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Old 01-20-2017, 09:51 PM   #1
shane6727   shane6727 is offline
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Vaquero question

Hi all, I am new to the Vaquero and wanted to know if the Vaquero has issues with front end wobble? Thanks.



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Old 01-21-2017, 06:32 AM   #2
bunky   bunky is offline
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Have had my 15 Vaq for a full season now, with over 12000 kms. Not one issue with any wobble.
I have heard some had, but it might be due to under inflated tires or mods that change the OEM configuration.
 
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Old 01-21-2017, 07:23 AM   #3
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Greetings,
Have two Vaq's a '12 and a '15. No wobble, no problems...
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Old 01-22-2017, 06:13 AM   #4
Snake Ranch   Snake Ranch is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shane6727 View Post
Hi all, I am new to the Vaquero and wanted to know if the Vaquero has issues with front end wobble? Thanks.
Get the front tire up off the ground and spin the wheel. Look to see if the tire is out of round or distorted side to side. The tire and wheel should run true.

My rim or wheel ran true but the tire had a distortion to it.

I had a Commander II go bad, the tire look like new but the tire cord had a problem. Put a new tire on and the problem was gone.

What year and how many miles on your skoot?

The next thing to check is the tripple tree or steering head bearings, if they are loose the wobble can develope.

The last thing would be the wheel bearings.
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Old 01-22-2017, 10:03 AM   #5
twowheeladdict   twowheeladdict is offline
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I know the Voyager (which is the same front end at the Vaquero) had front end wobble issues during deceleration if you took your hands off the handlebars.

I tried a Dunlop Elite on the front and didn't like it. Went back to the Excedra Max front and ran Dunlops and then Commander IIs on the rear. The combination worked well for 60,000 miles. Oh, I did rebuild the front suspension with Race Tech springs and Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators at around 30,000 miles, and upped the front tire pressure to 36.
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Old 01-22-2017, 11:58 AM   #6
talon   talon is offline
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My 05 Nomad 1600 had a very slight wobble and it turned out the steering stem bearing nut needed a few more pounds of torque. As for the Vaquero, I have noticed there is a slight wobble in the front end that you really don't notice unless you let go of the handlebars. It only happens when moving between 40-50mph. Uncertain why it is only at that speed range. I do not ride without holding the handlebars, but I have tested it while using the cruise control on the highway, and the wobble isn't there. I have heard that the stock stem bearings aren't very good and I plan to replace them with the AllBalls tapered steel bearings. That has been my only issue with my 2012 Vaquero and still loving the bike after 20,000 miles.
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Old 01-22-2017, 12:50 PM   #7
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I know I need new bearings or at least they need to be tightened. The first time I took my hand off the grips it scared the sh*t out of me and I can fell it wobble in the turns. My nomad hand no wobble and went through turns faster than my Voyager. I just don't look forward to taking the lowers and faring off again.
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Old 01-22-2017, 04:08 PM   #8
twowheeladdict   twowheeladdict is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by talon View Post
My 05 Nomad 1600 had a very slight wobble and it turned out the steering stem bearing nut needed a few more pounds of torque. As for the Vaquero, I have noticed there is a slight wobble in the front end that you really don't notice unless you let go of the handlebars. It only happens when moving between 40-50mph. Uncertain why it is only at that speed range. I do not ride without holding the handlebars, but I have tested it while using the cruise control on the highway, and the wobble isn't there. I have heard that the stock stem bearings aren't very good and I plan to replace them with the AllBalls tapered steel bearings. That has been my only issue with my 2012 Vaquero and still loving the bike after 20,000 miles.
It is the front suspension, not the stem bearings. Mine still had the OEM bearings that I of course repacked according to the maintenance schedule.

The front suspension sucks which is why Kawasaki recommended 28 PSI in the front tire. People who have ridden my Voyager were amazed at the difference front suspension work can do for the ride quality and handling of the bike.

When I was getting the engine repaired under warranty the techs had to ride the bike, but they didn't know I had updated the front suspension. When they next saw me, that was the first question they asked. It is noticeable and worth every penny.
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Old 01-23-2017, 01:46 AM   #9
shane6727   shane6727 is offline
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Thxx for all the feedback, I am picking up a 2012 on Tuesday and have zero experience with the Vaquero.My only other Kawasaki was a 1500 drifter and I had had no wobble problem with that bike.
 
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Old 01-23-2017, 08:16 AM   #10
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For those of you that are going to tighten or repack your fork bearings while you are in there spend 50 bucks and put these in.

http://www.allballsracing.com/22-1039.html
 
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Old 01-25-2017, 01:43 PM   #11
shane6727   shane6727 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snake Ranch View Post
Get the front tire up off the ground and spin the wheel. Look to see if the tire is out of round or distorted side to side. The tire and wheel should run true.

My rim or wheel ran true but the tire had a distortion to it.

I had a Commander II go bad, the tire look like new but the tire cord had a problem. Put a new tire on and the problem was gone.

What year and how many miles on your skoot?

The next thing to check is the tripple tree or steering head bearings, if they are loose the wobble can develope.

The last thing would be the wheel bearings.
Thanks for the info, The bike is 2012 and has a violent wobble at 30mph when hands are off the bars. The prior owner put the commander 2's on the bike not too long ago and based on research, the commanders seem to be the issue on a lot of Vaquero's.Bike is under 10,000 miles so I wouldnt think bearings but Im new to this bike and have no experience with it. My 7 year old son loves to ride with me so I want to get it sorted out.
 
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Old 01-25-2017, 02:13 PM   #12
tonik   tonik is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shane6727 View Post
the commanders seem to be the issue on a lot of Vaquero's.
I'm gonna go with the issue is your stem bearing but the Commanders made it worse. I could be wrong, but I am pretty confident of that. Really, lots of bearing issues in the stem on the Vaq's and the Voyagers. Maybe the tire is out of round, or out of balance. But think about it, if the tire was really that bad you would feel something at speed.

Pop the top off the triple t and tighten the bearing a bit. Not a hard or time consuming job and I bet it fixes it.
 
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Old 01-25-2017, 04:54 PM   #13
Snake Ranch   Snake Ranch is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tonik View Post
I'm gonna go with the issue is your stem bearing but the Commanders made it worse. I could be wrong, but I am pretty confident of that. Really, lots of bearing issues in the stem on the Vaq's and the Voyagers. Maybe the tire is out of round, or out of balance. But think about it, if the tire was really that bad you would feel something at speed.

Pop the top off the triple t and tighten the bearing a bit. Not a hard or time consuming job and I bet it fixes it.
I went for the stem bearings first because my skoot has over 26,000 miles. The torque was tight at the value the manual called for.

I backed the stem nut off and retorqued it to double the specified torque. The problem was still there and getting worse.

I could not feel any out of balance when on the highway. If I was making a left hand turn at 65 or 70, there was a slight wobble. When making a right hand turn it was not there.

When I jacked the front tire up off the ground and spun it by hand, the tire was distorted from side to side.

When a new Commander II was installed, the problem was gone.

Same tire model and tire pressure.

Checking the tire is a lot less work than the stem bearings. Do the easy things first.
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Old 01-26-2017, 01:19 AM   #14
rick6375   rick6375 is offline
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My Voyager had a light wobble from about 3000 miles when slowing round 40 mph. Did not always do it, but was getting gradually worse. Remove the tree and cleaned and repacked the stock bearings, and retorqued them slightly tighter, about an 1/8 of a turn more on the nut. That was 3 years ago. Am going to change fork oil and recheck them again net month, hopefully, life has been a pain lately. Bike now has just over 60,000 miles on it, was new when I got it with 0.3 miles showing.
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Old 01-26-2017, 10:36 PM   #15
shane6727   shane6727 is offline
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Thanks all for the input, think Im gonna buy a set of the stock tires to start and see if that works. Are there any videos on how to tighten the bearings?
 
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