[importmonkey]

so can anyone tell me if this is normal or something i should have checked out.

i can't really judge without having ridden more bikes, but when i'm cruising and hit the front brakes, i feel a pop from the front end. i wish i could explain it better. any advice?

thanks!

 

[radium]

doesn't sound good, possibly worn bearing in the wheel. Are all the nuts and bolts on the steering stem and forks tight? Does it just pop once?

 

[importmonkey]

yeah, just pops once. it feels like there is something loose, but my knowledge of bikes is limited. i just had tires put on today at a shop and they didn't seem to say anything...and he took it for a test ride.

 

[93Gixxr750]

You let a shop guy ride your bike???????Holy crap I wouldn't let my best friend ride my bike. Call me an asshole but, think of the liability if he crashed it and hurt himself. Dude in my area took a bike for a test drive and crashed, killed himself, his family is now sueing the guy who was trying to sell the bike for millions. Screw that, I'd think twice about letting any one ride your bike if I were you.

 

[night ryder]

yup sound like the stearing stem is loose. dont know what to tell you if you dont know much about bikes thou

 

[importmonkey]

oh no...it wasn't my idea for the guy to test ride my bike...in fact...i had it parked out front of the shop and the guy came out to ride it around back...i was like..."i can take it around for you." he wouldn't let me...then i went in the back to see how it was going after an hour cause i had somewhere to be and the service manager said the tech was on a test ride...i said, "TEST RIDE?! WHAT!!!" i had to walk out of the shop. i trust the guys, but ya know...ya just don't like other people riding your bike. (and i just had it painted and put back together)

anyway...i'm familiar with cars and bicycles...so with the two i should be able to do what i need to. are you all talking about the nut at the top of the front end that the gas tank breather goes through? and is there a way to check the bearings in the front wheel? (and wouldn't the guy doing the tires notice this?)

spanx!

 

[radium]

you would hope that the person fixing your bike would be observant enough to spot something like this. The nut that the breather tube goes through needs to be tight also, but there is a large nut underneath the top triple clamp that keeps the bearings tiight in the races. It will have 4 notches cut in it, there is a special tool, but i've always used channel locks. If it is loose, tighten it and check for any play, if it is already tight then you might need to replace either the upper or lower bearing.

 

[Alex_H]

Another thing to check; Is your mudguard rubbing on the forks slightly? My CF one does when the forks move downwards coz the brackets are slighlty bent to make it look straight, as the thing isnt moulded perfectly. Also a favourite on my cbr was the calipers making a noise if the gudgeon pin was worn out, so it made a pop kinda sound everytime you nailed the breaks as the pads moved....

 

[ky02'1000]

i habe the same noise coming from my bike...thought it might be the steering bearings, but the noise isnt coming from there! sounds like its coming from the caliper or wheel on my bike, but the wheel bearings are fine, so that leaves the caliper! it doesnt interfear w/ stopping and isnt an aqqrivating noise so im not worried!

 

[Kaneda]

I've recently started thinkin about fixing a similar noise on my bike. It happens when I slow down to a stop, just before I stop (basically as I start to ease off the brake), it's a soft click or a pop, just as you said, from the front end.. I was thinking maybe right side-ish. Something in the steering head makes a lot of sense, but I've gotta clean up my calipers anyway when I put new front pads on, so I'll see if that gets rid of it first.

 

[importmonkey]

glad to see i'm not the only one with this "problem." i was asking my buddy who has a 94 vfr and he said he has the same problem. i guess on his bike, the mod to do is to replace the two steering bearings with roller tapper bearings...do we have roller taper bearings? it would be nice, cause then you should just have to tighten that nut, right? i'll have to take a look at it tomorrow when it's raining and inside. radium, i'll look for that nut...maybe it's in my manual too.

thanks!