What is the best front tire on a 83 Venture

[larrydr]

I purchased a new Bridgestone  tire for the front on my 83 Venture ..It wanders from left to right and then back to left  at slow speeds ..If don't hang on the handle bars it would cross into the next lane of traffic  .I had the same problem with my 1995 XV1100 Virago till I changed the tire to a different brand name ..I have a new Dunlop on the rear ......It seems to okay out on the highway .I have checked all front end parts including steering head bearings ..( new bearings )..It has been checked by 3 mechanics and certified in a government safety inspection  before the new tire was installed ...

[Freebird]

It could just be the tire.  A lot of us here aren't crazy about the Bridgestones.  It could be other things though.  Have you checked the rear swing arm?  If there is play in it, that could also cause the problem.  That is all assuming that the head bearings are indeed tightened properly.  Too loose OR too tight can cause issues such as you describe,

[SpencerPJ]

It does seem like the steering head bearings could be a touch too tight. That said, I always ran Shinko tires on my 83, never any issues.  One other thing, double check tire pressures, and if I recall correctly, if I ran more than a couple pounds of air in the front forks they would get drifty.

[larrydr]

My first thought was that it was steering head bearings , have double checked all tire pressures at 35 psi ..checked steering head bearings buy the inspection shop that does the highway traffic act safety inspections ..Had checked the rear swing arm mounting and all nuts and bolts are torqued ...

[Marcarl]

Not everyone who is called a mechanic can properly tighten steering head bearings. I would loosen them off about a 1/16" and see if that makes a difference, often it will. They need to be tight enough to offer a very slight drag, but only very slight, a little too much and the bike will 'drift'.

[saddlebum]

I set my fork bearings similar to the way I would set trailer wheel bearings usually 0 to .005'' of lash.  roughly 0 to barely detectable movement without being snug. Too tight can be just as bad as too loose. Often too tight you will find the bike difficult to hold in tight bends as it will want to straiten up on you or try to climb to the high side or outside of the turn. Too loose and you could end up with a front end shimmy.

Here is my way of doing it, If you do not have the proper tools and specs on hand. Try setting them up like a wheel bearing tighten the first nut up good and tight while turning the forks fully left and right (this step is very important to properly seat the bearings). Next back off a full turn and then lightly snug up. back off 1/8 turn and then tighten lock nut. at this point you should have zero bearing lash or play as well as zero drag when turning left to right.

If there has too much drag loosen lock nut and back off bearing nut ever so slightly and re-tighten lock nut. Continue until you get the proper bearing preload.

If it has too much bearing play loosen the lock nut tight the bearing ever so slightly and re-tighten lock nut. Continue until you get the proper bearing preload.

NOTE! some like to do what is referred to as the bounce test. Personally and for the record I disagree with this technique and would discourage using this technique as there are too many variables that can affect the final results.

Edited April 12, 2022 by saddlebum

[BlueSky]

You may want to watch this series of videos about Venture maintenance.  Fork bearing adjustment is covered in one of the videos.

https://www.yamahaventure.nl/xvz-maintenance-video.html