Shaky front end?

Don't really have much to complain about, and I am certain this will strike some as sorta silly, but hey... looks like this forum could use another post or three. So here goes...

My GRiSO tracks straight and true, and for a bike that turns as well as it does, is remarkably stable in a straight line. But when I am cruising through steady-state sweepers at mid-speed (40-50 mph) and I am riding one-handed (dumb, yes...), pavement imperfections will cause the front end to wiggle quite a bit. Now, the bike doesn't go off line or anything bad, but the head shake looks... well, shaky.

So... I know the number one solution is "don't ride one-handed, eediot" but I thought there might be more to it. Steering head need adjustment? Front tire pressure? Compression damping?

I've never experienced this myself. With the long wheelbase and stock geometry there shouldn't be any shake at all. If you've monkeyed with the geometry (raising the fork tubes in the triple clamps) to get it to turn in faster, that might explain it. Low tire pressure/wear patterns might explain it too.

Barring any of that, first thing I'd check is the steering head bearings and the front wheel bearings, both are known to shit the bed. I had a front wheel bearing go tits up on my 1100 after about 28,000 miles and my front end was wiggling like crazy, even with both hands on the bars.

Thanks for the advice, Steak. I was wondering if this was a GRiSO trait or something else. I haven't changed the fork tube height, it's still stock. And my bike only has 3200 miles on it, so I would be surprised if the bearings are worn, but I think I will get them checked. I'm not the best at regularly checking tire pressure, but I guess I should get better at it.

If it still happens after putting on new rubber, make sure it's not a PIO (Pilot Induced Oscillation). Sometimes we inadvertently make small inputs to the bars that we're not aware of and with a bike with wide bars like the GRiSO, can sometimes result in what you are feeling. Especially if the road is a bit rough with bumps. Next time it happens, grip the tank with your knees hard and don't let go of the bars, but loosen your grip to almost nothing and see if it stops.

Could very well be PIO, wallycycle. It's not a huge problem, and only exists when I am riding one-handed over bumps. I think the combination of the leverage of that wide bar and my one hand not being counterbalanced by the other hand... I should probably be thankful that the shake is as minor as it is!

ok got to ask how big a guy are you? and how many lines on the front fork are showing above the triple tree. if this happens over bumps i have a pretty good Idear to improve it.

Uzidzit, I am very big, 300+ lbs, and I understand that I need to re-spring my bike front and back to get the best out of it.   I did add pre-load to the fork, but I don't recall the setting right now... I'll take a look at my notes later and amend... but as I put more miles on the bike, I'm becoming more convinced that this is more of a rider issue rather than a bike characteristic.

EDIT: here are my current settings...

Front
Compression 2 turns
Rebound 3/4 turn
Preload showing 3 notches

Rear
Comp 3 turns
Rebound 15 clicks
Preload wow, that ring is a bugger to adjust

I can help you with that, I will edit this tonight with some suggestions and have toos.