Handling Question...

[OldGazer]

I'm still trying to get used to my "new" ride (only had it for three weeks), and I'm a little concerned about how the bike behaves "at speed" on the superslab.

 

Just putting around the back roads and city streets the bike is fine, but when I'm out on the superslab the bike is all over the place and it gets worse when the wind is blowing, or when I get blasted by another vehicle's slip stream. What freaks me out is this bike gets blown around more than my Harley Sportster, and the Sportster is 200 pounds lighter than the Venture. Another thing I've noticed is the bike is real sensitive to steering inputs (leaning into turns). The only way I can think of to describe this is to say the bike is 'twitchy,' almost like the center of gravity is off (higher than it should be ?).

 

At first I thought the tire pressures were too low, but both front and rear are at 32 psi as per the label in the travel trunk.

 

I realize that with the fairing, wind shield and such this bike has more "sail area," but this behavior is real scary, and I have a feeling it will get worse once I have a passenger onboard.

 

Is this an inherent charistaric of the breed, am I just too light for this bike (I tip the scales at 140# or so) or is there something seriously wrong?

 

TIA...

 

Y'All Ride Safe....

[friesman]

Hi CLiff Welcome to the group. I didnt catch what kind and size of tires youre running, I know that some guys had some real issues with the Bridgestones just not feeling safe on the highway at speed, and they also made the bike feel almost impossible to make a turn at slow speed.

You may also have a loose steering bearing, but someoen with more knowledge than me will step fairly shortly to add to that.

 

Again, Welcome

Brian

 

Ps what year and model of bike is do you have?

[Monty]

It would help if we knew which bike you had also.

[Yammer Dan]

Air the tires up to the max pressure on the sidewalls. What bike do you have?

As said steering head could be loose.

[elmicko]

I'll second the idea on tires. I normally like Dunlop E3's, but my current bike came with a new set of Metzler's and I've not had the problem you describe with either bike. I really think you need some new tires, my bike is awesome at super-slab speeds.

[darthandy]

Hi Oldgazer and welcome to the group. Your profile shows a '91 Venture Royale which should be quite similar to my '87. I picked mine up a few weeks ago and had to super slab it home during a windstorm. I found the handling really good and resistance to cross winds and other vehicle slipstreams to be far better than I expected given its "sail area". It sounds like you may have one or more problems. As has been mentioned, steering head bearing tightness / condition, tire brand and size / pressure could all affect the handling. Frankly, 32 psi front and rear sounds a bit low for highway riding. I would be tempted to bump the front to 34 or 35 and the rear to at least 36 and preferably 38. I'm sure others with more knowledge will be along soon to help as well.

[shikano53]

Hi Cliff,

 

I would check your tire pressures, steering head bearing. I am on my second RSV and I love this bike.

 

I have had a 1st Gen Venture, a 1500 and 1800 Goldwing, a 2006 HD Electra Glide Ultra Classic and now back to an 04 RSV.

 

Tires can be an issue. For the past 15 years I have run Avon's on my bikes.

 

What I find interesting in your comments are the fact that you get blown around. Of all the big decker bikes I have owned the Goldwings have been the worst at getting shoved around in the wind. I am not much bigger than you. 5' 10" and 155 pounds.

 

The RSV is rock solid on the superslab and I bought it over another wing for that very reason.

The only bike by comparison that didn't get blown around was my 06 HD Electra Glide.

 

A word of advice, and I know a lot of people will take issue with this; ignore what the manual and the trunk lid says about tire pressure. That's like a dentist telling you you need heart surgery. Ignore it.

 

Read what the sidewall of your tires say for maximum psi and run your tires at that, no exceptions. At 32psi your bike will feel mushy and wobble all over. Believe me, I've tested this over and over through the years and your bike needs to be run at max cold psi inflation. The tire manufacture knows better than the bike manufacturer knows where to inflate your tires.

 

The tires are designed by the manufacturer to be inflated to max psi at ambient temperature (68 deg F or 18 deg C) and to run in the hottest weather possible in the summer or all year round for that matter.

 

Second, if you have Stones on the bike. Loose them real fast. Any thing is better than Bridgestones. Dunlop Elite III's, Mets (I would be careful with the Metzellers because they are no longer made in Germany but in Brazil and there have been quality issues) or Avons.

 

Then again, inflate them to max cold psi as indicated on the sidewall of the tire.

 

Then take your bike out for a ride.

Next, these bikes are very twitchy when it comes to inflation. I have found that I can tell within a few kilometers if there is something wrong with my tire pressure. Just a few psi is all it takes to make me notice. That's not BS.

 

I check my tires religiously before each long ride and at least twice a week for scooting and shooting around town.

 

I just sold a 2010 Kawasaki Concours C-14 sport touring bike. The manual said to inflate the tires to what was rated on the sidewall of the stock Bridgstones which I removed and changed out for a set of Michelin Pilot Road 2ct's. The indicated inflation in the manual was for 41 psi as indicated on the sidewall of the tires.

The bike ran flawlessly.

 

As a matter of fact every bike I have owned in the last 15 years I have run my tires at max cold psi and the bikes handled and performed wonderfully.

 

I don't know if that helped or not but a lot of people blame a lot of handling and bike problems on things that really are a simple check of the tire pressure and inflating them to what the sidewall of the tires say.

 

Chris in Red Deer, AB

[elmicko]

I did forget to mention that I always run mine at 40 psi front and 42 psi rear. That may be a lot of the problem too.

[MiCarl]

It's a sport tourer and has less trail than your cruisers so it'll be more nimble. It should be predictable though.

 

What tires are on it?

[darthandy]

Oh, I forgot to mention. My bike came with a set of new Metzeler 880's and, as I mentioned, there have been no handling problems so far. And I really like that I've got all that ground clearance (For a touring bike!) since I tend to corner a little quicker than my touring buddies. The habit comes from riding those sporty bikes over the years, I guess

[bkuhr]

I have read here that sometimes changes to suspension such as leveling links or lowing fork tubes can effect handling. Maybe PO changed something. No experience here, others can chip in.

[painterman67]

start with the simple things. My 91 Vr was the same when I first got it. Turned out it was a little under inflated for me. I ended up running the max cold air pressure on the side wall

 

 

 

Unfortunately a bit of wind draft is something we end up having to deal with since we have so much in front of us to deflect the wind. Its nice to have but it does create a rather large profile for the wind to catch in.

 

 

Play with the pressure and find out what suits you.

 

 

now this is my own opinion and as such will vary from others. The main thing is keep at it till you find what works for you.

 

 

David

[Squidley]

Cliff,

 

Lots of good advise mentioned here, I'll second the tire pressures. Run your rear at just about max on the sidewall indication. Some tire mfgrs are different with their max pressures, Avon Venoms are 50 lb tires while Dunlops are 40 lb tires. I usually ran mine at max on the rear and about 36 on the front.

 

Another thing to look at is your shock pressures, I'm a big guy 5'11" and 280 lbs, so I have a lot of ballast I would run my suspension a bit stiffer, about 55 lbs in the rear shock on the #3 damper setting. The front I would run at about 14 lbs. Seeing it's all new to you, did it come with detailed maintenance records? Another thought is the front fork oil, how long has it been in there? The fork brace, is it nice and tight. The rear swing arm pivot bushings where the swingarm connects to the frame, are the tightened properly?

 

There are a lot of different things it could be, considering it's a 19 year old bike. Try the tire pressures and suspension setting 1st and if you still have issues come back on and we'll help you figure it out. Welcome to the club Shipmate, from another Uncle Sam yacht club member

[Condor]

A Fork Brace will eliminate a lot of that tracking problem.

[OldGazer]

Thanks Fellas.

 

I should have known not to trust the sticker. A wise man told me to use the "4 to 6 rule" to determine the optimum pressures for a given bike/tire combination.

 

The rule states that a properly inflated tire will exhibit a 4 to 6 psi pressure increase between cold and hot pressure. An over inflated tire will exhibit less than 4 psi and an under inflated tire will exhibit more than 6 psi. This is based on the amount of heat generated by side wall flex.

 

At present the bike has Bridgestones. Not sure of the model. The bike is back in Carson VA, and I'm down in Columbia SC for the weekend. I'll check the tires as soon as I get back home.

 

Y'All Ride Safe...

[GaryZ]

My 2 cents;

 

Wind is a constant companion in Oklahoma.

 

My ZX11 gets blown about a lot by side winds. Not so much head-on or tail wind.

 

The VR Beast is probably half as sensitive to side wind! Head-on and tail wind is the same.

Dunlop E3 @ 45lbs

[bongobobny]

You have recdeived a lot of important information here!! My vote is to get some Dunlop E3's on it, tighten up your steering head a tad, check/replace your shock oil, replace your front springs with progressive springs, and install a "Condor" thicker fork brace. Also, is one of the front calipers hanging up?? Maybe it's time for new front bearings.

 

Now to the rear. All the swing arm bushings should be lubed and replaced if needed. The rear axle splines where they go into the u joint are probably dry as a bone as well as where it goes into the differential. Maybe it's time for new rear wheel bearings as well. While you are at it, replace the differential oil cause I almost bet it hasn't been changed in years!!

 

Do these things and I guarantee you a very nimble and stable scoot! I had no problems driving my '84 at 80 all day 2 up and took it over the century mark more than once.

 

Owning both, the 1st gen handles better IMHO than the 2nd gen, but the 2nd gen is more comfortable albeit not as fast...

[shikano53]

Hey Cliff,

I am not sure if you said you are riding a sec gen or a first gen? I'll assume you are riding an RSV.

 

One other thing to check is your suspension. The front forks have two valves unfortunately which means you have to be careful when adjusting these. Use a bicycle pump. The manual says 0 to 7.1psi.

 

'0' being soft and cushy, 7.1 being a tighter and harder ride.

 

I would suggest you check them and then use a digital pressure gauge and the bicycle pump and start at maybe 3psi in each front fork. It's a bit fussy and takes some practice but it can be done.

 

Then check your rear fork pressure. It goes from 0 to 57 max psi.

Again use the digital gauge and set it however your riding style dictates.

 

A bunch of little things can add up to a better handling bike and a much more enjoyable ride.

 

Chris in Red Deer, AB

PS The local GWRRA Chapter Ride instructor and the Provincial Ride Instructor advocate inflating tire pressures to what is listed on the sidewall of the tires, not what is indicated in the manuals.

[bongobobny]

If you click on his profile, you will find it's a '91 VR...

[thughes]

Hey Cliff, I'm with the majority on this one. I've had my 86 VR since late September, not sure which brand sneakers are on it (I'll have to take a look tomorrow) but the first thing I did after getting it home for the first time was air up the tires to the max rated cold psi stamped on the sidewalls. I run the slab with the cruise control set @ 70-75; she tracks straight and true (even with only one hand on the bars). Only time I've been uncomfortable being blown around was in 40 MPH crosswind on a late season ride. Carves turns like a sport bike too (albeit an 800 lb sport bike!). By contrast, my 79 FE wanders like a Gypsy at highway speeds compared to the Yammy. Let us know how you make out.

Edited November 22, 2010 by thughes
speeling!

[Venturous Randy]

Another thing to check is the accuracy of your air gage. You may be lower than you think and I think you are way too low. Another thing mentioned is steering head bearings. Many of these older bikes need the bearings cleaned and regreased or replaced and kept pretty tight. When the bearings get cruddy, you will find yourself constantly correcting what should be natural tracking. I have the E-3's and like them better than the Avons as they seem much more stable from 70 on up and I have put almost 120,000 miles on my 83 since I have had it.

RandyA

[Evan]

--- Another thing mentioned is steering head bearings. Many of these older bikes need the bearings cleaned and regreased or replaced and kept pretty tight. When the bearings get cruddy, you will find yourself constantly correcting what should be natural tracking. --- RandyA

 

That's my experience, and there are some posts that tell you how to add a zerk fitting so these bearings don't go dry on you. This is on my to do list.

[OldGazer]

Upped the tire pressures to 40 front and 42 rear. The bike rides like it's on rails now. There is still some shake from wind buffeting, but it is expected and manageable.

 

The tires are Dunlop Qualifiers, not Bridgstones.

 

Y'All Ride Safe....

[saddlebum]

From personal experience I can tell you that If the steering head is too loose it will wander but this can also happen if the steering head is too tight. If it is too tight the bike wont track a natural line, and you are using your arms to physically and constantly correct the bike. which gets very tiring.

[BOO]

I am currently riding a RSV but I have owned 3 first Gens. I have pretty much ran 40 lbs front and back in all my Ventures. I also run my steering head looser than most people but it's the way I like it.

The first gens are great bikes and usually track very well except when the swing arm bushings are wore and then it's like a snake going down the road and very interesting.

Enjoy,

BOO