Guys,

I have just finished my first 2 rides with my new 26" Mud Lite tires. Observations so far:

Snow = Excellent
Mud = Excellent
Corners on hard pack = Much better than stock
Hard pack trails = rougher than stock, but better in a way.
Pavement = very twitchy handeling with pulling from side to side at 10 - 40mph. Scary at 40mph but smooths out over 45 mph.

What can I do to eliminate the side to side pulling.

Help!

ED

 

Check your toe-in, several guys have mentioned similiar problems from improper adjustment. Check nyroc's site for a straight forward guide to this procedure.

 

Wobble on pavement is out of balance. You could do it well with a cheaper bubble balancer and stick on weights.

Too much toe causes jerk on uneven terrain.

 

Nyroc,

Can you explain "jerk" on uneven terrain. I may have that as well. At slower speeds I feel like the machine is being pulled from side to side on the trails. With my stock tires I set the toe to 0. Do I need to re-adjust with the new tires?

ED

 

I have 26 in mudlites on my p650 and i got the front tires balanced when they were installed,they took alot of weight (all on the inside) and they are very smooth and they no vibration at all from the front end.

 

crazzyjoe

Same here. I have the 26" Mudlites and they are very smooth.

 

FastEd, what are the widths of your front and rear tires?

 

If the toe is excessive, variable ground pressure and conditions caused by an uneven surface can cause a force on the tires that you feel as a tug on your handlebars. This has nearly zero affect on dry pavement.

This force results from a sideways force (due to toe) acting on the bottom of the tire, but producing a torque on the handlebar due to castor (tire pivot point is not right on the bottom of the contact patch, but forward).

Reducing the toe (whether toed out or in) will alleviate this. Try 0-1/6" toe in.

0-.79 may have been fine with crappy tires, but 0-1/16 is required by good tires.


Out of balance is always most easily felt on a smooth road. A combination of out of balance and excessive toe may cause you to have problems that seem not as clear cut as what I have described, but it really is this clear cut. It really is this easy to fix.

However, your tires are bigger and heavier than stock. You can't fix that without going with lighter tires. You may always feel a reduced nimbleness due to larger tires and heavier tires.

 

Nyroc,

Thanks!

92LT the tires are 26-12-12 and 26-10-12

ED