Shaky at low speed

[Mmelanson36]

Hi new member here, first time posting but been lurking around for a while. So I have a 2007 fz6. I’ve never had a problem with this bike. So I took it out this passed weekend and the rear caliper was sticking. So I ordered a new caliper and two new tires since the rim was already gonna be off and both tires were dated . I had the tires professionally mounted and balanced and I put the rims back on. Now I have shaky handlebars at around 40 mph and up. I wrenched everything to torque and the rear rim is tight to the spacers and they are equally spaced. The bearings and spacers in the rear rim also fell out at one point but I put it all back in the right order I think. Any thoughts on what could cause the shake?
Thanks in advance

Also the rear disc may have heated up due to the stuck calipers but it doesn’t look warped

 

[Gary in NJ]

Welcome to the forum.

It’s possible that the shop that installed the tire didn’t do a good job balancing. Also, you can’t tell if a rotor is warped by looking at it…you have to get a dial gauge on it and measure the run out. If you had a frozen caliper, then a warped disc is possible. If you don’t have a dial gauge then you can remove the rear brake pads and see if the problem goes away.

 

[grahammarsden]

Firstly put the bike up on the centre stand and have someone push down on the rear to get the front wheel off the ground (or use a weight)

Take hold of the front wheel and try to pull it forwards and backwards or twist it from side to side to see if there's any play or the headset is loose.

Also use fingertip pressure to turn the bars from side to side to check for any roughness or notching that may suggest the bearings are knackered.

Then, with the rear wheel off the ground, try to wiggle it to see if the swingarm or bearings are loose.

If all that feels fine, go back to the garage where you had the tyre done and get them to check the balance.

 

[Mmelanson36]

Welcome to the forum.

It’s possible that the shop that installed the tire didn’t do a good job balancing. Also, you can’t tell if a rotor is warped by looking at it…you have to get a dial gauge on it and measure the run out. If you had a frozen caliper, then a warped disc is possible. If you don’t have a dial gauge then you can remove the rear brake pads and see if the problem goes away.

Great I will try this when I get home, thanks for the advice

 

[Mmelanson36]

Firstly put the bike up on the centre stand and have someone push down on the rear to get the front wheel off the ground (or use a weight)

Take hold of the front wheel and try to pull it forwards and backwards or twist it from side to side to see if there's any play or the headset is loose.

Also use fingertip pressure to turn the bars from side to side to check for any roughness or notching that may suggest the bearings are knackered.

Then, with the rear wheel off the ground, try to wiggle it to see if the swingarm or bearings are loose.

If all that feels fine, go back to the garage where you had the tyre done and get them to check the balance

 

[Mmelanson36]

Great advice, thank you. I will try it when I get home

 

[Mmelanson36]

I’ve done everything suggested and still no luck. I got the bike up on the center stand and checked both tires for play, they are both solid. Turning the bars was also very smooth.. the rear brake disc looks straight but I took the rear pads out just to be sure and no difference there either. I’m not sure what else it could be.. it drove perfectly straight before changing out the tires

 

[Mmelanson36]

is this gap normal?

 

[Gary in NJ]

No, it’s not. There should be a slight gap but yours looks a few mm too far.

 

[Gary in NJ]

I take it back…looks normal. I took a photo of mine and it looks exactly the same.

 

[Mmelanson36]

Ok Thank you for the reply. I guess it’s back to the shop to have tires re balanced. Hopefully that will fix it I will update when it’s fixed

 

[Mmelanson36]

Possibly fork seals?? I brought my tires to a different mechanic today and they were good. Rear tire was out of balance by 1oz. As I was talking to him about my problem he noted fork seals could cause the shake. Sure enough I get home and check it out and one side is leaking. Guess I’ll be putting it in the shop tomorrow to have them done