Wheel trouble.

[BrianW]

Upon purchasing my Zongshen Sierra, I noticed that it "wiggles" very badly through all the gears but especially bad when maintaining around 40 mph. My friends on this forum suggested having the tires checked and make sure they are seated correctly. So, following this advice, I took my wheels to the local shop. The man told me that my wheels are out of round and said there is no way to fix it and they need replaced. I have temporarily swapped wheels with my friend Jared's bike, yet the "wiggling" persists, although it is not a problem when these same wheels are mounted on his bike. Another problem is the man at the shop, the only local motorcycle shop around, insists that "all tha wheelz on those rice bykes come bent and mess'd up. Dair'z no way o' fixin' em" and refuses to even try!

I can't figure out what this could be and I have some scary thoughts crossing my mind: bent frame, crooked swingarm? I purchased my bike brand new, unassembled in a crate, so I know it has never been wrecked or dropped prior to my owning it and I have never wrecked or dropped it, either.

I'm gonna be bald before I know it from yanking out my hair! 8O

[Weldangrind]

I'm already bald, so I don't have sympathy for you there.

As for your bike, let's take it a step at a time. The first thing I'd do is check the steering stem. Throw your leg over the seat, clamp the front brake hard, and gently rock the bike forward and backward. Is there any noticeable play in the steering neck? If so, you likely just need to tighten it. More on that as necessary.

If it passes that test, put the bike on a stand, remove the rear wheel and see if there's any slop in the swingarm or shock link. Maybe something is loose there.

Tell us what you find and we'll go from there.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Upon purchasing my Zongshen Sierra, I noticed that it "wiggles" very badly through all the gears but especially bad when maintaining around 40 mph. My friends on this forum suggested having the tires checked and make sure they are seated correctly. So, following this advice, I took my wheels to the local shop. The man told me that my wheels are out of round and said there is no way to fix it and they need replaced. I have temporarily swapped wheels with my friend Jared's bike, yet the "wiggling" persists, although it is not a problem when these same wheels are mounted on his bike. Another problem is the man at the shop, the only local motorcycle shop around, insists that "all tha wheelz on those rice bykes come bent and mess'd up. Dair'z no way o' fixin' em" and refuses to even try!

I can't figure out what this could be and I have some scary thoughts crossing my mind: bent frame, crooked swingarm? I purchased my bike brand new, unassembled in a crate, so I know it has never been wrecked or dropped prior to my owning it and I have never wrecked or dropped it, either.

I'm gonna be bald before I know it from yanking out my hair! 8O

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I'm already bald, so I don't have sympathy for you there. …

I am also “hair challenged,” so you won’t get any sympathy from me either concerning your hair.

I recommend you follow the excellent advice given by W&G. Also, check to make sure your swingarm bolt is tight.

As far as the wheels are concerned, the local “mechanic” is wrong. The wheels on the “rice bykes,” in particular, the wheels on the Zong, are very well made. Even if your wheels are out of round, they can certainly be trued by any competent wheelsmith.

By the way, did you ever get your bike titled? Did the seller finally send you an MSO? Something seems a little fishy about the way your bike was sold to you. :(

Spud

[BrianW]

Thanks for your quick replies. However, I do have a bit of trouble, yet. I have very, very thick hair and plan on never losing any as my father has never lost any of his. I want to keep it! (not saying there is anything wrong with bald-knobs!)

Anyway, my steering stem is very tight and there is no play whatsoever, so all seems good there. I did not notice anything peculiar about the swing arm either. No significant play or wobble.

As for the title, it is on it's way as of yesterday. After calls to the dealer, the distributor, the auction house, the previous eBay-er, Zongshen, and finally my local dmv the whole mess has been (as of now) resolved. I will believe it when I have new plates on the bike, though! :P

I am going out of town for the weekend, although the weather is supposed to be horrible, so I won't be taking the bike apart soon. I will however take the wheels to the next closest motorcycle mechanic, about 30 minutes away, on Monday. Have a great weekend, ChinaRiders!

[davidsonsgccc]

i would try to watch the output shaft to see if it looks like it is spinning true.

you would probably have to remove chain to watch this. i have not had a problem withmthis but it sounds like a drivetrain problem.

you may also want to make sure brakes on front or rear arent rubbing possible rear brakes to tight. i hope this helps good luck.

shawn

[katoranger]

Maybe a damaged wheel bearing.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Thanks for your quick replies. However, I do have a bit of trouble, yet. I have very, very thick hair and plan on never losing any as my father has never lost any of his. I want to keep it! (not saying there is anything wrong with bald-knobs!) ...

I hate to disillusion you, Brian, but you are basing your predictions of baldness on the wrong man. The gene for baldness is passed along by your mother. Therefore, you want to observe whether or not your mother's father, your maternal grandfather, is bald.

Originally Posted by BrianW

...Anyway, my steering stem is very tight and there is no play whatsoever, so all seems good there. I did not notice anything peculiar about the swing arm either. No significant play or wobble.

As for the title, it is on it's way as of yesterday. After calls to the dealer, the distributor, the auction house, the previous eBay-er, Zongshen, and finally my local dmv the whole mess has been (as of now) resolved. I will believe it when I have new plates on the bike, though! :P

I am going out of town for the weekend, although the weather is supposed to be horrible, so I won't be taking the bike apart soon. I will however take the wheels to the next closest motorcycle mechanic, about 30 minutes away, on Monday. Have a great weekend, ChinaRiders!

I am glad your steering stem and swingarm are in good shape. I certainly hope you receive the title to your Zong, as promised. Please update us regarding the diagnosis of the real mechanic after you visit him next week.

Spud

[Weldangrind]

When you swapped your wheels with Jared, did you put his wheels on your bike and your wheels on his? Have you had a good look at the tires yourself? Check to make sure that the tires are equally mounted all around the rim (make sure that the parting line in the rubber sidewall is an equal distance to the rim at all points of the circumference). Does that make sense? I swear it sounded better in my head.

Also, have you checked the bolts on the triple trees?

[Oengus]

Weldangrind has it correct, but begin with having the wheels balanced.

Then check the steering gear and dampening of the front end, check the level of oil in the forks.

Its vibration (resonance)that starts it off and the wheels if not balanced can compound it.

The wheels if not balanced will chime in on something unstable in the bike, the other bike may not have that instability to catch it from the wheels?

If the wheels are balanced then go back to the suspension and address stability. Call it a wobble that’s the term not a wiggle.

The wobbles have what is called resonance ranges, for one example the semi coming by can set you in range that makes you wobble and when its gone your out of that range or frequency, that’s physics. Feel free to shed a hair on that one. If your configuration has a susceptibility it compounds (gets worse) within that range of resonance (compounding vibrations)

One bike is stable the other is not when the truck goes by. One has a weakness a susceptibility to wobble.

Your friends bike does not have a weakness, it does not prove the wheels on either bike are balanced or not. So start with that and then revisit the suspension and alignments.

It can be more than one thing and why at certain ranges (conditions) it is worse, be careful being in one if a truck comes by or on a windy day, it’s a cause of fatalities on bikes.

[SpudRider]

I don't think many people balance the wheels on a dual sport motorcycle, especially a 200cc bike. The Zong doesn't go fast enough for wheel balancing to be an issue. If the wheels are at fault, they are out of round, id est, not true. If the wheels are not true, any competent wheel builder should be able to true them easily.

I would be surprised if the wheels were out of round from the factory; but of course, it is possible. I caution everyone to get a spoke wrench, and keep your spokes tight, especially if you are riding the bike hard, offroad.

Spud

[Cal25]

Checking for roundnes seems too easy to me.

[katoranger]

A tire being mounted wrong sounds like a good possibility.

My Radian had a wobble coming from the front. It was gone when I got a new tire.

Allen

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Cal25

Checking for roundnes seems too easy to me.

I always like trying the easy solutions first. First I would spin the tire on the axle and check for a wobble, indicating something was out of round. If the wheel showed a great deal of wobble, I would then try to observe whether the wobble came from the rim, or the tire. If I couldn't tell for sure, I would remove the tire, and once again spin the wheel on the axle, checking for roundness. You can attach either a zip tie, or a pipe cleaner to the swingarm, or forks, to help you judge whether or not the wheel is true.

If the rim looked fairly round, I would remount the tire, and repeat the tests. If the wheel is fairly true, and the tire is mounted properly, then the problem must reside elsewhere. However, I would first eliminate the tires and the wheels as potential problems. Even if something else is wrong with the bike, either an untrue wheel, or an improperly mounted tire will certainly contribute to the problem.

Brian has a new motorcycle, and I know from personal experience that his Zong is a well-built bike. Also, he hasn't owned this bike for long, and I don't think he has taken it offroad. Therefore, I think he either has a simple problem, or he got shipped a bad motorcycle. I am still wondering why he has had such difficulty receiving an MSO for his new motorcycle. :(

Spud

[Oengus]

Yes, process of elimination, first the wheels and then the suspension.

If the wheels have already been tested on another bike and different wheel on his bike, you could pretty much rule them out.

If your riding along and lift your hands up does the bike drift on a flat smooth road? That’s the front end isn’t it? The steering gear and forks are to be considered then. Should be moving freely and then also the forks being balanced.

Then if that’s not it then what about the swing arm is the rear wheel tracking straight to the front wheel? Does it have lateral movement how much?

Point is though that if the wheels are off a little and all the others off a little you get them all going in concert. So you should check them all.

[BrianW]

Alright, back from the weekend and I have not yet had a chance to mess around with the wheels. I will do some more homework tomorrow night after work and I will let you know what I uncover. thank you for all of your responses while I was away!