Wobble and weave

It's a vid that's been around a long time.Its good to be a fat barstard. Another point they missed, being up the arse of the camera car wouldn't help, I find being behind big trucks has a bad airo effect on my bike I also don't like the angle and way my SS bevel fairing is mounted and suspect that has a bad effect on my airo.And it will be changed once covi ends.
 
Completely mad , Dunlop film telling everyone that motorcycles weave dangerously but not to worry, unless your deliberately speeding or under eleven stone, we don’t know why but lie flat on the tank! Funnily enough I have ridden all those bikes ( with the exception of the Laverda!) and only the BMWs weaved but more like a slow meandering.
Test rider is Dave Rawlings- Norton test rider who went on to Hinckley Triumph with is son Richard as test engineers.
Love these old films, good find.
 
Yep, seen it before. I find it rather odd - my SF1 ran K81s when I got it - I weight 60kg (9 1/2 stone) and have never had 'the weave' at any speed. My trail bikes never misbehaved on the road either. Ridden shedloads of bikes over the years and don't recall any wanting to weave without fail. like that. They look like shitboxes, all of them - embarrassing! And they can't all have been that bad.
 
I managed not so much to wobble and weave, but more like wallow and weave on a SFC1000 back in 1989. I was experimenting with some different springs in the M1R forks and I am pretty sure they were the cause.
But there again I was flogging the living daylights out of the bike on notoriously bumpy/undulating surfaces down past the Highlander, along the Sulby straight etc trying to set a qualifying time for the TT Production race....
 
Andy J said:
I managed not so much to wobble and weave, but more like wallow and weave on a SFC1000 back in 1989. I was experimenting with some different springs in the M1R forks and I am pretty sure they were the cause.
But there again I was flogging the living daylights out of the bike on notoriously bumpy/undulating surfaces down past the Highlander, along the Sulby straight etc trying to set a qualifying time for the TT Production race....
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I was mechanicing for Frank Finch with a GSXR1100-K ( production class D) ‘89 TT- there was a lot of wobble and weave that year- he managed a 109mph lap on my mate Gordon’s road bike. we literally used to remove the number plate and side stand for practice/race then put them back on for the evening to blast about.
IOM will make anything weave.
 
Andy J said:
I managed not so much to wobble and weave, but more like wallow and weave on a SFC1000 back in 1989.
But there again I was flogging the living daylights out of the bike on notoriously bumpy/undulating surfaces down past the Highlander, along the Sulby straight etc trying to set a qualifying time for the TT Production race....
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Was that the bike you borrowed after asking over the PA for a donor. Andy?! :eek:
 
I read an article about the Unlimited Proddy or Superbike race at the Isle back when the GSX-Rs were relatively new - there was a comparo between the GSX-R1100 (weaving and wobbling) and the FZR1000 (rock solid) in the really high-end parts of the course. Must be bloody tricky setting them up for that course - the speeds really are mind blowing.
 
Cosi said:
Gsxrs always handled like shit till about 4
Or 5 into the k series
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Hah...Katanas , still laugh when I remember seeing them things wobble and shake. Know a guy who would not get back on a bike after riding a katana, scared the fuck out him...
 
piranha-bro2 said:
Yep, seen it before. I find it rather odd - my SF1 ran K81s when I got it - I weight 60kg (9 1/2 stone) and have never had 'the weave' at any speed. My trail bikes never misbehaved on the road either. Ridden shedloads of bikes over the years and don't recall any wanting to weave without fail. like that. They look like shitboxes, all of them - embarrassing! And they can't all have been that bad.
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Thats right,I remember travelling up and down the M4 in the `seventies with plenty of other bikes at 70 mph plus speeds and never seeing anything like that.Makes you wonder how magazine road testers of the time achieved top speed runs of 120-130 mph on some of the bikes featured at places like MIRA without being catapulted ass over elbow down the track.For example Motor Cycle published top speeds with the rider sitting upright,as well as prone(feet up on the back of the seat,left hand grasping left hand lower fork leg).
Had a CB400/4 back then which would cruise at 80-85 mph with no problems,but once I replaced the original Bridgestones with TT100`s found a weave/handlebar wobble would set in at a steady 75-80 mph.A passenger on the back would dampen this out.
I reckon the triangular profile of the TT100`s were responsible for most of these problems,presumably fitted by Dunlop for this film,as the weave and wobble was a lot less pronounced with the bikes when fitted with the original equipment Japanese /European tyres.
TT100`s may have put in the first 100 mph production machine lap of the Isle of Man with a 650 Bonneville,but may not have been the ideal choice for travelling at high speeds in a straight line.
BTW weren`t TT100`s the wet weather choice in GP`s for some riders during late`sixties into early`seventies?
BTW (again) When Dave Rawlins was with Norton he successfully sprinted a Commando,getting it down to the mid-elevens if I recall.
 
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rocketonarail said:
BTW weren`t TT100`s the wet weather choice in GP`s for some riders during late`sixties into early`seventies?
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I had a K81-R fitted to front of my bike for a while - used ex race tyre given to me by brother Tippie - I gave it a few test runs under brakes on a wet day on a 6-lane divided road with lots of traffic lights - so stop-start many times over - and each time i was squeezing the brake lever harder and harder - the front tyre just wouldn't let go and after about four stops I felt like I was braking almost as hard as I would had the road been dry - I was amazed. And it was nothing more than the softer compound.
 
Racing and road are totally different worlds for tyres. A great race tyre can be pox on the road and vise versa. I fitted some Metzelers to my VFR years ago, "the best road tyre we have ever tried" from a magazine test of all the top brands - held by an A grader at a race track. I fitted new headset bearings, new springs and Gold Valves in the forks, and a Maxton damper in efforts to try to get it to steer properly, all to no avail. After ten metres with new Dunlops I swore never to take notice of magazine tests again. The only time those Metzlers felt ok was when I was hammering the fuck out of them in corners, and you cannot ride like that very often on the road.
 
Tippie said:
Racing and road are totally different worlds for tyres. A great race tyre can be pox on the road and vise versa. I fitted some Metzelers to my VFR years ago, "the best road tyre we have ever tried" from a magazine test of all the top brands - held by an A grader at a race track. I fitted new headset bearings, new springs and Gold Valves in the forks, and a Maxton damper in efforts to try to get it to steer properly, all to no avail. After ten metres with new Dunlops I swore never to take notice of magazine tests again. The only time those Metzlers felt ok was when I was hammering the fuck out of them in corners, and you cannot ride like that very often on the road.
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Crazy shaez! Very good point, bruder. Probably applies to sports bikes in general ... if they're too narrow focus you may just go quicker on the road on a sports tourer.
 
I remember trying a Dunlop on the front of my RGS Corsa proddy Bike back in 1985. After just one race I went straight back to Metzelers. So I suppose horses for courses or some such adage.
 
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