wobbly new rider

[french tony]

Hello everyone, just bought a '98 transalp with about 25k miles on it in Limoges in France. It's my first bike after passing my test in 2004 (had no money at the time). Very pleased with the bike after a couple of days so far, the only worry I have is that the front end seems a bit wobbly in long fast corners. the tyre pressure is good and the tyres also (michelin anakees front and rear) and my untrained eye can see nothing wrong. I learnt on a kawasaki er-5 and did not experience such wobble with that. Is it because I am not used to the bike? are there any obvious things I should be checking? any advice would be very welcome...........

[Sharribee]

Hi TOny, welcome to the site, I don't find any wobble with Twinkletoes some of the really clever people will be along shortly with some sensible answers

[FatFergie]

Welcome Tony,
It does sound a bit odd.
How fast is fast?
My 94 handles ok, the problem could be;
wheel balance,
any of the chassis bearings,
suspension settings

or bumps in the road.

[french tony]

long bends at about 50-60 mph and straights at 70+ front feels a bit unstable. problem is as I've no real experience or anything to compare it to, only the bike I learnt on, maybe it's normal as the front wheel is thinner than the er-5 ? I'll take it out again today. could be that the roads around here are poor.

[CC Baxter]

Before getting out the spanners, try this: make sure you're not holding the 'bars to tightly and as you tip the bike into a turn lean forward slightly and relax. Give a chance to follow a natural line. Sometimes tension and uncertainty can induce a wobble (as in life).

[RainMan]

As above. Was trying to negotiate small unfamilier roads over the weekend in teeming rain with my visor fogging up, result was, I wasn't planning my lines very well and the bike felt I was riding across a trampolene. Try to slow right down before a bend and then accelerate smoothly through it with a relaxed grip on the handlebars, if it still fells unstable, it might be worth checking wheel balance and swingarm bearings.

[oggy]

Front wheel bearings
Steering head bearings

[sproggy]

Another thing to check is the rear shock - if the rebound damping is getting weak (or isn't turned up enough if it's adjustable on your bike) it can cause the symptoms that you describe. Push the back of the bike down hard and if it springs straight back up without any control/damping then the rebound damping is insufficient. If it is adjustable turn it up but if it's already on maximum then you'll be looking at a replacement shock.

It may seem strange to you as a fairly inexperienced rider that the rear rebound damping can affect the steering so much but it really does.

[french tony]

Thanks for all the advice. I've just come back from a ride on some of the bigger and faster roads around here (lots of bends too) and found that when i sit forward on the bike (like I did on the er-5 I learnt on) and plan my corners a bit better the bike feels lots more stable. Basically I was just not riding the bike well at first. thanks again for the suggestions...........