Front wheel patter?

[Desert Stormer]

I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not, but my front wheel seems to 'patter' between 40-50 mph, almost as if it's out of balance. I've just had the balancing checked again, it's fine and the tyre's sitting on the rim ok which is also running true. I've a 2000 mile old Anakee on the front run at 30psi. Is it the block pattern possibly making me imagine this effect or perhaps using too tall a gear? Does anyone else have a similar experience???

[BobA]

There's a chance it could be the tread blocks on the tyre, but I'm not convinced.

Have you had the front of the bike up in the air (on the centrestand if you have one) and checked the front wheel bearings, and the steering head bearings are adjusted OK???



Bob

[1gear1brake]

I am having the same problem at the moment, though for me it is most noticable at 30 mph. It feels like the wheel is out of balance as you describe though it seems to me that the ripple effect that I'm feeling is quicker than once per revolution of the front wheel. My head bearing definitely needed changing so I did that last week but the feeling is still there. Next I will remove the tyre and tube, check the rim and spokes properly, then refit and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'll fit the front wheel from my other bike for a definitive answer on whether it is the wheel at fault. It's just a case of trial and error. The hardest thing is to find a bit of road that is smooth and not full of potholes to get an accurate impression of the problem.

I'll keep you posted as to what I find out.

Dylan

[Desert Stormer]

Thanks for the suggestions. The problem's sorted now. For some reason I had 34psi in the front tyre. I reduced this back to 29psi, crosschecked with a couple of tyre gauges and all seemed well during a test ride. I'm off to the Bavarian Alps next week if the weather looks good, otherwise it's the south of France.

[Paul-S]

Glad it's sorted. Enjoy your trip. Don't forget the piccies !!

[Knobblywobbly]

I am having the same problem at the moment, though for me it is most noticable at 30 mph. It feels like the wheel is out of balance as you describe though it seems to me that the ripple effect that I'm feeling is quicker than once per revolution of the front wheel. My head bearing definitely needed changing so I did that last week but the feeling is still there. Next I will remove the tyre and tube, check the rim and spokes properly, then refit and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'll fit the front wheel from my other bike for a definitive answer on whether it is the wheel at fault. It's just a case of trial and error. The hardest thing is to find a bit of road that is smooth and not full of potholes to get an accurate impression of the problem.

I'll keep you posted as to what I find out.

Dylan

I have the same problem with mine. I´ve had the wheel powder coated and new bearings fitted, and when I but the wheel back on the problem started - quite a severe wobbly at around 25-30mph which is worse when de-cellerating / braking. Haven´t had a chance to investigate yet, so if you do come up with a solution please let me know as it my save me some time

[1gear1brake]

Well I have discovered what my problem is. Yesterday I noticed a patch of one of my front discs that was dirty ie not being scrubbed by the brake pads. I took it out for a spin and tried braking from 30 mph with the clutch pulled in. Without the noise of the engine I could hear a "shh shh shh shh shh shh shh" from the front end as the warped disc went through the caliper. Bugger! So it's got to be new discs and pads for me then. I hope that your solution costs less than mine

Dylan

[Desert Stormer]

That sounds a bit more than just tyre pressure to me. Did you get the wheel balanced after you had it painted and put the tyre back on?

[Knobblywobbly]

Dylan,

Have you checked the amount of warpage on your original discs - maximum allowed is 0.3mm. It´s quite easy to do with a bit of stiff wire and a set of feeler gauges. Might be worth a check before you splash out on new discs & pads.

That sounds a bit more than just tyre pressure to me. Did you get the wheel balanced after you had it painted and put the tyre back on?

Well, I´ve just checked my discs and they appear to be within spec for runout, so the wheel will go for balancing tomorrow to see if that helps.

[1gear1brake]

Dylan,

Have you checked the amount of warpage on your original discs - maximum allowed is 0.3mm. It´s quite easy to do with a bit of stiff wire and a set of feeler gauges. Might be worth a check before you splash out on new discs & pads.

I will check to make sure but if it causing the front end to flutter under normal riding it's definitely time for a change.