Light Front End

anthony_r6 · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Karma :

Morning All,

Bear with me, 'cause I'm not sure how to explain this. Basically the front end on the Hornet feels intermittently light. It feels unstable at higher speeds (felt like it was going to buckle when I ran a small stretch of the motorway) If I let go of the handle bars when I'm riding straight they vibrate quite a lot.

I've checked the tyre pressure and they're fine, not losing any air from them over the weekend so hopefully that rules out a puncture. Beyond that I don't know what else it could be.

Any ideas?

As always, help greatly appreciated

Anthony
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Matt B · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 May 2012 Karma :

Have you checked the head bearings for play?

While you are at it, have a good look at the condition of the front tyre - bulges etc.
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garth · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Karma :

Wheel out of balance, see if you've thrown a weight.

I have a 16" wheel hornet and that gets a bit flighty, I quite like that though.

Fizzer Thou · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Aug 2011 Karma :

If this lightness occurs when you accelerate hard and the rear preload is at its best,increase the compression damping on the rear by two clicks.

A friend had a similar problem recently.He found that the rear setup was ideal for what he was using the bike for,so I suggested he drop the forks through the yokes by 5mm.This worked so well he then tried 8mm and settled on 6mm as his optimum.This effectively moves the centre of gravity forward,placing more weight on the front wheel.This also aids the turning in of the front tyre and speeds up the handling a bit.
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garth · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Karma :

Preload only adjustment on the rear of mine. Hard it is not. Laughing

anthony_r6 · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Karma :

I don't think it's a pre-load problem as its come on pretty sudden.
The weight still appears to be on the front wheel as it was.
I'm unable to check the bearings as I have no way of getting the wheel off the floor, let alone off the forks.

May need to drop it in at a garage Sad

____________________
Ted : "Maybe he's agoraphobic."
Dougal : "Jack scared of fighting? I don't think so, Ted."

garth · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Karma :

Get a friend to hold the bike over on the side stand and hold the front brake and wiggle.

Slacker24seve... · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 May 2010 Karma :

Mine had a wobble like that after a crash once. Check all the bearings and wheel alignment. Also loosen the front axle and the bolts in both yokes and wiggle it about a bit - preferbly with some support! I have no idea why but a good wiggle cured it on mine.

Re: the general flightiness of Hornets, they all do that, 16" or 17" front wheel. All you can do is stiffen up the rear as much as is practically possible and fit some lower bars - think Renthal Ultra Lows - to get some more weight over the front. I could power mine out of corners on some shitty surfaces and it would get into a bit of a flap but never full-on slapped; don't worry about it they're pretty stable.
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