Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Front end wobble

Hi folks,

I could use some help. In the 2 years of owning my America, I have never had any issues until today. I was on my way to work on the highway doing the speed limit of 55. All of a sudden, my front end felt like it was woblling, not vibrating. I pulled off the road and inspected the tire and everything was fine. No bulges in the tire, rim doesn't look bent (didn't hit any pot holes or bumps.) I got back on and took the back roads slowly. Even at a slow speed, there was a slight wobble. So..being afraid to ride it, I had a friend pick me up with his trailer. Any idea what to look for? He told me that it could be something in the fork that is wrong. The bike was laid down once 1 year ago when the idiot rider (me)forgot to put the side stand down. Also, anyone know a reputable dealer within a 45 minute ride or so from Putnam County NEW YORK? The dealer I bought it from in Branchville Connecticut doesn't impress me.

Thanks
Ron

Could be a number of reasons - the first thing I'd check is rear wheel alignment and rear tyre condition & tyre pressure (front & rear), then make sure the fork tubes are true in the triple trees, then front wheel balance, then check for slack/ freeplay in the gooseneck , also you might want to check if the is any play in the swingarm.
I've found in my past experiences with bikes most wobbles emenate from the rear.
a small drop off the sidestand shouldn't do any damage other than cosmetic (woe & betide).
hope this helps
hoffo

I have no help to offer, but seem to have a similar problem. I just noticed last week when i take both hands off the bars the front wobbled but still went straight. I found that when I was heading a different direction(wind was noticeable) the wobble was gone? Never had this happen in 14000 miles before though. Keep us updated.
jeff

Mine did that too. Like Hoffo said, it went away when I adjusted my rear wheel.

Thank you very much!!!

I brought the bike to the dealer I bought it from. He found the problem within 1 minute. It was the back tire. He said it was not aligned and that the swing arm was in need of some adjustment. He covered it under the 2 year warranty!!!!

I rode the bike over 30 miles with out any wobbles. Thanks for the advice. I now have confidence in my dealer again.

Ron

Wendy had a wobble,funny actually I was going to go back to the last wobble thread and post an update. On her bike I changed the front tire and smooth as glass now. Can let go of the handle bars and go as long as there is enough speed to keep it up right even leaning around corners with no hands and no more wobble at all.