shaky ride

I took the maxim out today for a quick spin around the block. I hammerd it in a straight away and the front end started to shimmy @ about 65 mph..What the heck is that all about ..Front seals? tires on right as the arrow is pointing in the right direction.. :?:

 

You may be experiencing bad head bearings (very possible) or an imbalance in your front tire. Wheel bearings may also be to blame but the first two would be my first guess. Check them out before you head out again. Can't hurt to repack those bearings anyway, most are ignored or forgotten.

 

it might be somthing as simple as checking tire pressure.good l;uck.

 

If you've never re-packed headset bearings ... BE CAREFUL !!!

THEY ARE LOOSE BALL BEARINGS -- 38 of 'em.
19 Uppers
19 Lowers

Standard 1/4 inch Ball Bearings. I needed to replace the whole works, once. Went to YAMAHA ... they wanted to sell them to me ... INDIVIDUALLY ... each one in the Very Special Plastic Bag and the Official looking Sticker with YAMAHA Part Number.

One single bearing ... $4.00 -- 4 X 38 = Heart Attack on the spot.
Walked out in shock.
Looked-up "Ball Bearings" in Yellow Pages.
Visited area Ball Bearing Supply House.
Actual conversation with sales rep at the parts window ...

"I need ball bearings ... quarter-inch ... have you got them?"
"Sure. Everything uses quarter balls. How many do you need?"
"Thirty eight."
"Thirty eight thousand?"
"No. Just thrity-eight!"

The guy grapped a small brown paper bag ... reached into a bin that had about a zillion ball bearings in there ... just grabbed a whole handfull and dropped them in the bag ... he hands me the bag.

"I didn't bother counting them ... but, there's at least 38 in there!"
"What do I owe you?"
"Give me 5-bucks ... I know there's a 'few' extra!"

There was a lifetime supply of ball bearings in the bag!

I swear this story is true!

Rick

 

Sounds about right. Stealerships, what are ya gonna do? Small note, if the balls are bad, replace the races as a matter of course. Tapered conversions are mentioned by a few folks, any thoughts as to how well they replace the ball and race?

 

You can get new races, new ball bearings and do the job the hard way. Be prepared to get frustrated.

The latest twist is to knock everything right the hell out of there and overhaul the headset with some nice, new, sealed roller bearings.

Also ... a World Standard Size.

Bring the upper and lower race to a Bearing Supply Outlet ... hand 'em to the guy. Tell 'em you want to replace "these" ... with "sealed rollers" ... he hands you two boxes ... writes up the slip for two sealed rollers ... adds in the tax ... and, hands you back three-fifty for your 20-dollar bill.

You save 65-bucks on the races ... alone!