nybryan Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Has anyone else some unusual handling once they have a few thousand miles on them. Wear rate seems pretty good but it seems as i lean in they do some wierd drop in stuff. They are not inspiring confidence. Bike has 19k on it so i don't think steering head bearing or wheel bearing could be the issue. Pressure is 41/41 and they are coming up on 2500 hundred miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaygermeister Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Will they hold a line in a corner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybryan Posted August 8, 2010 Author Share Posted August 8, 2010 yeah kind of but when just leaned over about 1/3 of the way over i have to work the bars as they won't seem to hold a great line. sometimes i seem to get more of a lean then i want sometimes it feels like less. steering seems light and rolling from one side to the other is sometimes strange feeling. Feels like something loose almost but i just retorqed the steering head bearing as that was my thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogoMan Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 The Diablos I used to run had a "V" shaped profile and that made the bike very light on its feet and easy to drop into a corner. Maybe you are just used to a tire with a rounder profile. I think if you ran a bit less pressure in the tires it might be more to your liking. Put some Metzler M3's on your bike and you'll be in heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 yeah kind of but when just leaned over about 1/3 of the way over i have to work the bars as they won't seem to hold a great line. sometimes i seem to get more of a lean then i want sometimes it feels like less. steering seems light and rolling from one side to the other is sometimes strange feeling. Feels like something loose almost but i just retorqed the steering head bearing as that was my thought. I have the exact same symptoms you are describing and they started when I re-torqued the steering head bearings. In one of my magazines, a guy wrote in about the same issues, and they said it was bad steering head bearings. They said the bearings get slightly "dented" in the center position over time, but it's not that noticeable until you re-torque. Then it's like, "What-the-Hell!!" It's also hard to maintain a straight line down the road. My bike currently has the front end off right now, and I'm hoping to have the new bearings in tomorrow night. I'll post here if it fixes the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 It will be a little longer before I can report on the new bearings. Put the lower tree and stem in the freezer overnight, then heated the bearing on the stove. Grabbed the bearing with a heavy glove and she fell right on the shaft. Wow, that really worked great, I'll have this thing back together in no time..........wait, why is the seal so loose? Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't get it all the way down. Now I have to find a piece of tubing with the right I.D. and O.D. so I can safely press the bearing on the rest of the way. Went to my Dads...nothing. Went to Lowe's...nothing. Tried to modify a piece of 1" sch. 40 pipe...still too much wall thickness. Fuck! Any ideas? or am I going to have to get something machined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rideonXX Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 I went to a plumbing store and found a threaded coupling that slipped on and made contact with the inner race only, yet cleared the shaft and wrench hex provide a fairly broad surface to tap the bearing the rest of the way down. It was about $3.0 as I recall------happy trails, kel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I went to a plumbing store and found a threaded coupling that slipped on and made contact with the inner race only, yet cleared the shaft and wrench hex provide a fairly broad surface to tap the bearing the rest of the way down. It was about $3.0 as I recall------happy trails, kel I did find an aluminum pipe with the right I.D. and I trimmed the O.D. with my table saw. Going to try it tonight on a friends press. No wrench hex on my steering stem. What year is your Bird? Apologies to nybryan. This has turned out to be a full blown hi-jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybryan Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 no problem at all. I must have left the lock nut loose on mine. All retorqed and fine over here bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelakes Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 Had the same problem round 4000 miles they lose grip. back get's slippery and at high speed straight on the back get's jumpy.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 no problem at all. I must have left the lock nut loose on mine. All retorqed and fine over here bryan That's good news! There is nothing more perplexing than handling gremlins. Planning on putting mine back together tonight. Cross your fingers. :icon_pray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 I have noticed this. I examined the tyres & found that I have worn a flat spot in the center of both the rear & the front, as most of my riding is straight along the motorway to/from work. Once I get off the flat onto the relatively unworn parts, it turns & feels as good as it did when new. But it was a bit unsettling the first time, I thought the front had slid out by a couple of inches. Of course it was on a particularly cold day, on the 2nd corner from home on the way to work... Initially I thought it had slid, but caught once it got to the softer side, closer look made it clear about the flat spots, so now I just try to ignore it. Now it is just like the Michelin & Bridgestones I have had in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 SUCCESS!!! Handling problems fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaykup Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I can't get any miles out of these tires! Here is what my tire looks like after just 2600 miles, with no burnouts or track time! 42psi. I seem to get the best milage on the Avon Storms (3500), any other tires that will give me some decent life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodeRash Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I can't get any miles out of these tires! Here is what my tire looks like after just 2600 miles, with no burnouts or track time! 42psi. I seem to get the best milage on the Avon Storms (3500), any other tires that will give me some decent life? Maybe you should look into upgrading your suspension. If your rear tire remains in contact with the road more, it may last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaygermeister Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I can't get any miles out of these tires! Here is what my tire looks like after just 2600 miles, with no burnouts or track time! 42psi. I seem to get the best milage on the Avon Storms (3500), any other tires that will give me some decent life? Side wall looks distorted, what's up with that. ........ nice chicken strips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toynut Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 A little chain maintenance might also be in order while your at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicholy Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 3500 miles at best????????? Wow, you must crank on the interstate. I usually get at least double that. Most of my riding is commuting to work. No more than 5 over. A few twisties thrown in here and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaykup Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Maybe you should look into upgrading your suspension. If your rear tire remains in contact with the road more, it may last longer. hmmm, I haven't touched the rear suspension since I got it, do you think it makes that big of a difference? ........ nice chicken strips <insert excuses here> A little chain maintenance might also be in order while your at it! Chain only has ~3,000 miles on it. I did do about 50 miles off road two weekends ago and haven't cleaned it up though... 3500 miles at best????????? Wow, you must crank on the interstate. I usually get at least double that. Most of my riding is commuting to work. No more than 5 over. A few twisties thrown in here and there. Almost no interstate here, probably 100 total miles of it on that tire... Funny thing is, when I first got the bike, I did a ton if interstate (Iron Butt stuff) and I was able to get 8,000 miles on a set of dual compound tires... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelakes Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Had the same problems with the Angels first impression real good. After 3000 miles they got slippery and bumpy at high speeds. It scared the crap out of me at high speed it lifted the back and bounced uncontrolled. The Pirelli dealer had seen the tires and was surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rideonXX Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 +1 on doing something about your suspension. Also, if your wheel alignment is off it will really chew up that rear tire. One way you can tell if there is a problem with it not running straight is by pressure increase in the rear tire. If you are running 42 PSI cold and it is 46 hot---especially with the Angels---get real serious about assuring your alignment is correct. I now run the Angels and the magic numers for me to produce a 10% increase from cold to hot is 34-35 front, 35-36 rear. I weigh in about 215 with gear and ride fairly aggressively---so was surprised when the cold pressures had to be that low to produce the increase I wanted. I have the Angels on my XX now (last two sets have been Diablo Front, Strada Rear) don't have enough miles on them (1700 Front, about 500 rear) so can't speak of wear as yet. One this is for sure-----they were squirly at higher pressures and would not heat up. Good luck sorting it out--------happy trails, kel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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