I think the front tire may have a bent rim or just be out of balance or ???...
Is there a home based experiement I can do to determine which it might be...

At low speeds it is hard to noticed but 30+ on the street it is very obvious.
A bit of vibrations, like a flat spot on the tire. In the dirt it is not as noticable.

There is a nobbie wear that would indicate a balance issue if it were a car.
Looking for any insight to check / diagnostic ideas...

Thanks

 

Mount some type of pointer (dial indicator works best) to the edge of the front rim and rotate the wheel through 360 degrees and watch the out of round and the runout.Do it on both sides.Does it look bent? Is the tire bead seated correctly on the rim?

 

It does not look bent. And the tire bead looks good.
I have a levering device to lift the front, I'l use the dial indidcator and see what that tells me... Good idea.. thanks.

 

Perhaps it is the back tire or rim? Might as well check them both while your at it.

 

My new 2009 KLX with 400 miles on it is shakey after about 55 mph. It doesn't feel really dangerous but not smooth like a streetbike. Feels twitchy.

 

IMO the KLX will never feel like a street bike due to it's size, weight and knobby tires. As for your "Shakey" feel after 55mph, you may want to try getting the wheel/tire assemblies balanced if it a real issue.
I've had mine up to 125 kph (75mph ish) and didn't have any shake, just lots of high engine revs. (BTW I don't ride at that speed normally)

 

Only .030" Range in the Dial indicator (+/-.015) tighter than I thought it would be but not sure what spec is for an excel rim.

The knobby is thrashed though, I saw there is .06" of knobby on 1/3 of the perimeter and about .28" on the other 2/3. That is a serious flat spot

My Pirellii Sporcion front is toasted. I think Dunlop 606 is my next try.
opinions?