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Rear tire 'skipping'
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First post on rec.moto, be nice please ;)
Okay, I have an '82 Honda 450. It runs well once it gets started, all
though the starter is a little weak and it needs to be warm for the
engine to turn over.
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An AGM battery, which has 40-50% more CCA than a standard wet-cell, will
make your starter act like it is factory-fresh. Well worth the $50-60.
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Yesterday I went for a quick ride (20 min. or so on country roads,
never much over 55mph) and felt the back tire skipping or surfing (for
lack of a better word). It felt like the back tire was not holding a
straight line, but rather moving around on me as I was going along. I
played the day conservatively as it worried me, but cannot figure out
what would cause the problem. The tire is new, and was at correct
pressure at the beginning of the week when I checked it last (could not
find my gauge yesterday), and I am at a loss for what may be happening.
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Just to add to the good advice everyone else has posted, check the
front wheel bearing (wiggle front wheel while holding bars). Wheel
bearings
sometimes mask which end is the bad one.
Also, check the swingarm bearing by trying to wiggle the rear end left
and right when the rear wheel is in the air.
- Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo (wreck.moto olde-tymer)
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Check the tire pressure.
The tire may be new but it can still have a slow leak..
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If your bike has a centerstand, you might try the following after
putting the bike on the stand:
1) Put the bike in neutral
2) turn the rear tire through a complete revolution, making sure to
keep your fingers clear of the chain and sprocket.
3) while rotating the tire, inspect it for bulges or bubbles, foreign
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A thought here -
Cut a piece of paper / cardboard to the profile of the tire,
as seen from 'level' ( IOW - what the road sees ), at axle height.
Just mark it out with a pencil and cut it with scissors or a blade, so
it fits nice and snug as you hold it to the tire.
Then , hold it to the back of the tire as you manually rotate
the tire.
Look for variances in the gap between paper and rubber.
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objects, or any kinks or protrusions under the rubber that might be a
twisted, folder, broken, or defective belt or cord in the tire carcass.
Also look to make sure that the bead is seated evenly on both sides of
teh tire for the entire circumferunce of the tire - i.e., find a molded
line or edge or lettering thgat is parallel to the bead, and compare
its distance from the wheel rim all the way around the tire, makeing
sure that there are no "high" or "low" spots,
4. If the tire looks okay, check the rim. No dents, cracks, bends?
5. get a pen or pencil and somne nyties or wire ties, or get a piece of
malleable wire (a wire clothes hanger will work) and fasten your
pointer (the pen, pencil, or wire) to your swingarm (using the nytie,
wire tie, vise grip, hose clamp, rubber band, c-clamp, whatever) so
that it is about 1/8 of an inch away from th edge of your wheel rim.
rotate the wheel. you should have no more than 1/8 inch of "runout" or
"play" in the wheel rim as it passes your pointer. If it touches your
1/8" pointer or moves more than 1/4" inch away from the pointer, your
wheel is out of true or your axle is cockeyed in the swingarm. If the
axle is cockeyed, the differences will be the same - but opposing - on
both sides. Adjust your chain, and make sure when your done that your
axle is straight.
6. if the tire and wheel look good, check your chain and sprockets.
There are lots of on-line resources with pictures to show you what a
knackered chain and sprockets look like, and if your chain has a few
frozen links you can get a tight/loose/tight/loose phenomena that will
cause the exact sensation when riding that you describe - when you
alternately have a tight chain then a loose chain as you ride, the rear
suspension is loaded and unloaded and you get that skipping feeling.
7. If your tire, wheel, chain, and sprockets all check out fine, you
might have a mechanical issue with your engine.
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Also grab the back edge of the wheel and try to shake it side to side,
checking for any play.
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Treat this seriously. As has been suggested by others
1) Find a tire guage and check the pressure.
2) Check the tire walls for bulges and blisters.
3) Put the bike on it's centerstand or lacking a centerstand,
make something from blocks of wood, milk crates, etc.
Grab the wheel and try to shake it. Make sure the
wheel and fork bearings aren't in the process of failing.
4) Check your shocks, shock mounts, axles etc. Look
for a failed shock or a loose nut/bolt.
5) Take it back to wherever you bought the tire and ask
them to look at it.
6) If you still can't figure it out, consider paying somebody
to look at it.
You really, really don't want it to do something especially
squirelly in the middle of high speed traffic.
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