Front Wheel Wobble and Growl

Hey, guys.

I made a post a few weeks ago about a strange noise coming from my front wheel/tire. I got a lot of different opinions on what it might be, but all of them were wrong.

It turns out that my wheel is slightly slanted to the left, which makes the top of the tire a few millimeters closer to the left fork. I know this because I stuck two fingers between the tire and the left fork and then the right fork. There was some space between the tire and the right fork. The wobble came at low speeds and the growl only happened when I was turning right into a parking lot or something.

My theory is that the brake disc was trying to lean closer to the left fork when I was turning right (not counter steering), but since the brakes are attached to the left fork while gripping the brake disc, these opposing forces were causing the left fork to vibrate.

Now my question is this; why is my wheel slanted? I had my brother ride the SW toward me and I saw that the tire was wobbling. I've attached a picture of the front tire and the left fork. It's hard to see, but the brake disc is closer to the fork on top than it is on the bottom. Please help oh knowledgable ones!

Sorry, I thought I uploaded it.

Get your wheel bearings checked.

Be safe and have your local Honda Shop or knowledgeable mechanic check it out.

Did it do this prior to going down?

Have you or anyone else recently removed the front wheel from the bike? It's a kind of unusual procedure to put the wheel back on to get everything aligned (refer to service manual).

Have your forks moved in the clamps (I.E. is there just as much fork sticking up from the top on both sides)?

Have you checked your bearings?

Is the disc warped (check the runout) or flat? (use a straight edge)

A picture that includes more of the front of the wheel (further back from the bike), it would also help us all.

I haven't check all those things since I'm new to bikes. Maybe I should just take it in to a local mechanic. I will post another picture soon showing the rest of the wheel later, but to answer your question - jmaslak - it didn't vibrate like that prior to going down. I've noticed the growling about a month ago, but couldn't figure it out. I then noticed the wobbling about a week ago and thought it was just the way SWs are.

Every guy I know that has a bike tells me it might be the bearings since the entire wheel and tire are not straight. I will get this checked, but it sucks because I use it to go to work. Oh well, my life is more important.

What can happen, by the way? If I prolong this.

rcarrillojr wrote:

I haven't check all those things since I'm new to bikes. Maybe I should just take it in to a local mechanic. I will post another picture soon showing the rest of the wheel later, but to answer your question - jmaslak - it didn't vibrate like that prior to going down. I've noticed the growling about a month ago, but couldn't figure it out. I then noticed the wobbling about a week ago and thought it was just the way SWs are.

Yes, take it to the mechanic - tell him that you went down at one point with it so he knows to look for mechanical damage too. You might also ask him to check the steering bearings while he is doing the other work, as that can also cause a wobble at speed.

Quote :

What can happen, by the way? If I prolong this.

You could die. Seriously, could cause your front wheel to lock up.

Chek if both your forks are tightened at the same stop position on the master clamp.....or if one of them is loose.You can mesure the visible part of each tube over the clamp.Another possible reason could be a warped axle

yeah, i thought axel bent when i looked at the photo too. very strange...