Poor handling

[hwtan36]

i weight about 60kg (about 130lbs)

stock setting of the rear shock

perhap i should raise the fork alittle to try as i dont think i'm heavy enough to increase the preload.

 

[L.B.S.]

i weight about 60kg (about 130lbs)

stock setting of the rear shock

perhap i should raise the fork alittle to try as i dont think i'm heavy enough to increase the preload.

Without more exact details, I wouldn't start mucking with the forks until you eliminated the tires from the equation, imho.

Everything being equal, if your bike is brand new, no crashes, no previous owners and so on, there is really no way it should feel so unnatural handling. That puts the tires as the most likely suspect and at least worth checking first, I believe. A lot of people complain or want to change how their bikes feels, but are loathe to spend money on new tires, if the existing ones "look ok".

If it's a matter of the bike feeling strange to you because you think it should be the same as your CBR600RR, or your Harley HDFXSTULTRALOWFATBOBCV110, or your Vespa 150, then subjective impressions can be something that will never be solved, I don't think.

 

[Washpa]

Washpa......sure would be good to have a back to back test ride on another bike for a comparison of the handling.

Dealer test ride available in your area ?

I agree but I don't think so.

 

[Cigar Mike]

You said that you have been riding for many years on different bikes. What type of bikes have you ridden? I only ask because the NC has seemed to need more counter steering to tip the bike in than other bikes I have ridden. It felt like the bike wanted to stand up when I first started riding it. Riding a different NC might give you an idea if it is a characteristic of this model or a problem with your particular bike. My FJR turned in better than my NC until I got the feel for it. I am not sure, but I think the steering head angle on the NC is not as steep as many sport bikes. Maybe someone else could comment?

 

[Hondafan]

I think it has more to do with the low center of gravity....and the faster you go, the more noticeable it is. Try putting a couple of jugs of water in the trunk and see if that changes turn in effort.

 

[TigerDude]

You said that you have been riding for many years on different bikes. What type of bikes have you ridden? I only ask because the NC has seemed to need more counter steering to tip the bike in than other bikes I have ridden. It felt like the bike wanted to stand up when I first started riding it. Riding a different NC might give you an idea if it is a characteristic of this model or a problem with your particular bike. My FJR turned in better than my NC until I got the feel for it. I am not sure, but I think the steering head angle on the NC is not as steep as many sport bikes. Maybe someone else could comment?

It has a lot more rake than sport bikes, which theoretically gives it better highway stability. The wide bars should counteract the steering speed.

 

[itlives]

27° rake is a lot more than a sport bike. That's more than likely the culprit.

 

[hwtan36]

i have raise the fork tubes up by 5mm and that really helps alot in turning into the corner.

 

[Washpa]

Well I think found the culprit and it was simple. Very low front tire pressure. I checked it when a brought the bike home and then it sat for about 7 weeks due to bad weather. I am assuming there is a slow leak. I will keep an eye on the pressure and look to swap out the tires in the near future. 75% of the symptoms are gone, the rest i will attribute to slightly uneven tire wear (which might be due to running low tire pressure by the PO?) an the previously mentioned bent handle bars.

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[mtiberio]

While I like my rear lowering links, lowering the rear without the front, makes the handling ponderous

 

[Lou Wambsganss]

Keep an eye on tire pressures. Several people, myself included, have found dirt or corrosion between the wheel rim and tire bead areas. You can basically just break the tire off the bead, clean it, then reseat the tire. My dealership did it for free.