Front end bounce

[Cburns]

Hello! First post and new to riding. I have a 1987 K75c. As a new rider I found this bike so amazingly smooth!!! After a winter of driving I had to get my tires replaced. So I went to the local Honda store to put some new tires on. They replaced the front tire and had mentioned that the back tire needed replacing too so I said order one. They also notified me that my left fork was leaking. I noticed the bike handled very different with the new front tire so I though I would wait till I had the new back tire to see if the ride smoothed out. Unfortunately it did not. They told me to do the fork seals to make sure that wasn't the problem. I took it to the not so local BMW store to have the fork seals done. I did not notice any difference in the front tire bounce. I took it back in to Honda and they rebalanced the front tire after my complaints that it bounces between 55 and 80 km/hr. Unfortunately it did not fix the issue. They brought in another new front tire for me and replaced it and rebalanced the tire. I till noticed the bounce. They also told me that the both forks were now leaking a little. So I am now feeling very frustrated that my bike I loved for the first 6 months now has a bounce that I can't get rid of and also seems to have a little leak on both sides of the forks. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Craig

[johnny]

greetings...

no wobble old tiors...

new tiors wobble...

proally tiors or they gotts something bound up...

look... you gotts 2 dealers involved in a matter they aints gonna resolve for you... thats the reality of the matter...

time for tools and a manual... its all up to you...

exactly what tiors you get... poast up photos of that moto and those tiors...

j o

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Did you get the new rear tire yet???  That could be the source for your bounce.

Are you sure the wheels aren't bent?   BMW uses a fairly soft alloy for their wheels.  The trade off is that the wheels bend when they hit sharp edges on the road rather than shattering and instantly losing pressure.

It's also possible that your bounce is actually shake caused by sticky or twisted forks.  There is a procedure for tightening the clamp bolts on the front end to remove twist and stress from the forks.

Last, you want to get a fork seal cleaner and see if there is crap in the seals.  This is often the case.  Then you want to get a pair of Rancho 1952 fork boots to keep the tubes clean.

These bikes are pretty easy to work on, especially for most of the preventative maintenance items.  You can save a lot of money and be sure that the job was done right by doing as much of the work yourself.  Dealer techs are good, but can't take the time to be fussy about your bike like you can.  Also, our bikes are at least a couple generations removed from what the techs are trained to work on.  A lot of what they do is intuitive and not based on training or experience.  In a couple months of dealing with your own bike you can be as much of an expert as the guy at the dealer.

[billday]

My advice: Find a friend, or a friend of a friend, who rides, preferably any kind of old bike,  and have him ride and evaluate your K. These shops and techs aren't going to help you.

[Laitch]

Look for a red or yellow dot on the tire sidewall. Is it located beneath the valve stem or on the side of the rim opposite the valve stem?

[Scott]

I had an 1982 Honda Goldwing for a while, it had a bounce as well, like you're describing.  Turns out, while i was replacing fork seals, i removed an aftermarket fork brace and when i was reinstalling it, I noticed as I tightened it up, it was twisting the forks slightly.  I threw that stupid piece of billet aluminum in the scrap heap.  No more bounce after proper fork alignment.  I would have someone go over the forks / tire installation procedure again.  Its critical to a comfortable and safe ride.  Good luck.

[johnny]

greetings...

exactly what tiors you get... poast up photos of that moto and those tiors...

if the tior tech mounts the tior backwards you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech pounds the axle with a hammer you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech doesnt tighten the pinch bolts...

if the tior tech leaves a spacer out you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech inflated to 100psi you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech doesnt center the tior on the wheel you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech bent the wheel you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech boogered up the wheel bearings you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech doesnt center the wheel by using bounce and brake you might getts a bounce...

if the tior tech gotts the balance wrong you might getts a bounce...

so many things to look at... take your time and cross them off as you figger it out...

dont let it defeat you...

more later...

j o