wobbling during breaking slow speed

Gato10

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Good evening.
I am new in this forum, this being my first post. I have a ST 2018 with regular suspension. I bought it with 5,000 mi and now it is around 6,000 mi. In general the bike runs great but I have a problem with the bike stopping at very low speeds. The front end of the bike feels like wobbling for a few seconds until it stops. It only happens in gentle breaking from approx. 10 miles /h to 0. It is almost like warped disks. However I checked the disks with the "pencil" technique and they are fine. I also checked for the triple clamp??? bearings and the wheel bearings. I lifted the front week, I grabbed the fork and moved everywhere. I did not feel any sign of anything loose. I also checked all the wheel spokes for tightness. They are all fine. Finally I took the suspension settings back to factory specs. I am completely lost. Any guidance will be appreciated. Thanks.
Gino
 

moto.monk

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could be, improper preload(suspension adjustment) , or rebound setting. As the weight transfers from the rear to to front it becomes more noticeable at low speeds.
 
B

ballisticexchris

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Try using your rear brake only at slow speeds. I'm sad to report my slow speed skills are just now starting to improve. The Super Tenere is a very heavy bike and I find that using the rear brake only at slow speed really helps.
 

Don in Lodi

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I know you said front, but is it possibly something in the rear? I had a wobble in the front several years ago, kinda scary even. After several hundred dollars worth of dart throwing it turned out to be a slipped belt in the rear tire.
 

WJBertrand

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I had my front rotors replaced under warranty. They weren’t warped but rather uneven in thickness.


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Gato10

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Thanks for all your comments guys. To help a little with the diagnostics: if I break only with the rear brake the wobbling is totally gone. 100%. I am also leaning to improper preload or rebound and that is why I returned all to factory settings.
Thanks
 

Gato10

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I have not considered a defective tire...this could be a possibility. Any experiences on the subject would be appreciated.
Thanks
Gino
 

EricV

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Show us a picture of the front tire tread. I suspect you are simply feeling mild cupping of the front tire. Once a tire starts to cup, it generally continues to wear in this manner. It's nothing serious, but it will become more pronounced over time until it either wears out or bothers you enough to change it. Usually the rear tire wears out first, so that will give you an opportunity to change the front at the same time, if the ride characteristics bother you enough to do so at that time.
 

Sierra1

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I'm with Eric on this one. Definitely sounds like "cupping". Mileage is about right for it showing up too. Hard front braking, and heavy weight are the contributors. The girl's got the weight, so if you like your front brake (like I do), cupping will happen. It's never bothered me enough to change it before it's completely worn out. Just don't take your hands off of the bars.
 

s.ga.rider

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Mines doing the exact same thing. It’s only the front brakes and feels just like a warped rotor. My tire is a e07 and only has about 2k miles on it and still looks new so cupping isn’t the problem. My bike is at 15k miles and has been doing it for maybe the last 1k miles. I was getting ready to replace the rotors but maybe it’s something else.
 

Jlq1969

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Why don't you check one rotor at a time?. If you disconnect the front brake line coming from the pump and reconnect it to the right caliper, you can test that single rotor. Then with the connecting screw of that right caliper, you do the same on the left rotor only. I say to use the right screw, because the left caliper screw is for the double circuit
 

EricV

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Why don't you check one rotor at a time?. If you disconnect the front brake line coming from the pump and reconnect it to the right caliper, you can test that single rotor. Then with the connecting screw of that right caliper, you do the same on the left rotor only. I say to use the right screw, because the left caliper screw is for the double circuit
That's a lot more involved than most people will be comfortable with. Never mind the potential issues with bleeding the brakes multiple times.

The tire shows mild cupping. The leading edges of the tread blocks are worn differently than the trailing edges. It's enough that at the very low speeds mentioned that's all if might be. Monitor it and re-visit if it becomes a real problem.

On the rotors, many things are possible, but at 6k, unlikely. It's not un-common for people to think they have warped rotors when it's just a build up of pad material on the rotor making them uneven or causing a surge to be felt during braking.

Everything indicated so far suggests just a tire issue and a very minor one at that. Nothing to worry about. Keep your air pressure correct for your load and riding and enjoy the bike. As the cupping gets worse you will start hearing noise as you lean into corners that goes away when you straiten out. Not a problem, just the un-even wear.
 

Gato10

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Thank you all for your suggestions. It has been a lot of help. I will get a new tire online, install it and let you know if that fixed the problem.
Regards
Gino
 
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