South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

I own a Gsx1400. I still have around 2mm of tread on the front, but have noticed that recently, at an alledged
100-110mph I get a masive weave.. not to be mistaken with a tank slap.. once I've dropped off the pace, it's sweet. Now however, today I noticed that letting go of the handlebars at 40mph, the handlebars start to "flap". Nothing drastic..
Now I don't wheelie so I don't think it'll be the headstock bearings. Could this be the tyre shape changing duee to wear. Before any coppers jump in, obviously, the 110mph is on a race track(erm...)

Advice gladly recieved. I've just taken stock of a new set of tyres.. should I fit them now, or wait a bit?

The symptoms you describe can be exacerbated by tyre wear, but to be honest it's not uncommon on many bikes, though the speed may vary

Suzuki had to withdraw the GSX1100EFE from sale in Australia for a while because of a similar problem when they first started using 16" wheels.

Many modern bikes mask the symptoms with steering dampers fitted from stock The trick is - keep one hand lightly on the bars at all times

Cheers Moose.. looks like I'd better fit those tyres then!

check that you havent thrown a weight on the rear wheel, i had a similar problem on my bike and it turned out the rear wheel was out of balance, after a quick to trip to pro tyre it was all sorted.

i did think it was the front at fault but by chatting to the guys there they said that front wheel wobble at speed is a symptom of rear wheel out of balance.

Tyres will be a big factor, the other thing to check is your rear shocks. I had a GSX1400 and found that the hydraulic adjusters leak and if one side leaks and the other doesn't you land up with more preload on one shock than on the other and that doesn't half upset the handling! If that's the case it's not the end of the world, they can be fixed at virtually no cost at all. Check that you have several lines showing on both sides! you will be surprised how many have none as they have lost their preload after leaking, this makes the bike wallow like a hippo!If you turn the adjuster knob and nothing much happens, they have leaked already! It's a common problem.

or even easier to check, rear tyre pressure. Sounds obvious and you've probably already done it, but I know ( from personal experience ) that when the ' what if its..' gremlins start , often simple things get forgotten and overlooked.

You haven't got any slime/ ultra seal in have you? I had some in both wheels and it got viby at 90. Took it out the front and all sorted. New someone else who had the same problem.

Yeah i find my tyres affect my bike,when i try riding without them i don't seem to be able to find any grip whatso ever.


As for suspension settings...i just tend to hold on for dear life whatever

Mike Daytona600 wrote:You haven't got any slime/ ultra seal in have you? I had some in both wheels and it got viby at 90. Took it out the front and all sorted. New someone else who had the same problem.

Thats interesting. I havn't any in,but i was thinking about it.
I wonder if this is a common reaction. Hadn't thought about that before.