Knobby tires on the road.... Wibble wobble!

[rah7777777]

I have noticed any type of groove and the knobby tire will track it pretty bad. This might be normal though. I'm used to street bikes with sport tires.

Let me know if those Dyna beads help. I'm curious

[rah7777777]

By chance you ever put the Dyna beads in?

[foggy3061]

I have Michelin AC10 tires

 

That could be the problem! Here in the UK the Michelin AC10 fronts are known as lethal, both on and off road!

 

Most who fit them don't even wear them out, they realize how unpredictable they are and change for something better.

[rah7777777]

Might be! Next time I'll go with a different tire and see. But by then I'll have the rims true and balanced and a stabilizer on it. If it's still real bad, I'll pull the AC10s off.

Looking at a GPR V4 stabilizer to go under the clamp, but I have stock bars and all I see so far is for 1-1/8 bars :-(

[Spiritwalker2222]

I use to have the AC10's on my dual sport bike. Good enough in the dirt, but on pavement they developed a horrible headshake around 110 km's. That was with balanced tires. Changed the tires, problem went away.

[rah7777777]

What did you go with after the ac10s?

[rah7777777]

I can't imagine hitting 68 mph (110km) on her as she is now. I'd be thrown off

[Spiritwalker2222]

I can't remember what I had after the AC-10's, but anything else will be much better.

[bobpara]

Funny you all should be mentioning this subject.

I have a similar issue

 

I have driven my WR450 (and many other bikes) with knobbies on the road for 20 or more years

As of late my WR acts really strange at low speeds (0-20 mph)....after that it smoothes out

But at slow speeds like in a parking lot its like somebody is grabbing the bars and tugging them left and right

I boosted the pressure to like 20 PSI and its a bit better

I have a scotts steering damper and it did very little

I was so concerned I put it up on a stand and wiggled everything around thinking my front wheel may be loose or something!

Nothing. Confused

[foggy3061]

Funny you all should be mentioning this subject.

I have a similar issue

 

I have driven my WR450 (and many other bikes) with knobbies on the road for 20 or more years

As of late my WR acts really strange at low speeds (0-20 mph)....after that it smoothes out

But at slow speeds like in a parking lot its like somebody is grabbing the bars and tugging them left and right

Maybe the head bearings are too tight or in need of some fresh grease?

[foggy3061]

What did you go with after the ac10s?

Michelin enduro comp 6 (fim). Extremely tough and very grippy on many surfaces. Used by many riders in the enduro world championship.

Plus they're road/highway legal in the UK - mx tyres aren't here.

[bobpara]

You know, thats the one last bearing I have not greased yet

.....I;ll check it out

[FORMA MOTO]

If your tires are national brands like Kenda, Pirelli, Maxxis, etc, they are made of synthetic rubber, and they 'out gas' after 6months, and the sidewalls and knobs break down.

 

I you have to run 20 lbs on the street, your sidewalls are GONE, or the tires were crap to begin with.

[bobpara]

Not for nothing, but in order to pass state inspection (my bike is road legal) in the socialist Republic of Massachusetts

They require DOT approved knobbies

Seems like DOT approved tires are made from rubber 2X harder than a true off-road knobby

While not as soft and sticky, they last a long time, I was surprised.

I suppose on soft stuff like new england cow dirt, mud & sand it does not matter too much

If I was looking for traction on sowthwestern adobe it may be another story

[rah7777777]

I haven't found anything positive about the AC10 on the street. Even though they are one of the few DOT tires I liked.

They don't have many miles so I'll wear them out and try something else later. But in the meantime I'll true the wheels and balance them. Also ordered the GPR V4. But with the AC10 tires on I know it won't be great, but hopefully better a little bit.

[msawyer420]

I can get into the mid 90's with no issues but im on rad excels's and michelin 2ct's

[bobpara]

Check for a loose wheel or axle, front and back

Put it up on a stool and grab the forks down low and pull up & down

There should be NO play in the gooseneck

[mattf450f]

D 606 n u will never have a problem

Unless their is a problem somewhere else

[chittyrox]

Dunlop D606. Ride & enjoy !

[rah7777777]

Thanks guys. I actually have a never used set of D606 tires. Bad part is the DOT number shows they are from 2009. I just don't trust a 6+ year old rubber on concrete (on a motorcycle).

I plan on installing the GPR stabilizer soon and thoroughly going over the suspension, bearings, axles, etc too.

Once I do all that I'll see how she feels. If it's still bad I'll swap out tires.

Thank you all.