THRILLED New Baghira Owner!!!!

[Dirt]

Howdy All,

Just bought an 05 Bhagira three days ago (only 3,750 km on it!) and quite naturally had to rip the asphalt off of my favorite roads yesterday! BRILLIANT BIKE!!!!

Most fun on public roads I've ever had! Never went over 90 mph all day (more on that later). Quite possibly the best suspension of any bike I've owned. Pretty amazing, considering I've "donated" a small war chest of funds to the likes of Öhlins, Race Tech, White Power, Works, and Penske spread out over a dozen motos, past and current. Top marks to (RIP) MZ!

One big(?) problem, however... It wobbles like a drunken schoolgirl when it hits 140 km/hr (90 mph). Real bad. Putting weight on front wheel does little. Standing on pegs helps. My guess is loose steering head bearings, since I hear these lovely bikes are supposedly VERY stable?

For reference, I dropped the front end all the way down (about 1" above top triple clamp, until they hit the bars). Rear preload is fully cranked(?), I think, since I can't see any threads below the spanner lock nuts, and I weigh 147 lbs in my birthday suit. No luggage on the bike.

New tires, balanced at shop. I want to check front wheel balance, but doubt this could be it? Anybody know the torque value for the steering head nut?

More Q's to follow, if I can't find answers in the archives. If you're near State College, PA (or want to visit or rendezvous somewhere), let's RIDE!!!

~Dirt

[breakwellmz]

Are you for real mate?

[Dirt]

Last I checked... What part sounds daft? Late to the Super Motard thang and after pushing 500 lb motorcycles through tight twisties for years, I may have seen the light.

I will add that I rode my mate's new KTM Duke, and while it'a stunning machine—with WAY more motor—I had far more fun working to keep up with him (which I was able to do, mostly) on the Baghira. The fuel injection on his bike, even with a cam on the throttle, was a real distraction.

[comanche91]

Just bought an 05 Bhagira three days ago (only 3,750 km on it!) and quite naturally had to rip the asphalt off of my favorite roads yesterday! BRILLIANT BIKE!!!!

Not quite naturally for me; be damed if I'd try to rip the pavement off with a new unknown bike. For the wobble, I'd first check the wheel alignment, especially the rear since it's at higher speed.

[Dirt]

OK then... It sounds like The Wobble isn't an OEM feature and can be fixed? . Great idea to check the alignment. I must confess that none of my compadres hit on that easy double check.

As for "ripping pavement", I must say that my original intention was to merely putt around and get a feel for the bike — but after only a few miles, the dang thing felt so planted that the pace just kept climbing easily. Due to the low miles, and the fact that I bought it from a motorcycle mechanic, I was pretty confident about the integrity of the bike, so I just, well... went with it. Oooops!

As for a more proper introduction, I've been riding for eighteen years and my wife has been riding for twelve. Our garage also hosts: an 02 VStrom 1000, 94 BMW R11RS, 93 Ducati 900, 88 Honda Hawk, and three Honda 125RS roadrace bikes. We've been racing with USGPRU for the past decade or so, and we also have a Vespa 150 (four stroke) which is our "pit bike" at the races, doubling for errands around town. I guess we're guilty of some kind of two-wheeled addiction?

[breakwellmz]

Sorry to be so flippant!I meant that(to my mind)Jacking up the rear end(you are a lightweight at 10 stone) AND lowering the front end(and hence making the effective head angle steeper) would be the opposite to what you want to do to achieve high speed stability.These are what guys do to SHARPEN the steering,are they not?

[Dirt]

Agreed on your geometry observations. The front wheel does not seem weighted enough, though. Since I have the Baghira HR (Height Reduced) version, I wonder if the fork tubes are too long? Dropping them decidedly helped. If I want to drop them further, I'll have to shim the bars to go higher since the forks are hitting the bottom of the bars now.

More interestingly, I checked the entire front and rear end last night. Rear end is in alignment, but one of the front fork tubes was 1/16" higher than the other. Also rebalanced (and polished ) the front wheel statically. I'm hoping the fork issue is the culprit. Then again, the polishing (hours!) probably fixed it, right?

Will head out for a quick road test in a few hours and report back.

[handsomejackuk]

Hi,

never had a problem with front end of mine. Back is jacked right up. I have also removed a lot of the weight off the front, all the subframe assembly is gone, and replaced the big duck bill mudguard from the enduro with a XTZ 660 sm item. all the speedo and idiot light are also gone as is the speedo drive...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25719146@N06/3885274054/" title="DSCF0045 by handsomejackuk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/3885274054_ae79ea71e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSCF0045" /></a>


I love my Baghira, Pity i got a puncture...

Al..

[Dirt]

Al,

No wobble at all—even flat out? Is yours an HR? Hmmm...

BTW: SWEET work on your Baghira!

Do you like the BSM Vampire pipe? Did you do any jetting mods (my guess is yes) or airbox mods? I assume it has more kick now!

My test ride was a definite improvement. No wobble at 140 km/hr. Slight swaying at 160, but not sphincter clenching in nature. I think the steering head tightening was the most significant improvement, adjusting forks didn't hurt either—or maybe it was simply the wheel polishing? The bike felt much less nervous. Then again, maybe it's finally taking a liking to me since I've been feeding treats.

Advice on where to find the steering head torque value is most welcome, since I'm afraid to strip something. Even a WAG that has been successfully used would be entirely welcome.