5 Things That Will Ruin Your Motorcycle’s Handling | The Shop Manual 

Want to learn more about optimizing your bike’s handling? Start with some suspension basics! rvz.la/3d5ZH6f

Honorable mention: rear wheel alignment.

0:14, "Most motorcycles start off handling well". Harley Davidson would like a word with you.

I rode on leaky forks for a couple months and then swapped springs and valves for racetech when replacing the seals…it actually felt like a different motorcycle. Suspension is overlooked way too often!

I told my friend to get all these things fixed, but he refused to do so. I then bought the bike from him cheap, got it fixed and let him ride it and boy did he notice haha. One risk of the head bearing and oil-less shock is that it can increase the risk of head shake/death wobble at speed

The first time I got on the freeway on my first bike the front end shook horribly. It was scary but I just thought "eh I didn't fall over so it must be fine". I rode like that for 3 months before I was reading an article that mentioned tire pressure, I checked and it was at 8 psi. Ah to be young and dumb.

#1 worn tires #2 stearing-head bearings #3 loose throttle handle #4 worn chain #5 worn suspension

Honda VFR 750/800 the insurance company hired for me for a week after someone damaged my bike. It wouldn't turn properly. I tried to go around the roundabout and as I was leaning and turning the bike wasn't turning enough for the amount that I was leaning and turning. The bike was trying to go wide in the corner, to take less of a turning action than I needed. It was dangerous. I rode the bike straight home. Checked the tire pressures, and then I started to check the suspension settings and I set them according to the manual. I went for another ride and the bike felt perfect. Another time a "suspension expert" at Silverstone race track set my Fireblade up to handle better. At the end of hangar Street I was taking the right hand there at about 70 miles an hour and accelerating hard through the right hander when the rear tire broke traction and then gripped again and the bike went to high side and throw me over the bike but luckily I only went half off the bike and landed back down with the bike still going okay! The guy I had been riding with, he rode alongside and shook his head and was laughing I shook mine back! Suspension Expert? Mmm. The bike had always been predictable before this but that time I didn't feel the rear start to slip before it had slipped. Hope this helps someone or entertains, or both :-)

Ari Henning is the absolute best motorcycle content creator. Nothing makes me watch a video more than him doing it.

All good points ! I'm always amazed at the amount of time and money people will put into engines for more power before suspension / handling upgrades .

Regarding the headset bearings, that's "brinelling" or "indexing" in common parlance.

If Ari tells me something about motorcycles, I accept it as true

2:32 I love that you guys took the mirrors off the Versys seemingly so that Ari could lean casually against the handlebars, haha

I will always be suprised by the level of quality of theses productions. Not only the information is useful but is presented in a clear, concise way with pristine editing and cinematography. Amazing content.

On the subject of chain tension, a lot of people actually run their chains too tight which will effect the action of the rear suspension in a pretty negative way.

While the front end is up grab the fork legs from the front push and pull looking for play in stearing head bearings and while you're at it from the side grab the top and bottom of the wheel look for wheel bearing play, don't forget to check the rear too

1)Tires 2)Steering head bearings 3)Throttle play 4)Drivetrain - Chain 5)Suspension

Great video as always! Your mention of getting used to the wear or deteriorating performance is very accurate. Happening slow makes it hard to notice for sure. I should probably change my front tire on my KLR lol.

i score almost full marks on these !

Also to add, handlbar alignment and wheel alignment and wheel balance.

Also check your clutch lever free play. If the locking nut comes loose, then the clutch lever may become very floppy, and that can make gear changes rough because the clutch doesn't disengage fully, and it can also cause stalling. I know that from experience because it happened to me.

I bought my zx-6r off some guy who had a very interesting suspension set up to say the least lol. He also ran the tires at weird psis lol. front tire was scalped and everytime I hit a bump it felt like I was going to be bucked off. Set everything to stock and my God it road like a dream.

All basic maintenance, tire pressures. Brakes, suspension. All of upmost importance.

One thing to note; manufacturers do introduce slack on throttle cables for safety. One of my GSXRs had zero slack and came back from service with it. When queried I was told Suzuki set specs they have to abide by. Bit of reading later and seems many do this. Thankfully as Ari showed it’s easy to dial out

Ive started putting new tires on every bike I buy, its amazing how much better a bike feels with good tires

I really appreciate the shop manual videos. Please keep them coming 👍👍

As always, so informative. Cheers Ari!

Ari seriously is an absolute legend in the motorcycling community.

Head bearings can make the bike handle really weird at slow speeds around town. It was night and day difference replacing these on my new-to-me Transalp and first ever adv bike. Started feeling like a brand new bike. Before that, very slow traffic filtering was tough, as even the tiniest input at this speed carried some inertia into a progressively more actual steering than I wanted.

Amazing production Shop Manual team! The graphics and b-roll was sick. For such a small studio to work in, seeing new perspectives and angles episode after episode is so cool.

Excellent video, Ari. Thanks a million. I've had that exact problem with a front tire.

Always top videos and easy going explanations! 👍👏

Another good one! Thanks a lot, keep on with the great work. Cheers from New Zealand and Kia Kaha!

One of the best on YT, thank you.

Looking Forward to Zachs Review On New/Updated V-Strom1000, & Gas to Drop To $225.

Great points that I'll remember if my ride gets funky. Always a fantastic education video from this guy for years.

Knew all these, but all great stuff! Highly recommend paying close attention to all these!

Nice to see Ari back

Great video, Ari!!!😎

Great stuff, thanks Ari!

Top quality stuff as always!

the rear shock on my tuono 660 sprung a leak. i thought it was motor oil at first, but i was bringing it to the dealer because i couldn't figure out where it was coming from. on the way, it became abundantly clear because i lost all damping in the rear. i've heard stories about people not noticing, and that's... insane. almost unbelievable. that was the most dangerous ride of my life, because... i'm me and i couldn't bring myself to go slow. ;)

Excellent info. Thank you!

Wow thank you so very much. No one ever told me this stuff. Ari you present it in such a clear and helpful way and the video editing is top notch. Love your stuff. And again thank you 😊

Can we get an honourable mention for the extended swingarms you American folk seem to love? 👍🏻

Another great video as usual from Ari. Good information for any rider. Anyone else notice that Ari is getting some seriously ripped arms. Must have upped the workout game.

Excellent points, and all too easy to get complacent about as they creep up on you gradually.

Good points. Especially front tire wear. The changing profile can really mess with the steering feel. Of course a squared off rear tire doesn't help either - I don't know how people can go Darkside and then say that it feels fine with a straight face.

Love the Versys. So comfy and fun.

Sage advice👍nothing like regular maintenance, especially to show subtle changes

Biggest changes i feel is tightening the chain after a 2 week tour. Also i started changing tyres myself every year. Instead of riding 5 year old odd shaped touring tyres makes riding bad and cost a fortune from tyreshop + mounting. Such a big difference riding on fresh new rubber. Its like riding a new bike from the shop. Pirelli always have huge discounts in EU on the Diablo Rosso 2,3,4 and they are half price of a premium touring tyre.

I used Michelin Pilot Roads for years on my 2005 FJR1300 partly because of threads. Looking around for something cheaper, I got a set of Conti Motions. The handling is so much better I am amazed and also annoyed that I didn't try something else before.

Great video. Thanks! 😀

Honourable mentions to: wheel and chain alignment, rear suspension linkage, and if you have a carby bike fueling

I recently had the tires replaced on my 06 FJR. What a difference that made. Definitely worth the $$$ for the Michelin road 5. I picked up a cotter pin in the rear tire and the front tire had “cupping”. It rides a lot better now. A few years ago I replaced the head bearings and rear shock (previous owner had the front shock done).

Tires wheel alignment all bearings steering and swingarm. Also bags especially high mounted bads like tank and tail bags, raises center of gravity.

Thank you I'm downloading this video

Excellent advice👏

Thanks Ari. I definitely think I blew a fork seal on my most recent cross country trip. Near the end of riding season in Indiana. I'm on it.

Thank you, Ari.

That is pretty spot on !

New Tyres are risky until you get that slippery wax off them. I dropped a new bike pulling out of a low speed T junction. The rear spun up like the road was slippy. I went home and got a green plastic type kitchen scourer and scrubbed the wax off the tyres. Took a few minutes on each tyre.

When replacing fork fluid, I like to follow DMT’s dump and run method; on a new to me bike, I did just that; measure how much came out, then put in the same. I should have but forgot to check air gap though, after a few weeks of riding I tool the legs out to check, and found that both legs had exactly 80mm too much air in them. Topped them up, huge improvement.

When i did my steering head bearings on my bike the difference in riding was insane.

This video is far more important than 99% of MC videos out there

I have had an FZ10/MT10 for a couple of years, just had the steering head bearing replace because it was shot! Rusted and feel apart when being removed. Suspension was leaking at the front (had just started) and the rear was pretty much seized. I’d already changed the tyres. Oh and the brake all needed replacing BAD. I nearly sold it and bought an Tuono (what a bike) but I did and got these basic things sorted! And oh wow! It cost the better part of a thousand bucks, but it save me me dropping thousands on a new bike. Moral of the story, make sure all your stuff is checked/changed before you blame/change your bike.

Also basic setup will have an effect too, such as raisimg or owering your forks in the triple clamps and where your rear axle is located in its adjustment slots. Baisic stuff for dirt bikes..

Ari- I think you could probably go on a comedy club tour for gearheads with this topic! You've seen lots of real life material.

Thanks, Ari

Thanks More great info!

Thanks. Something to consider.....

Several years ago, I had my 1994 HD Heritage Softail Classic in the shop for routine maintenance. While in for service the repair technician indicated that my bike needed the head bearing slack adjusted. They performed this maintenance, and I was blown away at how it affected my steering! It was a very nice improvement, but it took me a couple of days to adjust to it. The steering became very "touchy" needing very little input from the driver. I would recommend getting this checked at every service. Great video Ari!!!!

thanks for the tips

Thanks for the reminder. I might need a new front tyre soon.

Oh that's cool to know about, since my bike have all more than 15years😅 One of the front firk suspension seals were full of dust and were leaking on the front brake👍💪 I rode Anakee II on that same bike and they had about 16000km when i thought about how old they where... Turns out, i adapted to well, so that the new metzler tourance next, i have now, are really strange and turn to easy to me... but i have also to ask my garage if they put the tubeless tyres on tubes or not...😬

thanks for the tips. you could add to your list proper suspension settings and also weight distribution that can result from travelling 2 up or additional luggage amd/or accessories. Alao certain windshields anchored to the steering group can change the Dynamics. wheel bearings and alignment of wheels too.

degrading shock and fork oil making necessary to adjust rebound should get a mention too :)

I mess with my handlebars all the time, and the last time I did it I completely forget to set the slack before I went off to ride. I was shocked at how jerky the bike was with too much throttle slack.

just changing out old fork oil even 5 years old makes a big difference in handling...most people never bother to change it. It's well worth it to me though.

Great video! And so often overlooked issues, especially with new riders who don't know what it should feel like in the first place. Important to maintain all of these areas, they will cause a crash if you ignore them.

I spent +$200 on a Kershaw knife about ten years ago. 8 years later the "thumb stud" broke and so I called Kershaw to see if they could help me out. They were rude, dismissive and I had to practically pull the words out of the guys mouth. In a nutshell, they didn't even give me a suggestion as to how to fix this problem. All the dude said was "You might as well get a new knife, your knife is out of production". So I got to work and made my own thumb stud, no thanks to Kershaw. I used to be a big fan, not anymore. At $200 a knife, I expect you to have extra parts for said knives until my great grandchildren die. McMaster-Carr to the rescue, now that's a real company.

Race Tyre on the road. I got a puncture at the end of a track day day just as I was leaving the circuit. Another guy give me his worn front tyre to replace mine. The profile at the front was completely different to a road tile, much sharper point in the centre. This made the bike want to lean over every time I entered the corner. It was so corner happy!

A word of warning; NEVER over tighten your chain. The owners' manual will give you the minimum slack for your chain, so don't be tempted to tighten it a little bit more "just for luck". Having an over-tight chain will significantly increase chain wear, but the worst thing about it is that it can actually destroy your engine. This is because an over-tight chain then puts extra pressure on the gearbox components and that can. feed all the way back to other parts of the engine, and that really can destroy it. Don't do it.

Solid video.

6:02 Just a thought, I bought a 4K mile 8 year old bike that had a slight film of fork seal fluid on the dampers for the first few rides, but after that they were dry as a bone, and I watched it religiously so I know. There is nuances to things.

Roller bearing head-sets, new chain and sprockets (along with a gearing change) new fork seals, shimmed fork bearings and fresh fork oil. Sounds like what I used to do with every new-to-me motorcycle. Ah yes and align the rear wheel with the front wheel too. Made a big difference.

Versys 650 again the gorgeous model stealing the show 🤩

I have a 2020 zx10r and I’m sure there is more slack in my throttle then should be. I’ll have to find that other video. 👍🏾

1. Tyre wear 2. Steering head bearings 3. Throttle slack 4. Chain/sprocket wear, loose & dirty 5. Suspension

Good gouge as usual. In addition to suspension seal leakage, it's also worth mentioning the age of the oil. After 17 years of riding, I swear I'm the only one who actually replaces suspension oil on a somewhat regular basis.

My last new bike, a 2018 Z900RS, had some absolute moron at the dealership do the suspension setup. A couple of hours of adjusting it with the help of a bro turned it from a good bike into a dream. That same idiot tech also set up the chain and clutch and throttle cables with zero slack.

3:30 just pop a wheelie and check it that way.

If it is a ducati and it's leaking oil, its good, it means that there is still oil in the engine, if it's not leaking, it's because there's no oil to leak.

Question: I know this asks for an obvious answer, but I just want to know what do you think of motorcycle lowering kits? I mean, I already know that it greatly affects the bike's handling. But most of mid range big bikes are usually "too tall" for us asian riders and thus a lot of local mechanics recommending lowering kits as an option. But other experienced riders say it's not as ideal as it sounds and that it might cause more danger than rider benefits.Thoughts? I hope I get genuine opinions since my height is kind of discouraging me from riding big bikes. Thanks!

AND : rear wheel alignment

I have been riding around with leaking forks for months now. Although my theory is that my crash actually twisted my Fork, causing the leak. To be clear: yes, my Fork IS twisted/(bent?) and I have been driving around with it for months now. Ofc the twisted fork (which I parly twisted back by now) does affect the handling by a lot, but since that bike is only used to get from A to B, it doesn't really matter that much.

Tks. much.

Starts at 1:25

Spoked wheel truing and rear wheel / chain alignment.

Forgot to mention, worn out front/rear axle bearing also play a big role on how bikes handle. Got my mates that issues, where his bike front wheel steer left/right whenever he brake hard enough. It turns out his front axle bearing severly damaged due to intensity on pavement he rode daily. And I also got my problem with my rear axle bearing, lucky I found it out when I adjust my chain. My rear wheel wiggle/play just a little every time I tightened the lug. And on the same day my bearing poped off, lucky enough I were able to ride it to the nearest shop to get it replaced. Not amazed that happened to me, because I add rear rack and top box that are probably bit heavy for my bike.