Triumphrat

08-09-2006

I cannot for the life of me figure this one out! At 20-40MPH, it feels like the front is riding on glass. It's downright unsettling. At excessive speeds (to the law anyway, 100+), the front wants to wobble on occaison. That's a bit spooky as well. I bought the bike with some mods, and added a few myself. I'll list a few things that might help.

Tires - There was a Pilot Race on the rear, and a Battle Axe on the front. These were 3 year old tires, but not alot of miles on the rear. I replace them with a set of Pilot Powers about 70 miles ago.

Pressure - 34lbs, front & rear. I'm 215lbs.

Wheels - Dymag Magnesium wheels. Could the weight advantage of the Dymags be the culprit? I have no way of knowing how it was stock. They are very light.

Steering Damper - There's an Ohlins damper up front. I can't see how this could affect the handling. According to the manual, they say to leave it on the loosest setting for street riding.

Bars - The Bike had Heli-Bar clipons. I replaced thos with Renthal Ultra-Low bars with Renthal plugs. Did the S3 come with barend weights from the factory?

Forks - Dealer installed Race-Tech springs, but didn't do the Gold Valves. I have not messed with the settings.

Ohlins Rear adjustable suspension - I have not fooled with this either. Would this affect the front?

Any ideas?

hool-a-gan · 08-09-2006

matris steering damper....M4r

www.rideteamtriumph.com

corners · 08-09-2006

Tires

1. Have the balance of the front tire checked or re-checked

2. Goes along with one - make sure one of the weights didn't come off

Pilot Powers are great tires but can be a pain to get balanced. I had one set we had to run no weights on and the last set I have four weights on the front rim

Steering head nut

1. Make sure your steering head nut is tight.

2. check to make sure the bearings in the steering head are not wore out. To do this you must lift the front end off the ground and grab the forks and rock the forward and back to see if the clunk.

corners · 08-09-2006

Quote:

On 2006-08-09 08:18, Skyler wrote:

Steering Damper - There's an Ohlins damper up front. I can't see how this could affect the handling. According to the manual, they say to leave it on the loosest setting for street riding.

A steering dampner should help take some of the "wobble" out of the front end. I run mine at just a little over half. I like to take the loose out of the front.

08-09-2006

Quote:

On 2006-08-09 09:34, hool-a-gan wrote:
matris steering damper....M4r

www.rideteamtriumph.com

Is the Ohlins that I have now not as good as the Matris?

08-09-2006

Quote:

On 2006-08-09 09:35, corners wrote:
Tires

1. Have the balance of the front tire checked or re-checked

2. Goes along with one - make sure one of the weights didn't come off

Pilot Powers are great tires but can be a pain to get balanced. I had one set we had to run no weights on and the last set I have four weights on the front rim

Steering head nut

1. Make sure your steering head nut is tight.

2. check to make sure the bearings in the steering head are not wore out. To do this you must lift the front end off the ground and grab the forks and rock the forward and back to see if the clunk.

That is some great advice! Cycle Gear had a hell of a time getting them balanced. There is no "heavy mark" on the tires. I had all the weights come loose at 115 the on the highway last week, causing a violent wobble that my damper likely saved me from.

The Head Nut is the first thing I'll check. What tool do I use?

I'll check those bearings as well. I have a front stand with an optional triple tree adapter.

I'll post back.

corners · 08-09-2006

I got a Martis from Team Triumph on mine and it is great. I had a Ohlins on my Suzuki GSXR 750, and to be honest the both feel about the same.

Try increasing the resistance on yours to see if it helps.

Here is what mine looks like

[ This message was edited by: corners on 2006-08-09 09:48 ]

ssregal39 · 08-09-2006

i would say get a matching set of tires, it's supposed to be that way anyway. then check the rear ride height and/or how high the fork tubes are in the triple clamps....and also wheel balance. :hammer:

Scarpa · 08-09-2006

Rear tyres should be 42psi.

08-09-2006

Quote:

On 2006-08-09 09:47, ssregal39 wrote:
i would say get a matching set of tires, it's supposed to be that way anyway. then check the rear ride height and/or how high the fork tubes are in the triple clamps....and also wheel balance. :hammer:

I do have a matching set, brand new. The fork tubes are just over flush on the inside, and stick up around 1/4" on the outside. I was planning on dialing in the rear Ohlins this weekend (no experience with that). I will RTFM before starting :hammer: Thanks for the Matris info, it looks SICK where it's mounted. Awesome. I need to check my rear PSI when I get home.

[ This message was edited by: Skyler on 2006-08-09 09:55 ]