 Moderator Share Posted February 21, 2008 The correct spanner is a C Spanner but if you dont want to purchase one i have known them to be adjusted with a hammer and a punch Troglodyte!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Troglodyte!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 the're called ace bars used on cafe racers. not comfortable at slow speeds. Bt45 are made by Bridgestone, i'm sure they are available in the US! I bought a c Spanner but had to grind it a bit thinner to fit the nut. just tighten to get the loosness out and no more!! Drewpy, what kind of bars would you suggest? What is it that makes the ace bars uncomfortable at low speeds? Hand/wrist position or body position? I was trying to go for a slightly more aggressive, forward leaning position. I was in a bad car wreck last year, and for some reason a really upright seating position hurts my back badly, but I get no pain on the sport bikes I've ridden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 Drewpy, what kind of bars would you suggest? What is it that makes the ace bars uncomfortable at low speeds? Hand/wrist position or body position? I was trying to go for a slightly more aggressive, forward leaning position. I was in a bad car wreck last year, and for some reason a really upright seating position hurts my back badly, but I get no pain on the sport bikes I've ridden. so, i tightened up the bearing race nuts today, just enough to take the play out, and there is no notchiness. they turn smoothly, though i did notice that the throttle cables are WAY too tight, and that they rub on the gas tank lip when turned more than 1/2 turn right, and that the electrical bundle that runs up the left side of the frame is binding. i will try to get pics to show what im saying, but it almost seems like the sheath that the wire bundle is in is too long. it has an obvious crease where it consistently bends when turning to the right. i need new handlebars desperately, and should have them soon. the roll is still occurring, but i think it should probably be attributed to the too-tight cables on the throttle side of the bike. pulls the bars right and the bike dips to the left initially. oh, and drewpy, i priced out the bt45s, and they come to about $250 for both, yet the stock yamaha replacements are only about $50 together... any idea why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Think with tyres you get what you pay for, BT45 are good wet or dry, if i remember right stock replacements are just basic tyres and do nothing bad but by the same token do nothing well, it will get exciting in the wet. I think its just down to what you can afford and how spirited a rider you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 Think with tyres you get what you pay for, BT45 are good wet or dry, if i remember right stock replacements are just basic tyres and do nothing bad but by the same token do nothing well, it will get exciting in the wet. I think its just down to what you can afford and how spirited a rider you are. well, i have been riding on what appears to be stock replacements since i bought the bike, in dry, wet, cold, frozen, icy and snowy conditions (thought the last few were really exciting ) and im not impressed..... it handles like a top heavy wet rag anyway, and the shit tires arent helping much.... im going to try to talk my wife into letting me get top of the line tires..... my problem is this, is it really worth shelling out that kind of cash on a bike that i will probably only have for one more year? im going to be trading up to an r6 as soon as possible, though i may hang on to this as something to experiment on after that, since the return on a sale of it would not bring that much in. im still trying to sell the lady on the idea of her as a rider. also, here is a repeat of a previous post, specifically for drewpy... for some reason, when i post from my mobile, it doesnt show up as a new post. so ------ Drewpy, what kind of bars would you suggest? What is it that makes the ace bars uncomfortable at low speeds? Hand/wrist position or body position? I was trying to go for a slightly more aggressive, forward leaning position. I was in a bad car wreck last year, and for some reason a really upright seating position hurts my back badly, but I get no pain on the sport bikes I've ridden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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