Should the handlebars wobble when riding hands-free?

[kwackboy]

As I mentioned in a previous post, front Tourances are often reported to cause a wobble.

Although I have a Vee  I run tourances with no wobble symptoms at all , maybe the it's the weight of the Vee that keeps it stable. Wish I could say the same at high speed ..   .

[Snapper]

I tried briefly with my bike at 40mph and it did exhibit a slight weave. Nowt to shout about, but it was there.

I'd be really interested to hear if you have the old problem back again   .

Was out today Snapper and had a few 'no hands' moments (just to check for you) at various speeds and didn't experience any wobble at all. So it must've been my imagination that it disappeared when I changed tyres away from the OE Trailwings on my last bike.

That's been no help at all hasn't it  

Thank you both for putting your lives at risk just to test this theory for me   .

I think that it is probably a mixture of the effects of having too much weight on the rear of the bike (with a loaded top box and a very tall, beer-gutted rider   ), having a rear tyre that has gone 'a bit square', coupled with a front tyre that doesn't have a very good reputation and finally, the wind buffeting at the huge flat mirrors   .

Sadly, I'm a long way off a tyre change, but I will be changing the mirrors this week and may also have a look at the front suspension settings in case they are incorrect.

Thanks again for all of the input from everyone   .

[Hugo Magnus]

it does down in to a hole that I don't think a pin spanner will reach

No wonder it wobbles, if you're playing with your manikin whilst riding

[Kaka]

I had the same wobble, it stopped after changing standard tyres.

[Brucey]

My 2013 Glee wobbled with the Trailwings. Changed to the vastly superior Michelin PR4s and wobble went. Interesting tyre pressures quoted here. I run 33 front and 36 rear as per the label on the chain guard. Before worrying about mirrors and top boxes, have you experimented (a little) with tyre pressures? The Trailwings are crap tyres. Had them on a 1000 Varadero before my Glee and they were deadly. (Actually experienced two wheel drifts on a motorway on a very windy day!!). On the Glee they were just about fit for purpose. Change the tyres sooner rather than later - it transformed the handling of my Glee.

[NTBooth]

I had this issue, found that taking the top box and panniers off really helped with the old tyres ( think they were maxxis detours or something of the like )

now have PR4 trails on, it does wobble with boxes on and haven't tried without boxes on these tyres because it doesn't bother me and I generally just keep my hands on the handlebars now haha.

[NTBooth]

My only concerns was that it was wheel bearings or headstock bearings or something like that but there is no issues there, might also be worth checking you have the tyre weight things on too just to rule out an actual problem.

[TimV]

I replaced a worn front tourance with a new one in August and the vee definitely felt less stable at the front than it was before. Softening off the rear shock preload improved it a great deal however. Presumably the old tyre's flattened profile was able to cope better with the bike riding higher at the rear.

[endintears]

No.
Might not matter very much if it does but imho no.

[Snapper]

Just bringing this thread back from the dead to report on my latest findings.

I swapped out the half-used Trailwing tyres for some new Michelin Pilot Road 4 Trails and the wobble has all-but disappeared  . If I take my hands off the bars and lean backwards on the bike, there is just a hint of wobble developing in the bars, but when seated normally (and without the top box on) the bars are fairly calm and stable.

It seems that the issue was either the old tyres or maybe something to do with the previous wheel balancing set-up  .