Well a month or so ago I posted about my bike weaving back and forth and the steering getting slightly stuck in a spot when going slow and turning corners. Here is a refresher then I have a question that I will ask in the second post.

My bike has developed a slight lean/weave at speeds of 10 to 30. I try and hold the bars tight, but the bike leans back and forth. Sorry I can't describe it any better than that. I talked to bryantjt today, and he suggested that I check my tire pressure, and I realized that I hadn't checked it since the poker run last month, (I know bad deej) They were both around 17 lbs, so I bumped them up to 25 each, and went for a ride, it seemed to be a little better, but still did it. Should I run it up to the full 35 lbs and see if that does it?

Hmmmm good thought, the steering bearing......I will investigate, anyone have a torque spec on that one?

Ok Update: I checked everything out, including but not limited to: air pressure in tires, air in forks, (not the town I live in but forks as in front suspension ) there is no play in either wheel, but while the bike was up on the stand at lunch today, the front end turns so easy it actually goes by itself all the way to the stop either way. So I am leaning toward snugging up the bearing collar a little. I talked to a friend of mine after lunch and he showed me what to do. Since the handle bars are in the way for a wrench or socket to get to the steering nut, you have to take off the 4 bolts holding the bars on, move the bars forward and set them on a towel then get a wrench or a socket on the nut and get it just a little loose, then take a good clean punch and carefully tap the collar in the groove and get it to turn a little clockwise. He said the bars should move like they are hydraulic, not easy, but not hard either, I think mine are too loose. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sorry I didn't post until now, I found out what was causing the weave. It was the steering nut. But not in the direction I thought. It was actually tight, and needing grease. When I thought it was loose I tightened it a little and went for a ride and the steering actually had a couple of spots that would hang up a little, and it was brutal on the gravel roads, it was like steering a lawn mower that had worn out steering knuckles. Anyway I went back to the original position and then backed it off just a little, and problem solved, well sort of. I still need to get it apart and grease it, but all indicators are that the bearings just need to be lubed. However before that I did a complete spoke adjustment, and found a few that had a really low ring tone, and went through all of them, checked the tires and everything is true again, which usually doesn't happen that easy, but I got lucky. Then I went for a ride, and the steering was still doing that weave back and forth, but I wanted to do one thing at a time to eliminate what the problem was or was not. Anyway after loosening the steering nut just a little the weave is gone, so the first chance I get the steering bearings are getting fully greased and then adjusted. Oh and keep in mind that as you tighten the main nut on the top, not the collar, it will add a little to the torque of everything, so you might have to deduct that before getting the collar where you need it to be. On another related note, I am going to get into the swing arm soon and when I do, I will be adding grease fittings like the ones on the wife's XT225.

 

Sorry for that long post but I wanted to give a little back ground first. The spot where the steering is hanging up is back, I noticed it when I left the dealership, not a danger to ride, but not good either. A friend of mine said that one of the bearings probably has a rust spot on it and needs cleaned, greased and spun to a different side of the race. So here is my question. How do you grease the front steering bearings? Is there a picture post somewhere on the net do I have to remove all the handle bar stuff? Thanks in advance.

Oh one more question, what is a good glue for the grips, my clutch side is twisting on me.

 

I think your dirt bike is trying to tell you it wants to be treated like a dirt bike. Stop cleaning it so much and see if all the problems clear up.

I didn't use any grip glue when I changed my bars. I think there's a bunch of dirt under mine holding them in place.

 

LMAO!!!...If you seen his bike you would know its true.

 

I did take a pressure washer to it Sunday for the first time. 1800 miles and I finally wash it. I figure it's good for another 2k miles before I give it a bath like that again. I did rinse off today after going up to Reiter for a little. But the only reason I rinsed it off is because Moto Pro is supposed to get some springs in this week, so hopefully my suspension will be set for my fat **** by the end of the week.

 

Lots of help, thanks guys LOL

 

hahaa... i think bad bear would be the best person to help you here deej... sorry i cant help you any

 

Sorry Deej, No help I can be to you on this one. If I were to make a guess I would say your buddy is probally right and the bearings are all dried up. If this is the case than if some water does get down into the bearing area there is nothing to desperse the water away from the bearings and they could began to rust and cause a rough spot. So now when you load the bike up with you and your gear that little spot could now get amplified into a rather large problem just like you are describing. When they assembled these bikes I swear there was a grease shortaged or something. So far everthing I have torn into has been lacking on the grease IMO. So for peace of mind tear it apart and inspect those bearings if they look good grease them up. Good Luck

 

I thought that this thread was going to be about the return of your top end noise! Whew! Glad its not.

Dry or having your races too tight will cause the symptoms that you're having.

Willum
TC

 

Deej,

Here's a link I found showing how to grease the steering head.
http://www.klxzone.co.uk/images/tips...%20Guide_4.doc

It's for a klx300 but I would guess it would be similar.