Wed Oct 2 09:10:15 1996 - Message No. 49
From: Martin Franz <100265.3434@CompuServe.COM>

Subject: Re: Nervous behaviour of bike


Hi !
nervous behaviour is normaly caused by a loose stearing head "lager". Some tests
to apply:
1. drive very slow (about walking speed). Hardly pull the front brake.
if you here a "klick" or "crack" its the steering head.
2. sit on the bike, pull the front brake. Dive up and down in the front
suspension (know what I mean ?). There should be no "loose" feeling or cracking.
3. Put bike on main standing or cola box (pepsi also good). Put some weight on
the rear tire so that the front tire is up in the air. Move and "ruttle" (maybe
shake ?) the stearing. When moving the stearing, there should be "some force"
needed. When the stearing moves from left to right like "newly oiled": steering
head "lager". Also, pulling hardly on the stearing front/back should show no
"play", also pulling on the front tire.
4. when "normal" driving, the bike is very nervous on "laengsrillen" ehh, those
things on the street, which run the same way as you (uhhhh...), like railways
How to fix a loose stearing head ?  
1. let it do by a Honda mechanic (the easy way:-)
2. dismount the big screw on the center of the stearing, you will need a hammer
to loosen the screw. dismount the fork "holder", those four screws pointing to
the front. Pull the stearing up. Now you reach the "saw screw" under the big
center screw. 
Now fasten this screw with the hammer/screwdriver method described in "how to
adjust your suspension" mail. the correct tension is reached, when there is
some, but not too much force, when you move the stearing left/right (check your
cables, so you don't mesure those things !). If the "force" is not constant,
then "good night", stearing head "lager" dead...need a new one. (expensive!)

>>> Could this behaviour be caused with old tyres (my front tyre is very good in

>>> the middle, but nearly zero the rest)??
is that the same tire as you had the meeting !?!?!?  that "racing"slick ??
auweh....:-)
have a nice ride and a new front tire, Martin



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