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Was wondering if anybody has had this problem, not even sure it is a problem. It seems that at certain speeds the front end feels almost like it is tightening up, a little like I am squeezing the brake. At this point it is like a tightness with a bit of vibration, really had to describe but thought maybe somebody else has experienced this and could explain.

Sebastian

Possible tight wheel bearings? Is your rim balanced? Maybe a stick-on / spoke weight that was on has come off, and you're getting a vibe at a certain speed.

its a '05 sm so there are no spokes. any other ideas?

You may still have stick-on weights. My speedmaster didn't have any, and when I put my new tire on, I didn't bother to balance the thing, but then again, it's never given me any vibes. Only things that I can think of are sticking wheel bearings, or the rim / tire being out of balance.

Thanks Michael, I'll look into that.

Possible easy test for you, jack the bike up so that the front wheel is off the deck. Then just spin the sucker by hand, and see if it spins freely without any noise.

When you do what Mike suggests, mark the tire when it stops (on the bottom). Spin it again and it should not stop in the same spot. That would show a heavy spot there (out of balance)

******!! wish I'd thought of that :-)

I am going to my brother-in-laws this afternoon and will put it up on his jack. Thanks again for the advice, hope it helps.

Sebastian

So do we :-) Nothing panders to the ego like giving out advice that actually helps more than a smidgeon. LOL!

So finally got it jacked up and spun the wheel. It spins freely for a second and then it is like the brake is grabbing and it slows it down. It doesn’t necessarily stop at the same point every time but I think something is defiantly wrong. Maybe a rotor (but I only have 700 miles on it)? I am going to take it into the dealer but it is a good distance away and thought I would see if anybody had anything to say about this.

Sebastian

Any unusual-sounding noises?? The pad / rotors should have made some slight friction noises, but nothing to write home about, any squeaks from the hubs??

When I had it on the jack I got a slight squeak when I was rotating them and then the breaks squeak during regular breaking. I talked to the Triumph dealer and they think it is the rotor from my discription so I might try to drop it off over the weekend, which sucks but the only time I have that somebody can come and take me home after.

Sebastian,

I used to have the same symptoms that you speak of. But I found out what was going on. Here is what happened, - one of the ears on the "drive ring" (for the Speedometer Drive) broke off, and the speedometer was being driven by the other ear. Finally, it broke off too. When the first one broke off, that little piece of metal lodged in the bearing. You see, some time ago I discerned a new & minute vibration as I gripped the handlebars. So I disassembled the Speedometer driving system on the front wheel and tapped both bearings out. One of the bearing was very rough feeling, while the other was smooth as silk. Without doubt, my weird vibration was caused by that rough feeling bearing. Anyway, I ordered two new bearings from "Gerrish Bearings" (website = http://www.usabearing.com/ ).

One of the thing to look for is this, does the indicator needle on your speedometer vibrate when showing your speed" If "yes," then it is probably being driven by only one ear on the drive ring (and the other ear is now a fragment of metal that is wreaking havoc with your bearing).

Anyway, I'm excited to get back the smooth riding motorcycle I had before.

-BT

I am going to ride it one last time tonight before taking it in, I will look for this indication and see if it bounces the needle at all. thanks for the heads up.

Sebastian