Front End Side to Side Waggle
Yup, new guy question, thanks for patience.
I read the "Do's and Do Not's" page, it mentions this issue, and to not grip the bars tightly, but to relax.
I've also read a couple recent threads where bad roads make this issue more severe. Some of those writers stated the severity was bad enough to make them walk away from the machine, and go ride something else. (I'm sure it was not that one thing, but contributed to their unhappiness).
So, here I am, mullin' buying an F3, and I know this town (Tucson AZ) has pretty bad roads. The town is doing best it can, but they're bad no doubt. Lots of potholes...
So, there's that issue and that I live at the end of 1/2 mile of dirt / sand / pebble road (1 mile round trip, every time...), and then there's the problem with the belt and gravel. I know that can be solved with an aftermarket guard.
But, can this "waggle" problem be solved, or reduced, or is it just "the nature of the beast", and you live with it? How bad is it?
Need an experienced rider
If you could ride one that is set up correctly you would know how it handles correctly. Yes it's different but when you get the feeling it on rails you know it's rite. I also am new to it and found that tire inflation put mine on rails. when new for me it's improper inflation was corrected and handled badly. Up the front and it was like on rails.
Another newbie's two-cents worth
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mebgardner
But, can this "waggle" problem be solved, or reduced, or is it just "the nature of the beast", and you live with it? How bad is it?
I've only had a motorcycle license since July 2017, so I am a newbie in more than just the Spyder world. Got my permit in April 2017 and hubby bought me a 2014 Suzuki Boulevard as a learner bike (new, with only a couple miles on the odometer). I rode it from April 2017 to June 2018 - traded it in at just a hair over 3,500 miles.
Dealer is 2+ hours from our house. I was warned about the shimmy and told to "relax your hands when you feel it". We had just rode the bikes down to pick her up, so I was hopping directly from 2+ hours on a two-wheel ride to a three-wheel ride. Several times on that trip home I had to stretch my fingers to the sky while keeping my palms on the grips. This did help immensely. Hubby (my toy budget) took her for a spin when we got home and commented he noticed the shimmy to and that it went away when he relaxed his hands. It took me probably 500-1,000 miles to break that "death grip" hold that causes the shimmy. I'm not sure I would consider it a wiggle-waggle, but you can feel it.
I have 4,500 miles on Angry Bug now, and the only time I feel that shimmy is when I get tense in rush hour traffic...it's the distracted drivers that cause the anxiety more so than the extra vehicles on the roadway.
That said, now that I am more confident in how she handles, have been pushing my boundaries more, and can actually relax enough to enjoy riding, I have noticed a slight drift to the right that I believe may be alignment related rather than road grade related. I'm planning on talking to my toy budget when he's home this weekend about a sway bar upgrade and alignment.
You didn't specify (or I didn't retain) which F3 you were considering. Angry Bug is a 2017 F3-T SE6. And yes, I have put more miles on her in 2 months than I put on the bike I owned for over a year. She's become my daily driver which says a lot about my growth as a rider and comfort level on her, because I never took the Boulevard on a solo ride. Also I'm not being mean by referring to hubby as the "toy budget" because he introduces me as his "retirement plan". 😉