Vibration / shaking while on highway...

kmalek

kmalek

Well-known member
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Good morning everyone...

I have this one (hopefully not stupid) question ...

First a little background...
I got my bike almost at the end of last season, so to be fair and honest I consider this to be my first season on the bike.
That also makes me a noob in many areas, but I'm learning.

Anyway, yesterday was the first time I got on highway.

The main reason why I waited for so long was that I use open face helmet and wear prescription glasses.
Because of that, anything above 70km/h was simply painful. All the wind would go under my glasses and my eyes would go nuts.

So, yesterday I picked up prescription inserts for my Bobster goggles and finally I was ready to go on the highway.
Since this was my first time on the highway, I wanted to go easy, so I just took 403 from Mavis to Eastgate / Cawthra exit.

While on the highway at 100 - 110 km/h my bike was vibrating/shaking a lot.
To be honest, at some point it was so extensive that I was worried that I may not be able to control it.

So here comes my question(s)....

Is this normal or perhaps I should have my bike checked by a mechanic, or someone with a lot of highway riding experience?
Does this have anything to do with my helmet being open face?
I also found myself squeezing the grips very hard while on the highway...

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

PS
I'm riding 2007 V Star Classic 1100
 
There can be a number of reasons for the vibration. If its so bad you're having problems controlling the bike then its not normal (at that low a speed). Start with the most simple item. Tires. Check the front and rear and make sure they're at the proper pressure, check for uneven wear next.
 
get your tires balanced. They're slamming the pavement in that speed range causing your vibration.

Also, don't grab the grips so tightly it's dangerous. If you go over a bump or hit a pothole too much control is in your body reaction.
 
Sounds like it could be a balance issue, you may have lost a wheel weight somewhere.

My buddy slipped a belt in his tire before (in his van) tire looked fine but the thing vibrated like crazy. new tire problem solved.

In any case that bike should be rock solid at that speed. Get it checked out.
 
How often do you check your tires? do you know if your wheels are balanced? Are there any dings in the rims? How about bearings? Are the wheels in alignment? How about the chain, properly adjusted? Forks and shocks? Axles tight? Swingarm bearings good?

As mentioned you can see there are a lot of things that can cause this and as it can be a potentially dangerous condition you need to get it checked out. Don't be taking chances.

In my experience a lot of new people don't remember to check their tire pressure. The bike can be very sensitive to this so get in the habit of checking regularly. Also do you "preflight" the bike i.e. walk around and inspect the tires, wheels, axle nuts, any missing or lose parts etc.

Too many people just assume everything is hunky dory and jump on and maybe ride into disaster. To check is to know.

Get it looked at by a pro.

Ride safely.
Spyug
 
Thanks a lot for all the replies.

I have to admit that I did not check the tire pressure in about a month or so... will do that tonight.
As for the wheel balance and alignment... well I did not do that yet.
My bike was serviced few weeks ago, but it was just a regular maintenance like oil change, lube etc.

I know that the previous owner took extremely good care of the bike.
All service work was done on time at the dealership etc.
It is 2007 but with less than 4000 km ( 3050km when I got it)

I know that it doesn't mean that the bike is or should be perfect condition, but do you think that there may be already a problem with forks/shocks, axles etc?

I will take it to the shop as soon as I can to check all the things you guys have mentioned here.

Thanks a lot,
Chris
 
There's one stretch of Highway 416 that makes my bike shake and it's the particular road surface coupled with the profile of my particular tires. Everywhere else there's no problem. Sometimes it can be something as simple as that.
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