Front end shimmy upon deceleration

[ephraim]

Hey,

Brand new to the forum - lots of helpful info (especially on that "paint can rattle" that was scaring me to death). Owned my R3 for 10 months and have over 8,000 miles on it. Last fall I noticed a front end shimmy when decelerating between 55 and 45 mph. Anyone have any help for me on that?

Ephraim

 

[GreyFox]

Welcome to the forum, my shimmy when decelerating was due to irregular tire wear. Easy to cure for a few bucks.

 

[Jethro]

Make sure your forks are straight. I had the same problem at 9200 miles.

Just fixed it today. Mine were off by more than a 1/4".

 

[biker1059]

Mine does it at 40 MPH on deceleration. Like Chriswendy said, its your front tire. My front tire has 8K miles on it and just started. Same thing happened on my VTX, changed the front tire and back to normal. Its only noticeable when I let go of the handlebars.

 

[jasper 3]

I just got a new tire put on, got the same problem. had it back to the shop twice for ballancing. Was worrying me a bit. Guess I can stop worrying. just have to wear this tire out, and get another one.

 

[TurboFan]

I developed a shimmy when I took my hands off the bars at Deals Gap. I was carrying full load of luggage and had my sons Backpack, and camel back strapped on in the passenger seat. Problem went away when I gave him his luggage back.

 

[ephraim]

Thanks for the thoughts - I did think I had a tire wear problem but just put on a new avon and it's still doing it. I will check the forks and listen to any other suggestions. Thanks again.


E

 

[RocketEd]

There are a number of things I've found over the years that can contribute to this.
Uneven tire wear.
Steering head bearings- too loose can give a shimmy, too tight can cause the bike to wander. Get the front end up in the air and check it out. Only takes a couple minutes.
Tire pressures.
Windshields.
Handlebar mounted accessories or anything that doesn't allow free movement of the handlebars.
Improper loading of luggage, etc.
Really fat chick on the back. Don't ask.
Loose swing arm bearings. Check it for side to side shake.
Bent rims.
Misaligned wheels.
" forks.

All simple stuff really. You'll figure it out I'm sure.