scared the crap out of me

[UFO8MyCow]

The other day I was riding at about 40-50 mph and I let go of the handlebars and after a couple of seconds they started shaking back and forth and I had to hold them tight to stop it. I have riden my maxim hands off for miles at a time and havent had this hapen. Is it that you just cant ride a sport bike with no hands or is there something wrong with my bike?

[AHF]

All my experiences with head shake have been a rusult of a cupped front tire. I think it can also be bad head bearings, but like I said, it's usually a cupped tire for me.

[KAT6]

tire

It can be cupped or the tire is out of alignment mine was a bad tire and shook bad. Time to replace it

joe

[KatDan]

might want to check your wheel alignment also, if the rear wheel is a little off it will do that too.

[UFO8MyCow]

The tire isnt cupped but how do I check the alignment and the head bearings?

[md86]

Wheel alignment : http://motorcyclistonline.com/howto/stringalign0402/
Bearings : Put bike on centerstand , grab wheel or forks and push it forward and back . It shouldn't move . Center wheel , let fall to side . Should fall smoothly and not too fast . Turn wheel slowly side to side , there should be no "rough spots" , it shoud feel smooth all the way . Best I can tell you without my cheater book in front of me .

[katana91]

i had the exact same problem and mine was the stearing head bering was not to the right tightness, got i ttightened and it was fine after that

[Junior]

Has Lou been tinkering with your bike again Corey????? :-k

[taz]

Cory, Mine does the same thing between 40 - 50 MPH. I have no clue what it is. Replaced the front tire and still have the same problem. If you find out what it is let me know

[irenekat]

sounds like the head bearings to me. thats bad news so get it fixed right away

[The CyberPoet]

Possible reasons:
Wheel & Forks:
Front axle bolt not centered (loosen pincher bolt, loosen axle nut, compress & release front suspension 6 times to recenter, then retighten)
front wheel & tire balance off (rebalance)
front wheel crowned to one side from road surface (replace or trade with someone in the UK)
front tire cupped (replace, run higher pressures in the future)
front axle bolt bent (replace)
front axle bearings bad (replace)
front rim bent (repair or replace)
Forks:
Fork oil levels not even
Forks not true, tripletree misaligned (repair/replace as necessary)
Brakes:
Warped rotor(s) (inspect, replace as necessary)
Dragging brake pad due to sticking caliper piston (clean caliper pistons, replace caliper piston seals, retest).
Steering Stem:
Steering stem bearings torqued incorrectly, worn (retorque, test, replace as necessary, use aftermarket replacements)
Handlebars:
Bent handlebar extension (replace with new)
Uneven bar-end weights, such as if one was ground down during a spill (replace)

Note that tires with grooves running parallel to the road surface will tend to track the road, and if the road surface is concrete with parallel grooves drug into it for rainwater traction, the tire will oscillate trying to follow the peaks of the grooving.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Myrddraal]

That's an easy one, the nut that connects your handlebars to the seat was too loose!

[Dan Dubeau]

front wheel crowned to one side from road surface (replace or trade with someone in the UK)

Thats the best idea i've ever heard

[KitKat]

My Macadams did that too but evey since I got the Diablo's i'm fine. The Macadams were cupping

[taz]

My Macadams did that too but evey since I got the Diablo's i'm fine. The Macadams were cupping

Well, when I replaced my front tire it was with another Macadam so this is very possible KitKat. Maybe I should see about getting a different front tire and see if that solves my problem.