Today, a guy rode up on an oil head GS and told me he was referred to me for a wheel problem. He said his bike wobbles at around forty mph. He said it clears up at higher speeds but then starts again when he decelerates back down to that speed. It may have been between thirty and forty but he said something in that area is wobbly.
I told him all I know about is truing wheels and that we could look and see if that's the problem. I didn't think it would be because a wheel can be out by a bit and not wobble. Also, I'm under the impression that forty or so is a speed that bikes like to wobble at if the steering is not working right.
Some background I learned: The bike was bought after it had been crashed and let sit for over two years. The tire had been flat and was about half worn. It's one of those street tires they use on GSs that has kind of a macho street look to them as opposed to knobbies or street tread. So, I'm suspicious of the tire and the steering which is quite a bit different than a telescoping fork, but I think it still could wobble if everything isn't up to par. Also, we know the bike has been crashed.
In order to check the trueness of the wheel, I had Dennis put his bike on the center stand. The wheel is very good in the trueness department. Less than an eighth of an inch of runout. Thing is, the wheel barely turns. The brakes are stuck on so much that it is very hard to turn the wheel by hand.
Dennis told me he had paid $1,600.00 for the bike in as-is, "after a crash" condition. I advised him to take it to the local dealer and/or check in to Boxerworks.com. I checked on the oilhead site here, and he's not shown up yet. I hope he gets it sorted.
Chuey