Front end wobbles when hands off bars.

[RelytJJ]

I searched but found nothing relevant to my issue.

This weekend my bike died about 15 miles from my house. No problem, got picked up, got in my truck picked up the bike and brought it home. It was a burnt fuse and I just installed a new fuse yesterday. Sooooo, after I replaced the fuse yesterday I notice a dent in my tank and when I ride (mixed speeds) and take my hands off the handlebars that the front end starts to wobble slightly and then the wobble increases until I put my hands back on the bars so I don't crash. I talked to my family and no one dropped or struck my bike. It is a complete mystery how the dent in the tank got there. I'm assuming some miscreant kids in the neighborhood vandalized it. Not too worried about the tank dent. However, the handle bar wobble is a complete mystery. I just put new brackets on the forks to mount the headlight to. Other than that I haven't done anything to the front end. My question is how do I go about fixing the wobble, the bike used to travel just fine without my hands on the bars. Does anyone have any resources that might help me? My clymer manual doesn't address troubleshooting this problem.

Thanks

[RelytJJ]

I just realized something that may have affected the front end. I removed the rear wheel and just got a new tire mounted on the rim. Could a mistake made in putting the rear wheel back on cause a front end wobble?

Also, mods this thread might belong in the troubleshooting forum...sorry.

[flynrider]

Dent in the tank and mysterious front end wobble? Hmm, I'd say someone dropped your bike. I've dropped a few over the years and those are the same symptoms I usually ended up with.

Check out the front end thoroughly for bent or misalligned forks. Make sure everything looks even on the triple clamp. Look closely, it doesn't take much deviation to cause a wobbly front end.

[Ladymx]

Keep hands on bars Sorry jsut had to say it

the guys above are on the right track, but also look at the steering bearings

[BuzZz]

I agree with all of the above ^^^

Also check the rear wheel is aligned to the front wheel and ckeck the air pressure in both tires. You may need a new front tire to go with the new rear you just put on. Sometimes old and new tires don't mix well.

[RelytJJ]

Thanks for the replies, tomorrow I'll do another more robust visual check and check both the tire pressures and their respective alignment.

I just find it terribly hard to believe someone would knock the bike over and then pick the thing back up. If it was some neighborhood kicks I would guess they'd leave the thing on the ground.

Oh well, that's exactly why I bought a starter bike.

Good common sense advise on holding on to the bars. I wasn't doing a "look mom no hands", just pulling my glove down tighter...

[niterider]

You replaced rear tire, was the tire balanced? Also check the front tire for bad spots on it.