Triumphrat

stephenjpauls · 05-08-2007, 10:03 AM

All,

As I have stated in previous posts I’m very new at riding, well its been 17 years since I have been on a motorcycle, so I’m not sure if this is a problem.

When riding my bike down the freeway at 65 to 80 mph it feels a bit like the cycle is floating / Drifting / Tracking. As I don’t have much experience on a bike... well not recent, and I drank away all my memories since then.

Looking at the tires on my bike, it looks like bike was raced, at least a bit (the tires look rough on the outside edge). Because of this I’m wondering if it would be the suspension set up too tight / loose, or aggressive tires, or is it just me getting used to riding and something I shouldn’t worry about.

The road I was on where I felt this was concrete, in good condition, but has expansion joints cut in it every 2 or three lengths of the bike. I should also note that when I'm accelerating I don't notice this... just when I'm cruising at the same speed.

Thanks,
Steve

[ This message was edited by: stephenjpauls on 2007-05-08 08:04 ]

number4 · 05-08-2007, 02:20 PM

Hi Steve.
If the problem goes away when the wieght's off the front end(ie when you accelerate) it might be the an issue with the headrace bearings or the forks, get her on a centrestand and tug the base of the forks back and forth. If theres any play at all theres something up. if the headrace bearings are loose the whole fork assembly will move, if the fork bushes are worn then just the fork legs will move. make sure the fork oil levels are equal too(easiest to just drain and refill) if this all checks out ok, check the swing arm bearings too, if the swing arms floating it could give the effect you describe with the chain pulling the swingarm over and lending temporary stability when you accelerate.
'course if the tyres are badly worn, you might want to replace them just to rule them out?
hope this helps
kev

stephenjpauls · 05-08-2007, 03:39 PM

#4,

Thanks so much for your reply.

Sounds like something to check out... I'll take a look at it when I get home. I have also done a bit of research on the tires on the bike, and I think they might be a bit of the problem. The bike has Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa tires on it, which I understand to be mostly track tires... so the slight groves cut in the pavement could cause them to track.

cheers,
Steve

number4 · 05-08-2007, 03:46 PM

ah...just noticed on your other thread that your bikes only got 4500m on it? with such a low mileage, most of what I wrote above is probably not applicable. could be the headrace bearings though, they often need adjustment in their first few thousand miles, or so I'm told, never had a bike new enough to find out....
kev
:-D

BombFactory · 05-08-2007, 05:02 PM

Hey Stephen,

I've been seeing some of your posts and thought I could give some insight. Getting your suspension set is a little daunting when you are used to non-adjustable suspension bikes! :razz: When I first got on this forum someone gave me this link that really helped with setting the suspension. I would also look into what #4 has said--very important stuff. Here is that link:

Suspension Guide

Getting your static sag set will insure that your preloads are correct for your weight. From there it's tuning the comp/rebound. One thing that the guide is misleading/unclear on is taking your measurements for the sag. I'll explain:

First off, set all your comps/rebounds at either full hard or full soft. The measurement L1 is the measurement when the tire is lifted completely off the ground. L2 is when the bike's on the ground (off the kickstand) and you are sitting on it all geared up. Have a friend push down on the triple clamp and let the suspension rebound slowly; then take the L2 measurement. L3 is the same as L2 only your friend will now lift up on the triple clamp, let the suspension compress slowly, and then take the L3 measurement. Do the same to the rear suspension. You can do this with you and a friend if you balance the bike with your hand on a wall. You and two friends is very easy, however. Hope this all helps you to understand the mechanics of the bike a little better.

P.S. 1 Inch= 25.4 mm

[ This message was edited by: BombFactory on 2007-05-08 15:04 ]

stephenjpauls · 05-08-2007, 08:41 PM

Thanks so much for the replies all,

I think I have an Idea what the problem is...

Talking to some guys in a shop I found out that the tires that were on the bike are in bad shape, despite the fact that they still have plenty of tread. Something about going through too many heat cycles. They believe that the bike wasn't races due to the great condition, but rather the guy who owned it put ***** tires on it that were not only used up old race tires, but the rear tire is the wrong size (too big). The guys at the shop told me that having a tire that’s too big for the rim could cause problems.

I did check the front forks and everything checks out ok, I'm going to wait on the suspension until I get new tires.

Thanks again for all the help,
Steve

bradtx · 05-08-2007, 11:10 PM

Steve, Same as my '04 D955i when I first bought it. D/R settings all wrong, set to normal and much better. Ride that for a while then use the suspension set-up guide.

Brad

Nickwiz · 05-09-2007, 08:00 PM

Yep tyres. Thats the problem. Race tyres dont get hot enough on the road to realy grip. Its a common mistake to put race tyres on a road bike thinking that they will be stickier. They wont. They are designed to run at much hotter temperatures than road tyres ever get to. Junk the Tyres and get a set of Pirelli Diablo Stradas. I just did and I cant rate em highly enough.

stephenjpauls · 05-21-2007, 09:13 AM

I just put a set of Pirelli Diablo Stradas on the bike and it feels much better. I think much of the tracking feeling that I had was just getting used to the wind, however with the new tires its not near as bad as it was, even behind a big truck.

Thanks so much for all of your help and suggestions.

Cheers,
Steve