Days when the rear wheel of bike just doesnt feel right

[shaba2000]

Im just wondering if anyone else has days on their bike where they think something is wrong with it, or it doesnt feel like its handling as well as the previous day?

Recently I have been really cautious to lean into bends, even small bends as my rear wheel seems to be sliding more than usual. I have two new tyres that have done around 800 miles, and am always adjusting my chain, lubing, and generally looking after the bike.

I put it down to the cold weather and the cold starts in the morning when roads are cold, however after riding for around 5-6 miles i would of thought i could at least bend into turns. Not do knee downs or anything but just the smallest lean doesnt feel right!

is it my imagination? is it the weather? or am i going crazy?
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kawasaki Ninja-zx6r 1997 (f3)

[yen_powell]

I get it too, times where you think you've got a puncture or something but nothings wrong.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[Blackwolf]

I think is psychological, as you know the road is cold, your tires are cold and its just general shittly weather, so your taking extra precuations to stop you from binning it
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Current: Ducati Multistrada 1200s

[shaba2000]

[yen_powell]

[steve32]

[teech]

My god, I thought this was just me!

Yeah, there are days when I get on the bike and every bit of crap, poorly re-suraced road makes me feel like there is a puncture (paranoia?)

And when it has rained and there is splash after splash of old diesel rainbowing up on the surface, and I get so angry about the trucker/ bus twats that leave it there.

I just know from experience that it is an indication that I'm going to have a shit day at work because I just don't feel right on the bike - so I'm not going to feel right all day......

Although that seems to weigh up quite well with the days when I feel welded to the bike and no matter what, I can nail the fucker and I'll come out of that tricky bend just fine, no matter what the speed or conditions.....

Do you feel like that sometimes...?
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In everyday life good people do good things, bad people do bad things. It takes religion to make a good person do bad things.

[Charlie]

Yeah I did a similar thing, I use to think my bike was misfiring, it had soft tyres, the chain was getting far to loose, I had a tight spot in the chain, I needed new spark plugs, etc etc.

Most of the time it was a load of shit and it would be fine the next day.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[alun111]

I get this feeling too! I'm with ds55 about the chain getting too slack - I'm getting conciously aware of my chain tension - I keep having to check it and I'm always unsure if it's correct, even though deep down I know it's fine!

When you have a feeling that your bike has something wrong ALWAYS check it though - otherwise, sods law, there will be something wrong when you have shrugged it off thinking "it must be paranoia!"
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Summer: '00 Honda CB600F Hornet
Winter: '93 Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit VP Variable Valve
Past Bikes: Lifan LF100-5 Lifan LF125-A Honda C70

[LeeR]

Funnily enough I'm exactly the same, I keep on top of maintenance weekly and am a stickler for tyre pressures. Yet some days when I go out the bike feels awful and try as I might to relax and stop fretting obviously I make it worse.

It's usually the front tyre that feels like it's going to wash out on my bike, but I haven't been happy with it since it was fitted in August. Even new it felt shite, and though my rear is almost worn and I'd usually have just a rear I'm going for a new pair of something else instead.
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My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[mr jamez]

I don't think its in your head, over the past few weeks they have gritted the roads and it has quickly turned into greasy tarmac. Just have to go a bit slower that is all, Its always this time of year when you see LOADS of car crashes, already one fatality last week just down the road from me.
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NSR 125F > BROS 400 > NC30 > BROS 400 > Trumpet S4 > '97 VFR 750

[Charlie]

Yeah but I haven't ridden my bike since late October, but I remember through out last year feeling like I said. Although I will agree it did feel worse in winter, probably because you are more worried about salt and everything else, plus the shit conditions.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Aka Matt]

I get exactly the same feeling from time to time and have even pulled over a couple of times just to check everything over again to be sure the bike is actually ok and that I didn't miss something.

[Bofh5]

Funny i was going to post the exact same thing.

Yep its weird how one day the bike feels like its on rails and no matter how far you lean or how fast you nail it off the line everything gels then the next day or even the next ride it feels like utter shite.

Same applies to how you feel. One day the confidence is total the next its like your first time all over again.

I'm paranoid at the best of times and current road / weather conditions don't help.

+1 for the annoying leaky cr@p all dripping all over the roads as well. Was following a mini bus today and after a brief wait at some lights the rainbow was all the way across the road.

How bl00dy hard is it to get a leak fixed. Obviously too hard for a lot vehicles on our roads.
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(L)users...Disk space is to good for them.

Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[neil.]

Yeah I was extra paranoid this morning, pissing rain and a hell of a lot of spilt fuel all over the roads (more than I'm used to seeing), especially around bends. I seem to be seeing less and less bikes out during the morning rush hour lately too. Hiding from winter perhaps?
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Coxyzxr]

I agree here.

Don't want to tell you to suck eggs but just double check tyre pressure on the rear, if it's even slightly below par the tyre walls can flex and give that 'sliding out' feeling.

I think it's mostly physcological though.

I was confident at one stage my bike was going to give up and die due to the abuse it had over the years and the state I received it in. That was a year ago, I rode it to work this morning.
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**WAS FITTED "WRONG WAY ROUND" !** CANT ACCOUNT FOR THE STUPID !

[Bofh5]

The weathers not that bad yet and it would have to get armageddon bad for me to want to endure the morning commute in the car

The worse the weather gets the worse the congestion is and 15 minutes in the rain pales into insignificance compared to 1 -2 hours in the car.
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(L)users...Disk space is to good for them.

Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[shaba2000]

Guys

Appreciate all comments i feel a bit more at ease now. I did check my bike over the weekend and everything seemed fine.

I suppose in my morning commute i see some bikers leaning more than me and think "why is my bike not letting me do that", but then again they may have warmed their tyres up and done a much longer journey than me. Since i only do 9 miles on way I guess in winter its just better to be more cautious.
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kawasaki Ninja-zx6r 1997 (f3)

[Keir]

i think you would be surprised at just what your bike could do in the right hands.
You hear horror stories of ice/rain/diesel and your mind reacts by worrying you into thinking somethings wrong. Its just natural preservation. (well thats what i like to think anyway.)
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Cigaro]

I get this too.

I think a lot of it is to do with how tense you are. Sometimes you relax more than others and that makes the bike handle better.

If you try to take a corner tensed up then it's always going to feel like you're going to fall off, because your body isn't in line with the bike and it feels like it's slipping out from under you.

My theory at least

I try to relax when riding but some days I just can't.

It's been a lot worse recently what with getting crashed into the other week. I've been riding like I'm on my test recently - mirror checks every 10 seconds, etc.

[andi]

[Bofh5]

Thats the CBR for you

No matter how out of shape i've been she always stays upright somehow.

I've had some horrible slides, lock ups and corner moments where i resigned myself to an intimate liason with the tarmac only to sail on unharmed other than the need for clean underwear.

One of the biggies is training your brain to do the opposite of what it wants to do especially when your cranked over thinking i'm not going make it and forcing the bike to lean just a bit more.
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(L)users...Disk space is to good for them.

Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[Mr Nice Guy]

I get it too, but I put it down to the suspension feeling different when it stiffens up in the cold...
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Suzuki GSX-R750K4 ~ Mivv GP

[yankeedoodle]

I get it with my front wheel. never worried about my back wheel though.

I guess, like most, it's just paranoia though
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Bandit 600