Skittish steering
 

Hey y'all. I admit it has been after a 3 or 4 year break, but I actually got to ride my VTR1000 this weekend a couple of times, and I did not enjoy it all, My bike has an 'Up-bar' conversion on it (normal raised handlebars) and I don't know if that is the cause but the steering is so skittish, so light and so quick it is difficult to maintain a straight line, it wants to go one one way or the other but not straight. Has anyone any ideas as to the cause of of this because it does not inspire confidence in the bike, tyre pressures are 36 front 40 rear, and the rear wheel is correctly aligned with the markers. I'm not actually looking forward to my next ride. Has anyone fitted a steering damper.?

Can you post some pictures? Specifically of the front end, triple clamps, etc.. It sounds like your forks might be in a position other than stock, and that could definitely mess with how the front-end feels/handles.

A steering damper is not need. Trying to mask a potentially serious problem isn't the fix.
As suggested go through the assembly procedure for the forks per the service manual. Check the steering head bearings for play. Don't trust the alignment marks on the adjusters.Use some other method to set the alignment. Another item to consider is the condition of the tires. When my last set of rubber was reaching the end, the handling became really bad. The feeling was that of tires going flat. Grooved pavement was just scary. The tires did not look excessively worn. The rear was squaring off, but the front was evenly worn with no cupping or other wear that would account for the wanky handling.

Thanks guys, the tyres are very recent Bridgestone Battleaxes, which my previous bike GSXR750 had on with no problems. there is no obvious play in the steering head bearings or in the front wheel bearing, I will go down to the garage later and take some close up photos of the steering head and fork tops, I have no idea how to adjust them. Will post photos later.

Here are the photos, there is no play in the wheel bearing or steering head bearings whatsoever. I have not checked the tyre pressures but was told they where 36lbs front and 40lbs rear, (on my previous GSXR750 I ran 36 and 36 and found grip improved a lot on this slippery Spanish asphalt) I wouldn't know where to start adjusting the forks but it all looks normal, not been lowered or anything.

I'm assuming you did not do the handle bar conversion. Wondering if the triples are stock.
First thing I would do is download the service manual. Then set the forks per the manual. Somewhere on this site is a link to the download, but I can't find it.
The rear wheel bearings should be checked also. Is the wear on the rear sprocket even?

Wheel bearings and headstock bearings all appear fine with zero play, can anyone explain to me how to set my front forks to factory with photos please, what is preload adjuster and what is the rebound adjuster..? And what are the factory settings.

Hey guys, I downloaded all 406 pages of the workshop manual, and despite explaining in explicit detail how to strip and rebuild the front forks at no point does it give the the factory (stock) settings, does anyone know how to set up my front suspension to stock..? As I said I can't feel any play in the steering head bearings, wheel bearings, swinging arrm bearings, all seem fine. The next step I reckon if I can't set it to stock is the bike shop after the holiday weekend here.

The owners manual gives a starting point for front preload with 4 threads showing. The first thread is even with the hex portion of the fork cap. Rebound is set by turning the adjuster clockwise till it stops, then counter clockwise approximately one turn so that it's punch mark aligns with the reference mark.
The stock suspension is very budget. It could be set anywhere along it's range of adjustment and would not cause what you have described.
My guess is, and I could be wrong, tires and or wheel bearings. How worn, old are the tires?
To properly check the wheel bearings, remove the wheel and feel the rotation smoothness of the bearing. Any roughness, the bearing is shot.

Many guys have fitted steering dampers, I'm one of them. THe one I use won't work on your bar setup though.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...6f9e584336.jpg
Some say.. not needed but my VTR was properly set up and all things proper. My riding style and my road conditions sometimes produced the tendency for a tank slapper. Cresting hills when the bike is "unloaded" or almost airborne and under throttle, the front would wiggle. Damper eliminated it all.


Here's an example of what we were looking for in your pics. Some squids slide their fork tubes up in the clamps to lower the bike. This can completely screw with the geometry that was designed from factory. Yours appears to be fine.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...bec48f0885.jpg


My first advice would be to confirm your tire pressures yourself, just so you know.

from those pictures are your fork tops near level with the top face of the top yoke? if they are thats were to start. your bike will steer like a chopper and the weight has been removed from the front end..

Ooooh, great catch. ya, your forks are too low in the triples and should be raised up, similar to Wolverine's pic of the yellow VTR. OEM has the bar clamps mounted to the upper fork tubes, looks like your were slid down after the bar conversion... definitely will cause issues.

Looks ok to me?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...423bf69ade.png

Disagree. His are low. Wolverine, yours have clipons obscuring most of the fork tube above the triple. Apples and oranges.

OH!! I see it now. Getting old sucks. Little phone.. no readers. Sorry fellers.
Fork tubes definitely need raised!



edit: If you need an exact measurement of how far to move the tubes lmk and I can provide it.

should be the width of the standard clipons plus about 10mm showing, as folks have said the forks are way to far through the top yoke, that things gona handle like a shopping trolly set up like that.