shimmy

[monkey]

i have a 03 1500 nomad and im noticing a shimmy and the front end seems to ride alittle rough what could cause this. it may be just me. this is my first bike so it may be normal

Some very common causes are:

Loose axle nuts
Low tire pressure
Cupped and worn tire
Slack steering neck bearings

Also, Nomads are known to have side play in the swingarm, and it gets worse as the swingarm seals wear, as they are also the thrust surfaces. That usually causes more of a wander than a shimmy though.

[monkey]

i guess i am stupid i dont know how to check any of those.except the tire pressure. i guess i need to find someone to meet up with and let them ride it and tell me what they think

Well first, how many miles are on the tires? What's the pressure in each? When you run your hand along the tread does it feel/look lumpy?

[ringadingh]

A worn rear tire can also cause those symptoms, as can loose steering neck bearings.

[Yellow Jacket]

Mike, not knowing something doesn't make a person stupid. None of us know everything.

Here's how to check for loose axle nuts:

The right fork has two allen bolts at the bottom of the fork. These are the Axle Clamp Bolts. They can be seen from the front of the bike. They should be torqued down to 21 ft-lbs. Get an allen wrench that will fit them and make sure that they are tight. There may also be a bolt in the bottom end of the fork going up toward the axle. If so, make sure they are tight also.

To check for slack in the steering neck bearing:

Jack the front wheel off the ground with the rear remaining on the ground. Make sure the bike is level.
With the front wheel pointed straight ahead give a light tap or push forward on either end of the handle bar. The wheel should turn smoothly to the stop without binding. Recenter the wheel and tap or push the other end of the bar, the wheel should go to the other stop smoothly. If it doesn't, the bearings may be too tight.

Now to check for slack or slop. With the wheel centered, grasp both forks just above the axle. Push and pull on the forks. If you feel any looseness, the steering is too loose.

If you find or suspect a problem, you may want to take it to a dealer.

My service manual is for 2005-2008 models so the 03 may be somewhat different.

[macmac]

03 in Alabama.... Are you still on OEM orginial equipment tires? The bridgestones are notable for shimmey after they have a few thousand miles on em..

What is the apx miles on this bike?

[monkey]

i have a little over 12000 miles on the bike itself. the dealer told me the tires had about 4000 on them when i bought it. i did notice that the front tire is a bridgestone and the rear is a mettzler

[misunderstood]

I get a strange feeling from the dunlops on mine at times. ( NO I didn't buy them, they were on the bike when I bought it )

[beezer]

my risers will fix that

I ran the Bridgestone front/Metzler rear with no problems for over 15,000 miles. That Bridgestone front outlasted 3 rear tires.

But you do have to be careful about maintaining pressures or the tires will cup, no matter what brand you buy. Some do it worse than others, but they all do it, and it will cause shimmy.

Do a thorough tire inspection and make sure you don't have any delamination or tread seperation going on. Also, since you bought the bike used, check the tires for splits, plugs and patches, cuts, bruises, abrasions, etc.

A 5 year old motorcycle tire is near the end of it's service life regardless of how much tread it has left. They literally just go rotten from age and exposure.

[macmac]

My 06 started a shimmey, but i am sure it is that dead bridgestone I have with 9,000 miles on it. The only time it does it, is when I use the rear brake, and am getting really slow for a red light.

Before I do much this Spring I need to replace both tires.. I don't care much for the OEM tires..

The 01 got new Metzler's Cadd installed himself, as I wasn't of much use around there, as i was. That made a vast improvement on over all stability, and was far better in the little rain I saw, after getting them on.

SOme other unpleasant things i didn't see mentioned might be worn swing arm bearing, and more over seals which are used like spacers. They wear and you can get side to side slop.

Or as many know the drive shafts on some of these bikes get sticky on one plane. There is no good way to tell if the U joint isn't right, unless you have the shaft out.

It seems that at the factory some of these either didn't get fully greased, and or there was a flaw in the machine work, which causes a seal to fail. I had one Cadd and i found with 19,000 miles on it. He had one bad with something like that in miles on it.

I didn't know mine was bad, or could be bad with that little miles on it, and I can't be sure it caused any shimmey, but sooner or later it would have.

[monkey]

i just checked my tire pressure and the front was 30lbs and the rear was at 34lbs. also is there a easy way to check the rear its a pain in the a$$

[beezer]

I get on my belly and shimmy my way in. You're right about it being a pain.