Bumpy/Uneven road feeling!

Hi all I'm looking to get an issue resolved on my '03 FJR. Had it for less than 2 months (bought it from a Yamaha dealer). Tell me if you've ever heard of this problem or have any suggestions.

While riding between 40km-70km I get the sensation I'm going over a bumpy or uneven road, through the front end. I'd originally thought it was inconsistent power and therefore I changed the plugs and put in some fuel-injector cleaner. The bike runs perfect, but always at this speed, regardless of gear, clutch in or out, perfectly smooth roads, I get this same bumpy road feeling. Took it to the dealer I bought it from, he said he thought it was lurching and that it was an ignition issue. I think he just wants to wait for my 60 day warranty to run out. Because its definitly and issue with the front end, not in engine power issue. Tire pressue is at 36psi, brakes look good, no flat spots on the tires. Any suggestions?

Steering head bearings torqued properly? Common for them to be loose.

How many miles? And when were the front forks redone? An older bike with say 30K+ miles could have a spongy front end.

The FJR Dean said:

Hi all I'm looking to get an issue resolved on my '03 FJR. Had it for less than 2 months (bought it from a Yamaha dealer). Tell me if you've ever heard of this problem or have any suggestions.
While riding between 40km-70km I get the sensation I'm going over a bumpy or uneven road, through the front end.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a tire balance issue. Balance it!! and your troubles will disappear/

What brand of tire?

Metzlers have been rumored to separate.

Bridgestone's suffer cupping.

Check your tires for wear #1.

#2. Check your manual, think your front TP should be 39. know when my gets low it makes the front feel "squishy".

The bike has 25k km on it. Tire wear is great, Metz. If it's a bearing issue wouldn't it make some kind of noise? I'll get it balanced asap (it does have weights on it though, suggesting it is balanced). Could it have become unbalanced? Thanks for all the feedback/suggestions!!!

The FJR Dean said:

The bike has 25k km on it. Tire wear is great, Metz.

Click to expand...

Tread or cord separation are independent of tread wear. Inspect the tire very carefully....it is possible to have an issue with the tire.

From Google:

metzler separation site:fjrforum.com

tire separation pictures

Check your front wheel bearings asap.

I got asked a similar question not that long ago and it turned out the guy had been regularly using a powerwasher. Ever seen a rusty bearing with no lubrication? :blink: The balls in the bearing broke the race and would now & then skid. There was no noise, just an occasional rumble or twitch in the bars and an uneven feel like you described. I'd hate to think what would've happened if that bearing had siezed at speed.

Bob

I would mention that your speed range is exactly where a tire or bent rim will show up. A much as it seems that the front end is bouncing up and down, tires/rims may actually be making your handlebars oscillate from side to side. Take you bike up to the upper limit of where you feel the problem, then take one hand completely off the bar and hold the bar with the other hand as lightly as you can with your finger tips. As you speed drops from the upper end to the lower end of the problem range check to see if the handlebars oscillate from side to side or if they bounce up and down. Based on your description I would expect the handlebars to go from side to side. I've had this problem once caused by a brand new Diablo Strada which Pirelli replaced with nary a squeak, and I've had this problem once because of a front rim that was ever so slightly bent on one side. Your tire can look perfectly good, but still be the root cause.

In any case, this is a fast, free diagnostic.

IMO, your tire pressures are low, should be more in the 40ish range. 99.9% sure it won't fix your problem, though it may shift the speed range in which you feel it.

Edit: Re-reading your description, that is the speed range where it is not uncommon or may even be normal for many big bikes to have the handlebars oscillate during deceleration, but not during acceleration or steady speed. First confirm if the bars are oscillating, then we can go from there.

I have to agree on the tire thing. My last front was the Avon Storm and it started bouncing and thumping on left hand corners. It didn't look bad on the outside but after I took it off the rim you could see the lump on the inside where it was coming apart. Avon sent me a new one no charge.

It is definitly an up and down motion, not side to side. According to the bike and the book, the tire pressure should be at 36psi. I'm reluctant to increase that because this morning I went over the tire and wheel looking for any sign of deformation. I found a crack, the whole way around both sides of the front tire, along the side wall! Is this the beginning of tread seperation (I've never seen it in its early stages) does Metzler fix the issue? The crack is less than a millimeter in width. I'd add pics but don't know how to put them up here properly, sorry. Thanks for all the help gang!

Take it back to the dealer and tell them you want a new tire. If they give you any crap bring up the fact that they sold you a bike with an obviously unsafe front tire.

Metzler has a lifetime warranty, so they're gonna replace the tire free of charge! I'll get the new one on tuesday and let you all know if that solved the problem! Thanks for all the help!

At 30,000 miles I had a problem with my front forks that baffled me and one shop, ended up taking it to Donelsons. The symptom was a forward and back motion which suggested that the fork was not compliant, i.e. to mush high speed damping. The fork was literally flexing forward and back. What Donelsons found was excessive friction in the damping rod. The forks were removed and cleaned thoroughly and reassembled, the cleaning process was very thorough.

The problem is solved, it was of the type that continued to increase with speed, there was never any instability just an increasing lack of suspension as speed increased with an increase in visible flex. You could see this by leaning of and looking at the front axle.

Changing fork oil and keeping the fork in good shape appears essential. Use good oil.

Neville

Well, got a new Metzler put on the front of my FJ today, checked the bearings and brakes as well. All are good, and the bump is still there! Could I just be crazy? Is it just bumpy roads and the bike is a little more sensitive than I'm used to? Never had or ridden any kind of "Sport" type bike before. As my first and only bike was a Suzuki GS650.

What are the front suspension settings? How much sag do you have when you get on the bike? Was the rim checked for bends with a gauge (both lateral and run out)?

If you could describe the unevenness as a "rocking horse effect" I would suggest that the previous owner may have fiddled with the suspension settings.

Either the front or rear is set too hard/soft [unbalanced setting]

The owner may have been a large overweight person and stiffened up the rear to take up the sag. [he may also have had a fat wife]

If this is the case the slightest bump would be absorbed by the front end and not the rear. The rear would tend to ride the bump compressing the front, resulting in the front end to do a slight nose dive.

Perhaps you should check both front and rear and revert to factory settings.

Well I've adjusted my front shocks. I don't have an FJR manual, so I have no idea what the typical settings would be. I decided to make sure they were set at the same pressure by turning the two knobs as tight as I could get them until I heard one final click, and then I backed them each off by 5 clicks. The roads seem not so harsh anymore, and the bike truly is a pleasure to ride! Thanks for all the input everyone, most appreciated!

wait, did that fix it?

if you turned them clockwise fully then backed off 5 clicks that is in the upper (hard) range of damping (there is a little text on the knob it says S <-> H for soft and hard). also that is only compression damping. there is rebound damping adjust at the bottom of the fork (requires flathead screwdriver). Also, you can adjust preload with a 17 mm wrench. But I wouldn't touch anything just yet...I highly recommend 1) getting the manual and 2) having someone help you set up the bike's suspension...the range of adjustment is truely impressive and I had no idea until I learned more about suspension tuning (from computer racing simulation games oddly). Last weekend I finally started tuning my suspension while knowing what all these adjustments do, and i believe you will be happier with the bike set up better. i had my suspension set very poorly for a long time, and the bike is that much more wonderful when it is set up for your weight and riding style.