Got the new tires on today, Pirelli Angel ST’s but now I’ve noticed a problem. At between 38 and 50 MPH there is a vibration in the bars (I call it head shake). If you let go of the bars they will wobble back and forth. Not enough to cause a tank slapper but it’s annoying. With your hands on the bars you feel the vibration. Could this be air pressure?? I was in a hurry so I couldn’t go back to the dealer today. I did notice that the front tire pressure (according to the bike monitor) says 35Psi rear is 41. Got home just in time to beat the rain so I can’t change the pressure now but could this be the problem. Never had this on this bike and this is the 3rd set of tires. First Pirelli’s though.
-
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ABLE TO POST? REGISTER FOR COG MEMBERSHIP
All registration must be done through the club's main webpage: To register / join COG, click here
For instructions to convert to full membership, click here
-
Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
New Pirelli Angels but a Problem HELP
- Thread starter jailcop
- Start date
Could be pressure. Could be tire ballance. Could be a loose steering head bearing nut. Could be an actual bad tire. It does happen. Did this do it as soon as you left the dealer? Maybe you ran over something. First things first. Check you tire pressure and inspect the tire itself. See if there is a dot (probably red) near the air valve stem. If it's not, the tire may be out of ballance. Especially if there's no tire weights on the wheel anywhere.
I'll try adjusting the pressure as soon as the rain stops. Didn't hit anything for sure. Going out to look at the tire as you suggested right now. The dealer wants me to bring the bike back for them to look at but there 40 miles away and I can't get there until later next week. Hoping it's safe to ride a little this weekend.Cap'n Bob said:
If you think there's a problem and you feel you need to bring it back to the dealer, don't ride it. Why chance your safety. If it's that bad I might be concerned about a 40 mile ride back to the dealer. But if it's just an annoying vibration, I would ride it back. Once things for sure. If it didn't do this when you dropped it off. I would probably take it back if it doesn't have a big nail or damage or something.
You might also double check that the bead seated all the way around on both sides of the tire. If they got in a hurry and didn't use enough tire lube, it could still seal but not seat. That would cause a wobble.
Also take a look to see if they lined up the red dots on the tire with the valve stem. I did that on mine, and never had to move the wheel weight from the previous tire.
Since front tires are pretty narrow in width, if it's out of balance side to side, then it's probably a bad tire.
Also take a look to see if they lined up the red dots on the tire with the valve stem. I did that on mine, and never had to move the wheel weight from the previous tire.
Since front tires are pretty narrow in width, if it's out of balance side to side, then it's probably a bad tire.
The first two things I'd check is to make sure both tires are properly balanced and that neither one is out of round. And don't just check the front, check the rear too, cause problems at the rear of the bike can make the front end act up. I'd also recommend increasing the pressure on them to 42 front and rear and see if that helps.
A 38mph coast down headshake with your hands off the bars is very common and happens on a lot of bikes. There are many factors that conspire together to make it happen, and some tire brands/models seem more prone to it than others. But if you are feeling it with your hands on the bars, then that's a pretty bad case, and I'd want to get it addressed.
Loose steering stem bearings, and problems with the suspension can also contribute to this type of headshake. But if it suddenly appeared after putting on a new set of tires, then I'd probably go back to where you got the tires from and ask them to replace them. You may simply have a bad tire that is too far out of balance or out of round.
For what it's worth, I've almost worn out a set of Pirelli Angels, and I have not had any problems with headshake.
A 38mph coast down headshake with your hands off the bars is very common and happens on a lot of bikes. There are many factors that conspire together to make it happen, and some tire brands/models seem more prone to it than others. But if you are feeling it with your hands on the bars, then that's a pretty bad case, and I'd want to get it addressed.
Loose steering stem bearings, and problems with the suspension can also contribute to this type of headshake. But if it suddenly appeared after putting on a new set of tires, then I'd probably go back to where you got the tires from and ask them to replace them. You may simply have a bad tire that is too far out of balance or out of round.
For what it's worth, I've almost worn out a set of Pirelli Angels, and I have not had any problems with headshake.
Finally had to a chance to take the bike for a ride tonight. First I pumped the tire pressure up to 41 in the front it was at 34. The head shake is still there. I also noticed on the highway at 60 it’s more like a vibration. You feel it in the bars but if you let go they won’t really wobble like at low speeds. Also when you lean into a corner the feeling is still there. I’m going to take it back to the dealer tomorrow. I checked everything else I could out and all looks correct, I think it’s either a bad tire or incorrect balance. The weights are on there and nothing seems to me out of round. Steering head bearing is a possibility but I don’t think so because of the way it feels at 60+.
So I took to bike to another dealer (owned by the same company) to have my tires checked out. They found the front tire was ¾ of an ounce off, thought great that’s the problem. No, the bike still shakes and wobbles. I went to the other dealer on the advice of the one that did the work because it’s closer but not a Kawasaki dealer. So now they want it down there, OK that’s fine except there 45 miles away and I really am uneasy about the way this thing rides and handles. The worse part is they want it for a few days so not only do I have to drop it off but I have to find a ride home(or have it taken on a roll back). At least I work this weekend so I won’t be able to ride. 
Not happy. I told the dealer I can’t drop my bike off this week because I have no way to get home. They want it there for a few days. They think it’s a bad steering head. They want $100 to come pick it up. I said it’s NOT going to be a bad steering head maybe the torque is not correct but it’s not going to be bad at 9000 miles. I still insist it’s most likely the tire and that’s not my fault. I can’t even take it to another dealer to check it out because if it ends up being the tire they have to be the ones working on it. Not sure what to do from here haven’t rode the bike in a week but I have a ride this coming weekend.
The dealer called me tonight (Montgomeryville Cycle) and there telling me that 3 people drove the bike and there not feeling anything wrong. I don't get it, how are they not feeling this. I told them take it to 50MPH on a nice road and let go of the left grip and look at it. The bar will be shaking back and forth. You can feel it with out letting go but just trying to make it easy.
nickconcours14
Bicycle
I hope your problem is fixed. A good friend of mine works for Metezler/Pirelli. His recommendation is to always run max air pressure in both front and rear.
If you get the bike back and the dealer tell you head shake is common, call ********. My C-14 has never had a head shake and I'm at 50,000 miles.
If you get the bike back and the dealer tell you head shake is common, call ********. My C-14 has never had a head shake and I'm at 50,000 miles.
My 2010 has the same issue (Shake at 40mph) I tried tightening the head bearings (Thanks B.D.F) and they were loose...but it didn't help.
I am going to try re-balancing my wheels this weekend and see if that helps...I have PR2's on there with only 5k miles on them and they look great tread wise so I'd hate to replace them until they are all wore out...
I am going to try re-balancing my wheels this weekend and see if that helps...I have PR2's on there with only 5k miles on them and they look great tread wise so I'd hate to replace them until they are all wore out...