2010 RT-S with front end wobble after brake change - can anyone help?

[IGETAROUND]

2010 RT-S with front end wobble

Just got the tires re-balanced. They said they were off balance a little.

Now that you know that your tires are properly balanced get your bike laser aligned. Just had my 2018 F3-T done and I can't believe the difference in precision in steering and no push feeling when cornering!!!!

Al in Kazoo

 

[K80Shooter]

Just got the tires rebalanced. They said they were off balance a little.

And did this stop the wobble?

 

[langevn]

It's been raining and cold in this area, so as soon as the weather gets better, I will do a test ride!

 

[langevn]

Hi everyone, I did a test on my Spyder. It still wobbles now after 80 km and up.
I did get the wheels balanced, changed the rear tire, did an alignment on the belt, and also checked if any discs were warped. It was all good, but the wobble is still there. I am clueless as to what is happening. Last year I changed the lower left ball joint, and it went away; can another one be doing this?
Thanks.

 

[BajaRon]

I would check A-Arm bushings. Have they ever been lubed? The usual answer is 'No, I didn't even know they could be lubed'. And they aren't easy to get to.

If they have not been lubed there is a very good chance that they are worn out. When they get worn, they can give you the same effect as a warped rotor. You could try this and see if there is any improvement. If they are worn, you'll still need to change them. But lubing them might give you a clue if these are the problem.

 

[PMK]

Hi everyone, I did a test on my Spyder. It still wobbles now after 80 km and up.
I did get the wheels balanced, changed the rear tire, did an alignment on the belt, and also checked if any discs were warped. It was all good, but the wobble is still there. I am clueless as to what is happening. Last year I changed the lower left ball joint, and it went away; can another one be doing this?
Thanks.

While certainly could be worn ball joints or suspension pivots, those are simple and easy checks. While at it, verify tie rod ends are not worn.

You mentioned the brakes inspected good with no dragging, or warped discs.

Honestly though, more times than I care to count, improper tire balance is still the fault.

 

[langevn]

I would check A-Arm bushings. Have they ever been lubed? The usual answer is 'No, I didn't even know they could be lubed'. And they aren't easy to get to.

If they have not been lubed there is a very good chance that they are worn out. When they get worn, they can give you the same effect as a warped rotor. You could try this and see if there is any improvement. If they are worn, you'll still need to change them. But lubing them might give you a clue if these are the problem.

Thank you, I will check, but I think I did them early summer last year, but don't remember.
Also, I noticed that the right front tire is little chipped on the edge of the tread...

 

[langevn]

Thank you to all your help. I found where my wobble was as I was greasing the front end. I noticed on the right side a small amount of play, which I thought was in the bottom ball joint. So, I took the ball joint off the spindle and noticed the lower 'A' arm had some play in it, so I took that off and the lower bushings had some play too, so I changed them. I noticed that the ball joint was extremely hard to move, so I changed that too. Now that I've done all of that and gone for a test ride, there's no more wobble left anywhere and it now rides nice! Yay!

 

[langevn]

Well, I fixed both lower 'A' arm bushings, a new ball joint, and took it on another ride and I still have the wobble. Again, this is just me hunting, but when I went back to check the tire balance to see if the tire was still ok, I found out the tire has a choppy spot and uneven tire wear, so it will need a new tire. Maybe this was the problem all the time?

 

[f110tech]

Well depending on the size of the tire wear, and if it is on the same side that had worn bushing replaced, I would say the damaged tire was caused by the other hardware.

Bajaron sent you in the right direction, but if the tire is bad enough it might have to be replaced. Can't really tell without seeing it.

Also, I would advise change the bushings on the other side as well if you didn't do both sides. If one side is worn, the other is on it's way.


Your title says "After brake change". Is it possible this wobble was here before the brake change but you didn't notice it?
How many pots are the front calipers? (Excuse my ignorance I haven't needed to do a pad change yet), but the reason I ask is if they are two pots or more maybe just one piston is sticking causing the pad to slightly rub. When you get into a corner you are exerting more force on that rotor and even if it tilts just a fraction of an inch it can upset the stuck piston. (Yes I know rotors don't tilt normally, but if wheel bearing has a little play, or other parts are slightly worn, this can happen).

I would jack up the suspected side slightly and inspect wheel bearing, and tie-rod ends again. Then I would remove the brake caliper take out the pads, push the pistons in (see if they move freely) if one is stubborn it may be your issue.

That is assuming it only happened after the pad change I suppose.
If it was happening before and you didn't notice, I suspect perhaps the tire damage was caused by worn suspension parts and should be swapped out next.

Just my worthless .02, I hate to see you just throwing parts around.

Good luck, keep us posted!