Not even sure how to describe this. If I sit on my KLR, not moving, and wiggle the handle bars, then let go the movement keeps going for a second or two. Like an oscillation. I grew up on bikes, have owned many, can't say I've ever noticed this before on any of my other machines. If I look at my front tire while doing this, I can see the front tire flexing at the contact point. Could it be as simple as that? Why have I never noticed before on any other bike? I'm running TKC80s inflated to near 40 so not like they are soft. Can't find any flex in either rim (ie loose spokes), or frame flex, or fork flex. Anyone else's KLR do this? Mine's a 2012.
I'll suggest that it is just your body trying to Over-Control the tall, gangly KLR which may have had a 1/2 tank of fuel at the time. You've already ruled out loose spokes.
Unless you are heavy or heavily loaded, you might lower your tire pressures into the mid to lower 30's, always keeping the Front higher than the rear unless riding 2 up.
Front 34-40 / Rear 32-40 depending on load. The skinny front tire needs more psi than the wider rear.
While not moving? Is someone holding you up? I'm in the process of winterizing mine and tried to do this with just sitting on it. I'm way too clumsy. Couldn't do it. But mine quit moving as soon as I let go.
Are you loaded up? The first time I went on a trip with my KLR, I was terrified by what you're describing. I realized it was the inertia from my loaded panniers. When I jiggled the handlebars, the back would jiggle for about 1/2 second after I stopped. Any weight on your back end?
Yes. Even when I have my panniers off, I always still have a rubber maid action packer on the back loaded with pretty heavy crap. That top heavy weight I guess could cause the symptom.
Also, if you've got your tires that full, you might feel it even if you're not particularly loaded up. Momentum from the shaking isn't going to the ground, but staying "on" the bike, if that makes sense. (I say that as a total not-physics guy. Just an idea).
My 2009 does same thing stopped, loaded with about 100 lbs. i could initiate that weird feeling oscillation by shifting weight side to side, stop shifting and it would continue for a second or two. I was concerned as well but seems like the nature of the top heavy pig. Have you been in the dirt yet?
I must not be understanding the issue or how to bring it on, because mine doesn’t do any of that even remotely similar when stopped. On the road, particularly at freeway speeds yes, but not when stopped.
Mine will do it sitting in the garage or anywhere. While sitting on it or standing next to it with the bike straight up, not leaning on side stand. I just start moving the handlebars left then right very fast just I guess maybe 8-12 inches and the entire bike starts to wiggle, and when I stop doing it the motion ramps down to a stop, it's not immediate when you stop moving the bars. I can find no play anywhere, but for my tires. If I do it while trying to look at the tires at the contact patches the tires are flexing. Maybe it's from being too inflated, or the extra weight I have on it. I sat on my buddy's F800GS while fully loaded for a trip and it doesn't do it at all. But that's an entirely different machine, with less aggressive tires.
Not tire pressure. I just went out and dropped the pressure in both to 20psi, same symptom. Made front 30 rear 20 so front was higher, same symptom.
Still hard to describe it properly. Forget about the fact for a moment that it continues after I stop wiggling the handle bars. When I wiggle the bars the front of the bike, the fairing actually shifts left and right, plus you can feel the action through the entire bike. Can't remember any of my other bikes' fronts shifting left and right when wiggling the handlebars.
If the forks were completely vertical it wouldn't do it. But because of the rake it shifts the front left right when the tire is quickly turned left and right of center. No bike has vertical forks, that would a undriveable death trap, so I assume every bike does this, but in 40 plus years of riding I've just never noticed it because the shift wasn't so great or violent or felt through the entire bike like this thing.
Actually, not quite. There are three elements to single track vehicle stability and rake/trail is only one of them. A zero degree rake angle single track vehicle can be stable. This is somewhat long, but quite interesting.
Last week I went on a ride with new friends. One on a F800GS, and one on a KLR. This was the first time I had access to another KLR to see if it was different than mine. It had no wiggle at all. So now I'm thinking hmmmmm, must be something wrong with mine. We all looked at it in great detail during a rest stop. Wiggle unmistakable, but couldn't pinpoint the cause. When I got back home after a 17 hour riding day, I pulled off my panniers and top box. Tested wiggle. Absolutely completely gone. Put the weight back on and there's the wiggle. So the cause is simply the weight I carry on the back of the bike.
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