Steering - Heavy front steers too much to the sides

[lizard555]

Hi Guys,

I noticed that my bike's steering is a bit strange. I am not sure if there is an issue or it is normal with GTR and these bigger touring bikes.

When I am going into a turn the bike wants to steer so much on its own that I have to actually countrpart it by my strangth to the opposite direction.

Thank you for your sharing :-)

[Burchy]

I had something similar with Bridgestone tyres.  A real PITA until I swapped them for Michelins.  Night and Day.  What a difference.

Up to that point I had tried all sorts of tyre pressures and fork settings, but it was just crap tyres

[lizard555]

thanks a lot for your comment, what tyres exactly do you have (type, number...)

[Burchy]

Bridgestone BT021 were the crap ones
Michelin Pilot Road 4 GTs on now

got them from http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/

[Ant]

If you've got slight squaring off on the front, that'll do it.......

[Burchy]

What tyres and mileage on them do you have currently

[Winston Smith]

All said - the GTR is heavy front ended and needs to be ridden accordingly.

[Charlie747]

All said - the GTR is heavy front ended and needs to be ridden accordingly.

[lizard555]

Thank you guys.

The front tyre is about 80%. It is not definitely a brand new one.

The "squaring off" is not visible - not that I would be able to recognize it. It looks round. Could you please advise, how I recognize this squaring?

My feeling when turning even in a very slow speed (also slightly leaning) is that the front wants to fall on the side and I need to counter strength of my arms to stop it. When parking, it is a useful thing, but with any speed higher than 5 kph, it is annoying. It is as if it was designed not to be leant in the turns, strange.

[lizard555]

All said - the GTR is heavy front ended and needs to be ridden accordingly.

Hi,

Thanks for your comment. Do you mean that what I experience is normal? I need then to learn counter part my heavy front with my arms' strenght?

Cheers.

[lizard555]

Bridgestone BT021 were the crap ones
Michelin Pilot Road 4 GTs on now

got them from http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/

Hey :-)
I wonder if your tyres are new or you have them for a few hundred / thousand km/miles - just to know if they will get worse and this issue will appear again or if the fix will last - new tyres are expensive, so just to know if it will be a permanent fix or not.

Thanks a lot for mentioning the type!

[Burchy]

I've done precisely 593 miles on them since the end of June when I fitted them.  Immediately I noticed that I only had to "think" about going left or right and the bike did it, with seemingly no input from me at the bars.  I know that one has to use the bars to induce a turning effect, but its so minimal now as to be unnoticeable.  Have got used, to some extent, to the constant countersteering I laughed out loud to myself and took a very circuitous route home, getting in an hour late!

Best £230 I have spent in ages