High Speed Headshake/Shudder

jonny333 · Aug 10, 2014

I have a 2006 FE550 and am getting a bad headshake in the handle bars, it feels like a shudder that runs through the bike. This is only when I am on the road and hit 60mph+. I can't push much past 70mph as its gets a little scary. I have stock suspension and Desert IT tires. Tires seem to beaded well, tire pressure correct, can't see a warp in either wheel.

Anyone else seen this problem or have suggestions?

tourist · Aug 10, 2014

Have the wheels been balanced?

Also - I got some headshake on my DR-Z when my rear suspension was set up a little weird. The DR-Z is a lot flightier to begin with so hard to extrapolate though. But yeah the DR-Z rear tends to kick when going over largish bumps, so I set the rebound damping quite a ways in, and then I got some headshake. When changing lanes at speed etc.

Sag has been set also?

jonny333 · Aug 10, 2014

I tried to take the wheels to local shop but they said they couldn't be balanced. It is not so much a shake as it is a shudder that runs through the bike every 1 or 2 secs.

tourist · Aug 10, 2014

That sounds exactly like unbalanced wheels. I don't know that there existed wheels that couldn't be balanced? In other words that's nonsense, or a misunderstanding of some sort on their part. My tire shop just plopped some weights on my 570's wheels - job done.

There are weighted strips that can be glued on (as I have on my bikes) and then there are weights you can attach to the spokes.

Do you have rimlocks in? I suspect you do - and those will cause EXACTLY that symptom if you don't balance the wheels to go with them. (People say that unbalanced wheels aren't noticeable or don't hamper performance in the dirt, but I really appreciate having the wheels balanced. I feel it and the wobble is distracting.)

chef · Aug 12, 2014

Put some slime in the tires. Kind of helps to balance them like dyna beads. If symptoms go away you have found the culprit. I would also check to make sure your front forms are t binding and your rear is all aligned proper. Check all the little stuff.

Rensho · Aug 12, 2014

I had a BAD headshake when I bought mine used(had a damper, wheels were balanced). After lot's of troubleshooting and trial error:

1. Rear swingarm shaft bolt was loose.
2. Top shock mount was loose enough that allowed play

The tell tale was when I had the bike on a stand and grabbing the rear wheel showed vertical play.

Unlike most KTM rear play issues, it wasn't the lower shock bushing, since my bike was fairly new.

Remains awesome to this day.

Snecx · Aug 13, 2014

Sounds a lot like unbalanced wheel, especially if you have rim lock. When I ride my KLX150 on the pavement around 50mph I get consistent vibration. You can just see the front fender flapping every 2 secs or so. I didn't bother to balance my KLX150 for the rim lock.

You can reproduce this easily. Just put your bike on a stand, both wheels off the ground. Then spin the front wheel quick and see if the bike can maintain it's steadiness while the front wheel is spinning. If the bike shudders, the culprit is the front wheel.

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High Speed Headshake/Shudder

jonny333

tourist

jonny333

tourist

chef

Rensho

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