So Unstable..A Nightmare to Ride!

[Brealytren]

Ok guys...I'm in a pickle that I can't find my way out of. First, I have a '91XII with 31k on the clock. Had it for a year and pretty much have gone through everything. The bike sat for 10 years after the original owner developed Alzheimers. Nice man and it was tough for his wife to let it go. Needless to say, she needed to be completely gone through ..carbs, fluids, filters, brakes etc. The E2 tires on it had a lot of tread yet the rear was getting cupped. I rode it the rest of last summer dealing with the loud rear tire and unexplained instability. Well...this spring I mounted new Shinko (I know...I know E3 are preferred) Tourmaster 230's. Well ever since the bike is just awful to ride. On the flats the front end will dodge from one side to the other.....yet not consistently. In corners...not even hard corners....she just simply feels out of control. At one point she feels fine, the next she is dodging left or right. Even in slight corners I sometimes have to panic and put outward pressure on the inner bar. The thing is so unpredictable in corners, I almost went into the other lane with oncoming traffic today. I just don't want ride it. I've ridden all my life beginning at 15 years old...and now at 54 I'm stumped. I've ridden everything from mopeds to cruisers and everything in between and never felt anything like it. Sure the easy thing is to say it's the tires....but I just can't believe their that bad. The reviews I read we're mostly positive, the only negative was poor longevity. I found nothing about instability.
More details ... tires front and rear at 40 psi, 2 oz tire beads in front and rear and they feel balanced. I've checked my install......I can't find anything wrong. Thoughts?

Chuck

[grumpin]

I would take those tires off and try Elite 3's. Many have found that some tires don't work well on the XII.

[Mr Jensee]

The tires properly balanced will make all the difference in the ride. Followed only by good shocks and fork springs. Start with springing for some E3 tires. Make sure the steering head is properly torqued. A bike that old probably could use an adjustment. Later spring for progressive springs and rear shocks. It will be an entirely different and pleasant animal after that.

[Brealytren]

Forgot to mention I have Progressive suspension front and back. Put the springs in the front when I replaced the seals. Replaced the rears after my first long two-up ride. It bottomed out too much! I never have torqued the steering nut. After thinking about it...that should be the next thing to check.....problem is, I don't have the socket to do it right. I think I also need to check the front tire for tread wobble.....maybe I didn't get the bead fully set evenly. I'll keep you all posted but please keep the ideas coming

Chuck

[SgtSlag]

Hate to say it, but I agree: put some other tires on it. I would also suggest posting your issues on appropriate forums (including this one), after you verify the tires are the culprit. Tire reviews are extremely useful. Best of luck! Cheers!

[onegunguitar]

Put on the E3's and I bet you'll find that's the problem. When I bought my bike it had Bridgestones on them and it wandered all over the place. Switched to the Dunlop's and never looked back.

[Gator Mike]

Agree with tire change. Would also check wheel bearings......best of luck......Gator Mike

[the2knights]

I have rode a lot of different motorcycles over the years. The Voyager 12 is one of the most sensitive to front tires I have ever experienced. I would swap out at least the front. Agree with a lot of folks that the E3 does well on the front. I run Dyna beads as well, so I know you (or at least your tires ) are balanced!

[bikerking.biz]

Check your front wheel bearings. Also your rear wheel and swing arm bearings. A combination of any of these can lead to the problem you describe besides the tire (unlikely for this severe). There's also the steering stem bearing adjustment to check. It almost has to be one of these.

[the2knights]

All the adjustments mentioned are things that should be checked, however the timeline as stated is, change the tires and the problems begin. I would start with what is known first. I am speaking from experience on this one. Thought for sure the steering stem bearing was not tight, bike was almost unbearable to ride. Had Carl go thru the bike before he moved to Florida. Everything was as should be, put on E3 front tire and problem went away.

[Skibou]

It sounds like your problem started when you changed your tires. When I bought mine it had 404's front and rear, and was uncomfortable to say the least in corners. The bigger problem, however, was almost uncontrollable tank slappers at low speed, making parking lot turns very difficult. Although I didn't really believe tires could make that much difference, I switched to Mettzler 880's which completely removed the tank slappers, and made cornering much more stable. After reading all the comments here about E3's, I switched to those on my next tire change and once again the improvement was unbelievable. I know this site must at times seem like it's sponsored by Dunlop, (it's not) but I'm just relating my experience, and I believe everyone posting on this subject has had experiences similar to mine.

[Brealytren]

Thanks everyone!! I believe it is the tires and shouldn't have gone down that road in the first place..especially after reading time and again the E3 is the tire of choice. I do have new information though. Some have commented on the wheel bearings. I replaced the rears last summer and the fronts when when I installed the new shinko tires. I jacked the front up today and double checked my install. Bearings have no looseness and spin freely, no brake drag, fork brace is tight, etc. However, when spinning the tire I noted a good amount of tread runout, as well as a slight depression in one small area (the opposite of a bulge). I think I'm closing in on the problem. I'm taking the bike tomorrow to a shop to see what they think. Maybe my mount job is just off and breaking the bead and remounting will cure it. If not...I'm going to ask them to mount a set of E3's and hopefully get back to comfortable riding. I'll let you all know how it goes. Sure hope they're open tomorrow!
Thanks again and happy 4th weekend!
Chuck

[Kevin B in Illinois]

I agree with the tire issue , E3's or E2's ...I would also recommend changing the wheel bearings out, especially since it sat for so long. I recently resurrected a Voyager XII that sat for an extended period of time and the difference after changing tires and wheel bearings was amazing. Good luck and Happy Riding.

KB

[mountainman]

Tires, tires, tires....I tried Michelin Commander II's on the 96 XII I had and it was unsafe at any speed. Had to chase it side to side on the interstate at 55 mph like driving on ice. It was not ride-able, unsafe. Had to return to tire dealer and order E-3's and switch tires.
My opinion is it's weak side wall construction and tread design. E-3's are one of the heaviest constructed mc tires. The Voyager frame and suspension in my opinion are not stiff enough for added flexibility of a lighter constructed tires. I think a taller & wider windshield also contribute to the weaker constructed tire wander. mike

[Brealytren]

A quick update.

A new set of Dunlop Bias E3 tires will get here tomorrow. I'll let you all know if this is the final solution. Sure hope so....I haven't gotten much riding in this year!

Thanks for all the input and ideas!

Chuck

[voyager55]

Be sure the steering head bearing is torqued at 95 INCH/lb.

[Brealytren]

Update! My new E3s are installed and balanced and what a difference! They track straight and true.....the bike is a joy to ride again. I also, torqued the swing arm as well as the steering head bearings. While I didn't notice any difference at highway speeds from these adjustments, slow speeds, especially coming to a stop or pulling away the bike feels notably more stable.

E3s are definitely the ticket for the XII.

Thanks everyone.

Chuck

PS: The rally next year in Estes Park looks really tempting!

[usmalenurse]

Tires, tires, tires....I tried Michelin Commander II's on the 96 XII I had and it was unsafe at any speed. Had to chase it side to side on the interstate at 55 mph like driving on ice. It was not ride-able, unsafe. Had to return to tire dealer and order E-3's and switch tires.
My opinion is it's weak side wall construction and tread design. E-3's are one of the heaviest constructed mc tires. The Voyager frame and suspension in my opinion are not stiff enough for added flexibility of a lighter constructed tires. I think a taller & wider windshield also contribute to the weaker constructed tire wander. mike

Strange.... ...the Michelin Commander II's are what I run on my '97 and I've not had any problems at all. I'm running the II's on both my bikes right now and ran the original Commanders before that.

[Littlebeaver]

This series of post has been a joy for me to read, I just bought a used 99 and I have that wander issue with it,, I will change the wheel bearings out, set the steering torque, and replace the swingarm bearings and check torque, check all the bolts at frame and check the fork brace... If that sucker wanders after that and the new E3's I get, I'm reselling it...

[Lumpy Rider]

1000 miles on my Michelin Commanders and ruby handles like a dream!