Street Twin Question

Discussion in 'Technical Help' started by Tiffany Taylor, Jul 27, 2021.

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  1. Tiffany Taylor

    Tiffany Taylor New Member

    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    3
    los angeles, ca
    I would appreciate everyone's input on this as I'm having a hard time getting a straight answer out of the mechanics. I have noticed that my Street Twin has a very unstable ride. It feels like its weaving, wobbling, dipping, drifting, pulling and anything else you can imagine. This happens over all different types of road and at different speeds. Is this the normal ride of the bike? Tires/brakes have been replaced recently and made no difference, almost feels worse than before. Any suggestions about what might stabilize the bike more? Possible causes if this is not normal? I've been riding for 15 years and have never felt as unsteady as I do on this bike. Thank You
     
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  2. joe mc donald

    Dec 26, 2014
    13,874
    1,000
    slough / burnham
    Tiffany Taylor
    Seems you have a bit of a nightmare here. Now it could be a multitude of things. Does this start from cold or when the bike warms up. It could be a slightly warped disc starting to rub when warm. It could be wheel balancing not correct. Check your wheels are lined up and straight and no play in the swinging arm or head stock. Check your wheels to make sure there is no buckles and are free running. What tyres did you fit and how long ago.
    Joe
     
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  3. Wessa

    Wessa Cruising

    Apr 27, 2016
    11,318
    1,000
    North West England
    Yep good shout out from @joe mc donald . I would look back at when did it start happening and what changes did you make on the bike on or around this time.
     
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  4. sprintdave

    sprintdave Nurse,he's out of bed again

    May 25, 2014
    1,491
    750
    Birmingham
    Also check steering head bearings? Tyre pressures
     
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  5. Notso

    Notso Senior Member

    Dec 17, 2018
    624
    243
    Solihull
    Something definitely wrong, Street Twin is normally very stable. What tyre pressures are you running? In addition to the other points raised, it could be worth checking wheels have been fitted correctly.
     
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  6. sprintdave

    sprintdave Nurse,he's out of bed again

    May 25, 2014
    1,491
    750
    Birmingham
    And Tyres are the correct way round too.
     
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  7. learningtofly

    learningtofly He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!
    Subscriber

    Sep 25, 2018
    1,984
    1,000
    Hertfordshire
    #7 learningtofly, Jul 28, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2021
    It does sound suspiciously like tyres. I was going to mention, in fact, that the stock tyres are :poop: until I saw they'd been replaced.
     
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  8. Tiffany Taylor

    Tiffany Taylor New Member

    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    3
    los angeles, ca
    Thanks Joe. The tires were replaced about a month ago from the stock Pirelli's to Continental, I think...getting tires was hard cause a lot of stuff was on backorder. I noticed the instability very early on, started not long after the first 600 mile service. I currently have about 6700 (almost all highway) miles on it. I kept taking it to the shop and they kept telling me it was fine and that was the ride. I thought to myself, if it's normal it shouldn't be worsening. I keep the pressures around 34 rear and 30 front, but not by choice. I try to keep them at 36 rear and 33 front as outlined in the manual, but the tires choose to stay at 30/34...I kid you not, they will slowly lose pressure from 33/36 until they reach 30/34 and then they stay there. It starts right away, no difference in cold versus warm. It almost feels like I would imagine surfing feels like. Sometimes I hear a clunking sound from the back going over bump, like the shock is bottoming out. I also notice a feeling of dipping if I turn the handlebars to the left, it feels really loose turning to that side. I can't help but wonder if my size has anything to do with it. They always test ride it and they say it's fine
     
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  9. Tiffany Taylor

    Tiffany Taylor New Member

    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    3
    los angeles, ca
    I tried to answer all suggestions in my reply to Joe. It started really early on, after the 600 mile service (Feb/Mar 2020) and has been worsening since then. I didn't make any changes and haven't made any. Everything is stock except for the tires and brakes which were changed about 1-2 months ago.
     
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  10. Tiffany Taylor

    Tiffany Taylor New Member

    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    3
    los angeles, ca
    I absolutely agree and that was shocking because it had Pirelli's stock and I've never had a Pirelli I didn't like...until the Street Twin
     
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  11. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,933
    800
    Yorkshire
    Tyre choice and condition can make the difference between great and terrible handling. If your tyres are losing pressure then you have a leak, either from the tube or the bead/rim, no mystery there. I would have thought that basic faults like bad wheel, head or swingarm bearings would be spotted by any basically competant dealer, likewise issues like bent or unbalanced wheels or 'dead" suspension. Brakes will affect braking, not handling specifically alltough vibes at the lever from a warped disc can be un nerving if braking while cranked over to any degree. You're speculating that your size could be an issue? Standard OEM suspension on just about any bike you care to mention is built for the "average" rider so, unless you're exceptionally light or heavy it shouldn't be an issue TBH.
     
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  12. Tiffany Taylor

    Tiffany Taylor New Member

    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    3
    los angeles, ca
    Thank you for your input. I would agree that tires would be the most likely culprit, but it's been a problem even with tire changes. I do not have a leak though. I check pressure every day. Once the pressure goes down to 30/34 (usually takes about 2 weeks after a fill up to 33/36) the pressure stays steady for months. It's incredibly unnerving. I'm making a list of suggestions and will take it in again, so thank you. Sometimes I feel like the wind moves me around. The bike is already pretty light and I'm a smaller sized female, so I feel like maybe the big guys test riding it weigh it down more me and maybe it feels steady to them.
     
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  13. Notso

    Notso Senior Member

    Dec 17, 2018
    624
    243
    Solihull
    For weight, the only adjustment is the rear pre-load on OEM and you could be out of the optimal adjustment range. If you wanted to test the weight theory you could try strapping a heavey bag to the back of the seat? Could be worth taking it to a suspension specialist for a check/advice. We have a local place near us that will do a set up for quite a reasonable price, obviously they could advise spring changes etc.
     
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  14. Cyborgbot

    Cyborgbot Guest

    My Tiger 800 was behaving similarly.

    I replaced head bearings, wheel bearings and replaced fork oil.

    All the banging (bottoming out of suspension) and instabilities went.

    Your bike started early (low milage) so odd. I did find that the fork oil was mismatched in each shock. One hardly had any resistance at all! Fairly certain the oil was as the bike left the factory so not impossible that you have something similar.

    It runs smoother now than it ever did.
     
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  15. Helmut Visor

    Helmut Visor Only dead fish go with the flow
    Subscriber

    Oct 3, 2018
    6,095
    800
    Three Counties
    @Tiffany Taylor Could you take it to another (independent) workshop and get them to have a look at it. Might be worth it for a second opinion.
     
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  16. joe mc donald

    Dec 26, 2014
    13,874
    1,000
    slough / burnham
    Tiffany Taylor.
    O'h my friend you have a sticky old problem simple but could be one of a hundred fiddly little bits. Lets start tyre's are a big problem. Make sure they are not squared of in the centre. And they don't lose much air without a leak either beading or valve. Now I had this problem on my 900 Bonnie it scared the life out of me with wobbles. I took mine back to Bulldog they are not happy till the customer say it's good. Now they told me to dump the manual and set the tyres to 40 rear and around 38 front. The bike was transformed and handled like a race prepared bike. Suspension I think most people on here would say the OEM shocks are pretty poor I have changed my shocks for Hagon progressive as also the front springs and you know the difference instantly. Yes find a suspension specialist and get them to have a look. And while talking here what clothing do you wear not being fresh but some people head out with loose clothing and the wind blows the rider around making the bike feel unstable. Do keep with us on this one and the peeps here will have you happy as soon as possible. Your dealer seems to be fobbing you of as if you are not happy then it is up to them to find the problem. Tell them from us here in the family to take the bike and ride it 6000 miles. Also throw a mail to Triumph explaining your problems and experience also just mention that if you have an accident you have told your next of kin to have the bike examined for faults. Morbid I know but it lays weight to the fact you are worried about the bikes performance. The Bonnies are good bike and should be better than you are experiencing. So stay with it and don't loose heart and we don't want to loose you here in the family.
    Joe.
     
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  17. OsteKuste

    OsteKuste Intergalactic Warlord
    Subscriber

    Oct 22, 2017
    2,197
    943
    Tennessee, United States
    I second this. Mine was terrible with the oem tyres. I installed Continentals and they hold to within half a psi for weeks. I also raised pressure to 40 rear, 38 front and it’s a new animal now. I was also getting an odd wear pattern at the lower psi and Ruth at has evened out.
     
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  18. andypandy

    andypandy Crème de la Crème

    Jan 10, 2016
    4,083
    1,000
    Shaw
    Yes, I think this would be your best option.
     
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