Having some issues that I haven't had with this bike before. 2015 Daytona 675R. I've ran Pittrace a ton on this bike and never had a problem with headshake until a trackday this past month. Pretty much only one place I had the issue, and that is coming up over the hill in the back. This is NOT with the tire in the air either, just the front end getting lighter. Only thing that I can think of is that I had my forks serviced (by someone who knows what they're doing) and maybe I need to loosen up pinch bolts on them and reset? Video should start 20 seconds in. This was the worst example of it, but I had smaller wobbles throughout two days there (including different rear tire). This one kept going until I was forced to roll off.
You start with where was the suspension was before the change and where is it now. Preload? Rebound? Compression? Forks position in the clamps? Then as you stated check for stiction and maybe then try to loosen the clamps and make the front end happy
^Agreed. Did you put the forks back to your settings after the service? I don't think I've ever had my suspension serviced and received it back with the exact same settings. Are you going any faster now? Is that the only problem with your setup? Is it doing exactly what you want? It may be time to optimize your setup for your current riding. Also you probably need to shorten that GoPro mount.
I'll double check settings in the AM. He wrote them down but there's no excuse for not double checking. Frankly, I've barely ever touched my settings because they feel "good". Forks positioned evenly and exactly where I took them out. Will try the pinch bolts as well. Best time on the weekend was right at my previous PB. The vibration does get silly. Turned off the stabilization because I hate that even more.
I crashed at that exact spot due to head shake, turns out I should've adjusted my steering damper instead of trying to ride through it. You didn't mention if you had a damper or not, but assuming you do, even if you haven't touched it, maybe the oil has thinned out some due to use? Alternatively, the higher pace might dictate the need for more damping (I was also running near my PB pace when I noticed it was happening more). edit: found some video: So yeah, don't do what I did.
How were you feeling when it happened? Only twice have I had that happen to me on track and both times is because I was tired (and losing focus) and was using the bars to help me move around on the bike and the front tire was light. Happened as I was accelerating while hanging off and trying to get my upper body back towards centerline/tucked. I could be way off though as I'm still pretty green at this.
It is a Daytona, so I hope you have an adjustable damper? Motion Pro make a simple, fork alignment tool. You should grab one, if you don’t own one. Tapered head bearings will make a difference, as well. They operate at a heavier preload than ball bearings, which helps calm the frontend, but, will stay butter smooth.
Lopit, good point although it was happening consistently all weekend. Ducnut, yeah I just turned it up. Was at a pretty low setting. I'll check out that tool and bearings.
Not sure if you were asking me, but where I crashed, it's a weird spot because your weight is back already because of the hill and you add acceleration on top of it while leaned over some still, meaning you have to drag yourself forward to get weight over the front wheel to prevent the wheel from lifting, but also not be too tight on the bars to let the front wheel track. I was also carrying more lean angle than usual to setup a pass on the rider in front, which probably didn't help...but hundreds of people navigate it weekly w/o crashing so I didn't do something right. Not sure if fatigue was an issue, 3rd session of the day and it was the first 5 minutes or so of the session.
This headshake seems a little large and uncontrolled for me to be comfortable with "turn up the damper" as the only solution. I turn the damper up for headshake that is a little large, but still settles on its own without rolling off. I look for other solutions for headshake that does not settle on its own. What's the race setup for these bikes? Fork extenders and longer fork carts? A different offset for the triple? The faster you get, the less you can do this while running at your PB. It may work out better for you in the long run if you always work on improving your setup. It may be time to start experimenting. I was totally expecting your GoPro to be on a 4" long mount or something. Crazy how much it's vibrating like that. Is the fairing not bolted well to the stay?
If everything is good and well with the forks, put a laughably big seat hump or even a duct tape a towel to your seat to keep you from pulling on the bars. If it goes away you've got your answer.
I'm onboard with rider deficiency. Not an error, per se, a learning experience relative to the rider. Here's what I see... On a bike that's, now, capable of bringing the rider to new levels of skill, but they're running the same old lines. It's been my experience that, when you go faster, you need different lines. Depending on the track, every time you end up going faster, it's likely you chose different lines. Either out of necessity to finish a turn or out of a need to be able to attack a subsequent turn from a better line; I'm not talking lines from one side of the track to the other, I mean, like, "the turn-in point is a bit farther down the track" or "a little wider at entry" kinda line changes. The only time I've ever experienced what OP is going through has been at PITT. Although for me, it was coming onto the front straight, trying not to go off track to the right at the crest. It was totally me...forcing inputs into the bar while leaned over and hard on the gas, uphill, trying to straighten out as the front nears weightlessness. Exacerbating my situation, a triangular profile front tire. I solved the problem by altering my line slightly and making a conscious effort to "stay off the bars" as I finish. The alternate line for the straight is taken into account as a part of exiting the last turn which was, in part, taken into account when setting up the entry for that turn, etc. By the time you figure out how to ride that section of track without drama, it's no longer a problem cuz your new lines/new bike are taking you into faster territory all over the track. You're not really sure where the next "advance" in your riding on that track will occur. It's exciting! Welcome to another learning curve. Get re-acquainted with your suspension settings - you're gonna be going faster now, they'll need adjusting. Perhaps a click or two of fork rebound is currently in order. Also consider that completing a turn after the initial bar input might well have to be done with a knee pressed into the tank and/or some "other" body input(s).
Your body position plays a huge role in front end shakes, so does to much air in the front tire or suspension geometry changes. When going over hills its always best to shift your body weight forward to keep that front end from lifting. If the front end lifts up try your best to keep the front wheel aligned and on the throttle come down smoothly.
Following up on this. Appreciate the help from everyone. Sure enough, it was a problem with the control unit in the riders seat. I've turned hundreds and hundreds on laps there but must have developed a bad habit in that turn. Focused on body control and being light with my hands - no problems.
