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2018 Speedmaster handling

11K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  jesus malaga 
#1 ·
I have a question on the tires on the new 2018 speedmaster. I have been riding motorcycles for around 46 years and never have had this problem. I have owned three Triumph motorcycles and none have ever done this. When I get into a corner with the speedmaster and the road conditions are full of road snakes “the tar crack repairs” the bike doesn’t seem to handle it well. I am coming off a Yamaha Super Tenere and I am on the same roads. I have a few friends that own street bikes that tell me they shouldn’t have to work as hard as they do to stay with me in the corners on the Tenere. The speed master is a different animal and seems to float all over the road as it goes over the road snakes, the same snakes I have been riding over for years. I am thinking maybe it is the front tire or just the tires in general. I went around one corner which is a left sweeper yesterday and have always been entering at 35 to 40 mph. Well I had a bad feeling about this speedmaster on the snakes so I entered at 30 mph and needed the full width on my lane to make the corner. The bike was all over the lane almost seemed to be sliding a bit but I know at that speed that could not be possible. Has anyone had this same experience with the speedmaster? I have checked tire pressure and have over 1,000 miles on the tires. The tires were warmed up before the turn and it has had the 1st service done. I was out with my Harley friends over the weekend and they said the same thing, being behind me most of the day my bike seemed to drift in its lane in the corners almost like a wobble.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Like you I have been riding for a year or two. Here is my story. I bought a new 2006 Speedy. I noticed it seemed display handling symptoms similar to what you have described when cornering, especially in the longer sweepers. Seemed to struggle to hold the line and " floated" a little. I bought some progressive front springs and it took the "float" out of the cornering. Went around the same corner at the same speed and it was like it was on rails compared to before. Nothing like a 675 Daytona but much, much better. I was very pleased with the investment indeed. Later on I picked up some rear shocks with adjustable rebound. They cost me 1 arm and 1 leg. There was some improvement but not as dramatic as upgrading the front end. My recommendation, drop in some better front springs first and see how it goes.

At the end of the day these Speedies are designed as a mid range cruiser and do the job very well.
But will never out preform a true sports bike.

My Speedy used to out preform the average Harley blokes around here ( excluding those on V-Rods ) when riding to twisties, often riding around them from time, just to wind them up a bit to be honest. But always claiming Yeah Nah Mate I just didn't want to waste a good corner. Honest.

Edit. Wheels balanced and rims running true??

I cant recommend enough in the investment of a static wheel balancer and some tyre levers. If you do this you will soon be in the up side of the investment and can ensure the relevantly easy and simple job is done correctly. There are a lot of cowboys out there that charge you a heap of beer Money and do a poor job.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yes I do have all the tools needed to do my own work. I also have a motorcycle lift, tire changer and balance tool. Thanks for the recommendation on the front springs but the bike is new and I think I will wait a bit before I start changing things due to warranty issues. I commute around 100 miles per day to work so the miles pile up quick. I do like the bike but wish it handled better. I have a four day 1,200 mile trip coming up next month which will be fully loaded, solo with gear. Let’s see how the bike handles it. I will need to watch the gas on this trip as gas stations are far and few between. My last bike had a range of around 280 miles before the fuel light came on. It had a 6 gallon fuel tank. This bike it lights up at 130 miles due to the three gallon fuel tank.
Good video on tar snakes
 
#4 · (Edited)
I'm sorry to here about the handling.I've just bought a 2019 Speedmaster .I had reservations with all the tests saying how easy[too easy] it was to ground the pegs but none complained of the floating handling.
I know thetires on my 2007America were crap[Metzler Lazertec] and I had a speed wobble that was caused by a cupped tire.We tried all we could think of to stop it but it was the tire.Changed to Bridgestone and never missed a beat since.I don't have any advice but I hope you get it cured and let us know what it was.


I just remembered someone posted [I think on RAT] that their rear wheel was mis-aligned not square from the factory so maybe?? Just thinking out loud.

"I'm at 2800mi and my bike developed a strange chatter/vibration, especially when decelerating. Investigated the chain thinking maybe it needed tightening, and I discovered my axle was misaligned from the factory/dealer setup. I had one dot showing on the left side, 2 on the right. Adjuster bolt lock nuts were both tight, just flat out misaligned. Anyway, I did the chain adjustment (correctly) and the problem seems to have gone away."
Ok I found it it was on FB the TTriumph Bonneville Speedmaster 1200 group page
.
 
#5 ·
Sorry to hear your Speedmaster isn’t living up to expectations.
I recently purchased a 2019 Speedmaster and just returned from my 1st long ride (not counting the one from the dealership). I thought the bike handled really well after I set the rear shock to four clicks of preload (I’m about 240lbs with gear).
My last bike was a 2017 BMW R1200R tarted-up nicely. I found myself riding too fast most times and more importantly, not looking back at my bike after dismounting ?
BTW, I have Avon Cobra Chrome Whitewalls on my bike. Not sure what model of Avon’s come stock on the bike.
 
#7 ·
I have Avon Cobra Chrome Whitewalls on my bike. Not sure what model of Avon’s come stock on the bike.
My 2018 Speedie has Avon Cobras. There is supposed to be a big difference between the Cobra and the Cobra Chrome.

I know exactly what the OP is on about regarding the snakes on the road, I feel it too. I'm considering putting the Chromes on now, for better handling, but have only put just under 2K on them and feel it is a waste of rubber not to use them a bit longer.
 
#9 ·
tractor tyres aka tall sidewalls flex a lot + sometimes used to help the suspension as they are part of the suspension!! better tyres are not cheep + generally OE's get bids on what they spec as they but thousands of tyres a buck a tyre is thousands. as i noted above i was hoping for a sportier wheel-tyre combo on newer speedmasters of the future, but of course an owner could get bigger diameter rims + use lower profile better radials BUT that would cost a bit of $$$$
 
#10 ·
I have a 2020 speedmaster with1200 miles, cobra chrome tires . I have experienced the same (wobble ) when on pavement that has a seam on it. Rode these sections on my cb1100 and never felt this oddity before. My be the fact of mixing radial tires with bias ply. I was always told not do that on a bike, but that’s the way this bike comes from the factory.
 
#11 ·
Occasionally I get a bit of squirrely feed back, but nothing that in my opinion would be alarming, just gets your attention. I am not a high performance rider, just an old guy and the bigger tires provide a nicer ride 99% of the time. I don't understand the scraping of the pegs issue that some have noted, you must really be pushing the bike and in my biased opinion if that is how you like to ride I think there are better options?
 
#13 ·
My bike is in my garage for service right now. New Michelin Commander II Tires, what a pain to mount waiting on the tube valve snake tool, new brake pads front and rear, flushing brakes and putting my summer travel setup on. The Avons lasted 14,000 miles and I hit the wear bars about a week ago. They are badly cupped mostly the rear and they did flat spot but so do most. I will report back after I break-in the Michelin's.
 
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