preventing a wobble ?

[edub]

what can cause a wobble or is there anyway or anthing you can equip your kat with to stop one. i am asking this because just over this past weekend the pa turnpike was shut down for hours because of a fatal accident in which a fellow suzuki rider was thrown from his bike over the concrete median into oncoming traffic and was hit 3 times. the rider behind him said that the wheel began to wobble.

[steves]

My guess would be a loose rear axle nut @ highway speeds... it started to shimmy then slipped....

[suzukisportrider2004]

or he hit a pothole and got tank slap

[md86]

Several things can cause tank slappage .

[mike75]

Can a steering damper help to prevent the wobble? Im looking into getting one for my kat, but I dont know which one to choose.

[VifferJim]

My guess would be a loose rear axle nut @ highway speeds... it started to shimmy then slipped....

Just went through this last night. The guy probably didn't have the cotter pin in the castle nut and the nut worked loose... every time the rider leans right or tweaks the gas, he changed the direction of the wheel. Then once it works completely loose, the kat will literally tear itselft apart.

[steves]

Can a steering damper help to prevent the wobble? Im looking into getting one for my kat, but I dont know which one to choose.

It can help prevent a tank slap... but I don't think the steering on the kat is quick enough to require a stabilizer.

[md86]

Can a steering damper help to prevent the wobble? Im looking into getting one for my kat, but I dont know which one to choose.

Like putting a band aid on cancer . The problem will STILL be there (whatever that may be) , and MAY get worse , but the damper may mask it enough that you won't notice until your wheel flies off at 90 ....

[Mark3748]

tank slappers/head wobbles/ whatever you want to call it is a natural function of the suspension trying to settle itself. The bike will correct the issue unless you have something seriously wrong, which you shouldn''t since you check the bike before every ride (or should if you don't )

The reason riders go down when the bike starts to wobble is they tense up causing the shake to transfer to the rest of the bike instead of just the steering head. The best way out of it is to relax and accelerate.

The best way to avoid it is to keep the front wheel on the ground, which generally shouldn't be a problem on a Kat

[bswasey]

I was considering getting a steering damper for my kat just to give the steering a little more resistance in very low speed turns, but not for $200+ so I just learned to deal with it. How fast was he going though?