Handlebar shake at high speed

I rented an NC700x for a day of test riding. When I got on the highway I got up to 75 - nice - but while passing a truck I got some lef/right shake of the handlebars/front wheel. Not enough to scare me but enough to worry me and not want to ride with that issue. When I got past the truck, and went a little faster, the shaking stopped and never came back - but the highway ride was short - 10-15 minutes. The rest of the time the ride was fine except too much wind on a cold day - I'm used to a bigger wind screen.

So, is this shaking at a particular speed or while passing a truck common?

I am wondering if the shaking was just from the truck turbulence or if the rental bike has worn fork or tire was over inflated or ... ?

Unfortunately the bike I rented was the clutch version and I am still undecided between it and the Suzuki V-Strom. Darn seat is slippery and the clutch is forgiving but is a clutch and had no ABS. I intend to rent it again and work it in hotter weather - and when they get a bigger windshield. I'm also going to borrow a friend's V-Strom 650 and see how that runs for a longer ride.

I haven't had any head shake with mine ever. I would check the tire pressure first though.

Light grip on the bars and get around them as fast as possible. I've been moved around quite a bit on my 720 lb Honda ST before when riding behind trucks. One of the worst bashings I ever got was behind a minivan. That really blew me away....pardon the pun.

The wind can really push you around. I almost side swiped a truck in the panhandle of TX two years ago on the interstate....I pinched a button hole in my seat.
Mike

To high tire pressure on at least gravel is the cause.

Too high a tire pressure makes sense - that shop inflated my Silverwing tires to 58 lbs during routine service - way over the max allowed on the tires. But this was not on gravel but on the highway.

Could be tire pressure, but if it happened as you were passing that big truck, I vote for turbulance. I have not experienced any shaking of the bars at all.

I commute most days on the M20 which is the main route from/to the channel ports so has a constant stream of trucks on it. I travel at around 80-85 MPH and have not experianced any weave or shake. The NC even with a top box on is certainly less affected by the wind than my Deauville used to be

Head shake has never happened on my NC700X in heavy traffic or otherwise. Contrary, it is very stable at high speeds.

I've experienced a very mild degree of what I think you're describing. In my case, it was entirely turbulence induced. It doesn't happen most of the time; speed and wind direction & speed have to be just so.

I have to agree with the other posters. I've never experienced any signs of head shake on the NC. It could be the problem was just that particular bike. With a rental, you never know whether the bike has suffered previous damage.

Bob

High speed............ On a NCX?

some times my bike will shake its head when looking down a one foot deep rutted single track trail into a large mud hole!!!! oh no that's me shaking my head. my bike is very stable a t speed, but big trucks move allot of air and can even push a gl1800 around. dale

If you let go of the bars ( or loosen your grip so you barely touching them ) at highway speeds when not by a truck and it still happens it might be loose stearing head bearings.If not then it was probably just the wind !!.


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also could be that the tyre need balancing.

Mostly I stay off the local freeways since I no longer have to be anywhere really fast, but when I do venture on one, some of the trucks and busses do try to push me around with turbulence. A loose grip and a little weighting of the pegs (transfer a little weight from your butt to your feet) always seem to help. I've never been able to tell which of the behemoths will do it to me, though.

Heavy-H said:

High speed............ On a NCX?

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so you don't think 100mph isn't high speed ,well try getting off at that.
personally any bike that can do 100mph is high speed bike.

My NC had severe head shake on decel after I installed my luggage. I made some adjustments on the mounting of the bags and changed tire pressure and it went away.

johnakay said:

so you don't think 100mph isn't high speed ,well try getting off at that.
personally any bike that can do 100mph is high speed bike.

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What gets me is not the fact that the NC will do 100 easily but the bike feels so happy doing that speed,I travel up the A1/M11 most weekends,,,,and can tell you this bike loves speed,,,,as for abit of headbanging,,,"JUST GRIN AND BARE IT"

Ishkatan said:

...I am wondering if the shaking was just from the truck turbulence...I'm also going to borrow a friend's V-Strom 650 and see how that runs for a longer ride.

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I'll put my money on the turbulence. Just wait until you try the Strom under the same conditions. Ask Heavy-H, he and I both own(ed) Stroms. They are pretty well known for moving around on the highway when there is traffic to influence the air flow.

Do a little poking around at stromtrooper.com. You'll find plenty of stories about it.

Heavy said:

I'll put my money on the turbulence. Just wait until you try the Strom under the same conditions. Ask Heavy-H, he and I both own(ed) Stroms. They are pretty well known for moving around on the highway when there is traffic to influence the air flow.

Do a little poking around at stromtrooper.com. You'll find plenty of stories about it.

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OMG,I'm 6'1" and 275+lbs and it was all I could do to keep my Vstrom going straight when I was next to a truck !!.
The X is sooooooo much better!!.


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