Tyre Wobble

[shadowred]

Okay I may come across as an ass for asking this but you never know I may not be alone with this problem.

I Have a GY-200 2 and since the stock tyres are rather unreliable in the wet I’ve changed them to Continental TKC80’s. Took the bike out, felt a bit funny pushing it but just put that down to the change in the tyres (bit more knobbly). Got on the bike hit the wet grass, which was always a bit daunting before and was very impressed, road again felt much better. Went in to the mud and felt a right ass as the bike went side ways, not as much as a few minutes later when the thing was lying on top of me.
My problem is I think I have a slight wobble on the front tyre, I’ve check that its secure etc but wondered if this is what has caused the bike to be really poor in the mud. It’s made worse by the fact my sons bike (little 110cc) ran no problem and he had a great day as I sat at the side of the track which was total mud after rain.

So in a long-winded way has anyone had a similar problem after fitting new tyres, am I missing something really obvious, are my new tyres crap in the mud (starting to wonder). I’ll have to check the bearings tomorrow night, as it’s heavy rain and bloody cold and dark outside.


Quick side note: My son’s chain broke on Sunday, so maybe there is a God after all


any Ideas greatly appre,

[frostbite]

I'd check your front rim for trueness. The spokes tend to loosen _a_lot_ during break-in which can cause warping if not caught in time (I learned that one the hard way...).

Jack up your bike so that the front rim is off the ground. Give the front tire a spin and note the gap between tire and forks. If the gap changes as the tire rotates you have a warped rim.

[shadowred]

That’s what I’m afraid of, really can’t be arsed buying a new rim after 2 new tyres, new knee braces, body kit, handle bars……….sods law.

The thing is I never noticed this wobble till I got the new tyres. I wonder it the garage has warpped them, that will be bloody hard to prove thou

Would this explain the poor performance in mud, or is it just the TKC80s

Red

[shadowred]

http://server3.uploadit.org/files/shadowred-feb.jpg (http://www.uploadit.org)

[ob1]

More than likely the tire is not completely seated on the rim.

Spin the tire and look at the sidewall/rim junction, from both sides.

You may need to deflate the tube, lube the rim and tire with liquid dish soap, reinflate to much higher than running pressure.

Use only the presure you need to evenly seat the tire, then reset the tire to regular pressure.

[shadowred]

thanks will give that a try

[Vlad]

Im looking at the picture of your bike and it looks like the headlight/windshield are off the LF200 "sportbike" lifan? Is that it? Did the holes line up when you put it on, or did you have to drill new mounting holes? Looks cool by the way...

[FMYStreetRacer]

my front rim is bent so bad it's not even funny. she's going into the shop this week to get the rim trued. i wish i had the jig to do it myself.

edit: i ride in the mud like crazy and the warped rim has no affect on how the bike performes in the mud. ever think maybe it's rider error? i know i eat shit insugar sand all the time but that's my fault cause i suck at riding in the stuff.

[mdsuave13]

i was just going to mention about your windscreen/headlight... do you have any other pics of the setup... i'd love to know more info about that.

[shadowred]

Yeah, will post on my day off, as it's too dark to take pics when I get home.

The side plastics did not line up and I'm in the process of making brackets to support them (hence the reason the red ones are still on and tie wrapped at the front!!). The head light did fit using the original support bracket, the ridged (metal) front mud guard support had to bent slightly to take the new style mud guard. I've also changed the tyres and handle bars.

[mdsuave13]

sweet, cant wait to see more pics of it. Do you notice a difference in the output of light? or was it just for looks sake?

where did you manage to get the headlight assembly from?

[hoggin84]

Ok, Ive had my bike about 2 weeks, LF200GY-5, and i Was doing some pre-ride inspections and notice my spokes were quite loose, so i just tightned them down not knowing whether there is a proper technique or not, NOW my tyre/rim is wobbling uncontrollably....what do i do is warped or is it fixable??????

Thanks

[tigertamer]

Ok, Ive had my bike about 2 weeks, LF200GY-5, and i Was doing some pre-ride inspections and notice my spokes were quite loose, so i just tightned them down not knowing whether there is a proper technique or not, NOW my tyre/rim is wobbling uncontrollably....what do i do is warped or is it fixable??????

Thanks

If you have never trued a spoke wheel, I would recommend taking it to a bike shop. I'm sure a bicycle mechanic can even do it.

Or you could do what most ChinaRiders do...put on the thinkin' cap, poise in the edge of the springboard, do a double gainer pike, and dive right in :!:

See ya track-side,
Tigertamer

[hoggin84]

The rim is not ruined???????

[tigertamer]

The rim is not ruined???????

That really depends on how "ham-fisterd" you were the first go around :wink:

Keep us posted,
Tigertamer

[IronFist]

If you are new at truing a wheel, JM humble O, start by truing a slightly warped tire. If your front wheel looks like a pretzil, I suggest a professional on this one. There are posts on wheel straightening if you use the search feature. It all depends what you feel comfortable with doing.