left hand corners

im having trouble with left hand corners the swing seems to want to tuck its self under?im also having to correct the line. my hoops have around 2mm front and rear im running 30psi f and 33r .ive checked the head bearings by getting hold of the fork stantions at the bottom and rocking but can feel no play does this mean there ok.68000miles and original i think.forks had a complete overhaul 2000miles ago.thank you for any advice

lesley & John wrote:

im having trouble with left hand corners the swing seems to want to tuck its self under?

Do you have the Hyperpro progressive springs on the front??

no just original honda 2000 miles old cheers

I thought it was just me. Mine does the exact same thing, and im a left cornerer! Everyone corners better to either the left or the right, no rhyme or reason as to why, but everyone is better at one. This thing scares me in a left hander, i know it is going to wash out on me at some point. This past weekend i found a few long left sweepers and i was able to literally shake my handlebars back and forth while in a left, at a variety of speeds. It was no where near planted. Rights are smooth and clean. I believe that i previously posted about how hard it is to keep a line in a corner on this thing, its always left. And mine has less than 1000 miles on it! I dont think springs are going to correct this, i think its poor design. I really really want to love this bike, and give it all the benefit doubts i can, but points keep piling up against.

No steering difference left or right on mine. I can easily take sweeping turns with only one hand on the bars using body lean. My bike is solid (I do have Hyperpro springs and fresh tires at 30# front and 36# rear).

Gee, I thought it was my stroke that made the left turns harder. Tip---foot pressure, helps in holding line-----big sweeper use lower entry speed.


John Grinsel

The character of Sherlock Holmes says,
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

Being that the bike is relatively symetrical, (it has to be to balance) what is left is either the road, or the perception of the rider.

I have no problem right or left. Yes, I have hyperpro springs, but that isn't it.

May I suggest that "Road Crown" might have something to do with it?
Road crown is the curvature of the road so that it is higher in the center and lower at the sides, to aid in moving water to the gutters quickly.
Remembering British weather, my guess is you have a lot of Road Crown.

Being that you are British, and therefore driving on the wrong side of the road, you move to the left lane, the lowest part of the road, and then lean left to turn. So it may feel that you are leaning more and lower than if you make a right turn, where the road is on the high side as it is the center of the crown.

This also happens in America when we are on a one-way street, turning left..

If this isn't the answer, than perhaps it is just you.

Just my 0.0122842 GBP (.02 cents American).

I have not experienced this issue with a stock setup and 8000 miles on the clock. Original IRC tires. The roads I ride often include lots of sweepers in both directions, and I don't see any difference nor do I see any serious stability issues on smooth roads. The front fork is indeed weak, and I'll likely put Hyperpros in it in the future.

+1 on the hyperpro's I will definitely be putting those in. and better tires as well. I wish i had a better way to express the feel when making a left on it. At track days we call it wet. Like your slipping on tar snakes. At any entry speed (short of obviously to slow!) If you rode it, you would feel it. I run 30/34

Dspevack: I have noticed that the input from the road is much more sensitive to the road undulations than any other bike i have, I assumed it was due to the small diameter?

Tagg

I haven't ridden another bike in a long time so I can't comprehend the comparison. You could be correct. If you are really worried, you can always go darkside...

I'm having no problems cornering on my nice new SWing so far and that's after a lifetime of biking (I did ride a Lambretta in the sixties!)
I suspect that a lot of the problem is a human thing and lots of my chums say that conering one way is easier than the other.
IIRC in the UK more accidents happen in one direction (can't remember whether it's left or right) than the other direction even with solo riders and no other vehicles involved.
BTW advanced riding teaching in the UK is to keep out to nearer the centre of the road on left handers in order to have a better view of the road ahead.

Left or right, fast or slow, the bike corners fine for me. I do lean farther when in a right hand corner but that is a 'mind' thing with me and not a shortfall of the machine.

A good point was raised regards the curvature of the road, when I did my 'BikeSafe' training with the UK Police they did make a point of taking the crown into account when planning a maneuver. They also touched upon individual preferences when cornering.

Thanks for all the input I think I will try and put some diablos on her see if this makes a difference.does anyone think it might be my top box weight as I usually carry my work bag in it this must weigh 5kg? Just a thought.

lesley & John wrote:

.does anyone think it might be my top box weight as I usually carry my work bag in it this must weigh 5kg? Just a thought.

I run a top box, frequently loaded. It doesn't affect my cornering. Neither does a passenger.

bigbird wrote:

lesley & John wrote:

.does anyone think it might be my top box weight as I usually carry my work bag in it this must weigh 5kg? Just a thought.

I run a top box, frequently loaded. It doesn't affect my cornering. Neither does a passenger.

If your top box extends beyond the 'wing' at the rear of the bike, then I would suggest that loaded, it may effect the ride.

Passengers and top box's that sit on top of the 'wing' may be within C. of G. limits and not particularly effect the ride.

5kg isn't especially heavy but stuck way out beyond C. of G. limits could just tip the balance.

I don't think a fully loaded top box makes any difference, I load up my Givi E52 or E55 with groceries regularly and have never had any problems. Riding with Mrs M and full touring kit of loaded tunnel bag, under seat storage, soft panniers, and top box makes the scoot heavier to lift on and off the main stand, but doesn't throw things out of shape either.

One thing you haven't mentioned is the settings you have the rear shocks on, I ride solo on number 3, and 5 with a passenger. Maybe yours are on too soft or mismatched settings .

I have no problem. left or right. Your problem does remind me of my old motorcycle, when I could guarantee to get the wheels out of line, when adjusting the chain. The only way i can imagine that happening on a Swing is
a) if the steering head bearings need adjustment
b) if the front axle is not clamped up properly after tyre change or come loose
c) if the rear dampers are set to different settings
Keep us informed if you find a cure

im riding on setting five solo and with the wife.i think i might look and grease the head bearings which i believe are of the roller type?im about to put some diablos on her so might do it then.

I don't see how different fork springs could make a difference for a problem like this. It might make a difference in sticking to a line in a curve but that's about all I would expect. My SW doesn't favor either direction in a curve with it's stock springs. I will say my GW will follow a line through a curve better than the SW. That's most likely due to the GW's more sophisticated suspension and larger tires. The SW will handle the twisities okay but not as fast as the big 'Wing mainly due to it's tendency to bobble a bit in the curves. Smaller tires, lighter weight all tend to mean it's easier to deflect from the desired track. On a real smooth curve the SW takes the curves excellently.
I'd also think the road crown would be to the rider's advantage on a left hand turn when driving on the left side of the road. It would effectively provide a bit of bank in the right direction assisting in the turn, in North America (and most of the world) turning left on a crowned road means the camber is working against you.

I fixed my problem.
Turns out(for me anyway) that 29PSI is useless. I took my hydraulic gauge and my tire temp gauge out with me today, and after many cycles, found that 31.5 to 32 works best, it firmed the front end up considerably, and i mean considerably, i can scrape the stand now.Or at least something scraped!
Front crown temps on the original hoops run 119 to 124
Rear stock temps run 122 to 138

I can't speak for springs but I can say a decent tire makes all the difference. My bike had Bridgestones on them that still had a few thousand miles in them as far as the tread goes when I bought it. However, I noticed quite a bit of cracks on the sidewalls indicative of dry rot setting in. I could really feel this when I was taking any turn of significance. The whole thing felt very slippery. I quickly changed to Avon Viper Strykes, a tire I was well familiar with on my other scoot, and the difference was dramatic. I could take much tighter turns at higher speed without the slightest hint of slippage. May not be the tires but worth considering at least.

A" twist of the wrist " to ya! In the 60's and 70's we were blessed with fork tubes the same diameter as Twiggy's fingers. Occasionally our forks would get "Tweeked". If they were,.........handling definitely went south. Anyone remember what the term implies, and what you did to "Un-Tweek" them???? " Tweeked "Silverwing fork tubes????
Cheers................Jeff.