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2013 VT1300CS Oversteer

4K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  SPARKY5151 
#1 ·
Got a new 2013 Honda Sabre (VT1300CS) a few months ago from a dealer who had one left over.

It's got a little over 600 miles now.

I can't say I'm the most experienced rider in the world. I rode a lot many years ago and just started riding again but I know oversteer when I experience it.

The bike wants to 'tuck in' on a turn. I actually have to kinda push back on the inside side of the handlebars in a tight turn.

I weigh about 240lbs. I've read that motorcycle oversteer can happen when the back is too high or the front is too low.

It's hard to tell that its not level just looking at it but I certainly experience the oversteer. I could take it to the dealer but I thought I would inquire about this condition online in the hope that it's an adjustment I can make.

Thank you,

Don Smith - don@newsvideo.com
 
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#3 ·
Put 40 psi in both front and rear tires and take it out for another ride to see how it is. When I first bought my 750 Shadow, my ride home didn't feel right. I checked, and the front tire had less than 20 psi, aired it up and all was good.

Good luck.
 
#5 ·
The joke is on me. I assumed (and they tried to teach me not to do that in the Army) that my tire pressure was good when the new bike was delivered, and it was just in for its first oil change (600 miles) where the shop manager told me they also checked the tire pressure. Well, I just checked and the front tire is at 32lbs. I can't check the rear right now because the fancy digital tire gauge I have won't fit between the hub of the wheel and the top of the valve. Have to go get the old sliding mechanical gauge before I can know what the rear pressure is. So, everyone who replied suspects tire pressure and thank you for breaking me out of the assumption that my dealer was providing good service. I have a bad taste from that dealer on the original sale and this just confirms I'll never do business with them again. Thank you all.
 
#6 ·
I was mistaken; my tire pressure seems to be correct. I was going by the messages here where everyone says in the 38 to 40 range but the manufacturers label on the fork of the bike says 33/36. I'll have to wait until I have the right tool to check the rear tire but the front tire is correct.
 
#7 ·
So you are going with the manufacturers recommendation? Instead of listening to the voices of experience? Shame on you, put 40 in the front !!!!
 
#9 ·
Not only will you have your tucked and squirrelly ride, you are going to suffer premature tire wear. I run 37-39 PSIG in front tire and 39-40 PSIG in rear. I have been using dynabeads to balance for several years and installed Ride-On sealant balancer in rear tire 6000 miles past. I am getting 19-21k plus miles on my 2009 VTX 1300 tires with this 260 pound solid flab body of mine keeping the shocks compressed to the asphalt. Wishing you well.
 
#10 ·
Sometimes you have to throw the factory or dealer recommendations out the window. 38-40 psi to start in either tire. Fine tune it from there, up or down. Very few guys run the same tires, balance media, weigh the same, ride the same, have the same road conditions, etc.etc. See where this is going?
 
#11 ·
40 psi in a front motorcycle tire is kind of ridiculous to me, however i probably push mine quite a bit harder than the average vtx rider. 32 psi is not going to cause any problems severe enough that it feels like you have to countersteer the bike so much to keep the bike from "tucking" in. i would suspect something else, or again just rider error.

i run 33-34 in the front and 36-37 in the rear, and i have NO problems.
 
#13 ·
no, we're not going anywhere. do we all really need to have the same opinion? is that what this board is to you? fall in line or get gone? please dude, dont take it there. the sticker says right there on the driveshaft housting 33, 36 psi. whether you like to run that personally or not doesnt matter, it's personal preference. if you want to putt down the highway and ride conervatively (which is totally fine) then by all mean stick 40 psi in each tire. you put too much air in, and you wear out the center tread quicker, and sacrafice grip. you put too little air, and you overheat the tire and get shitty handling. you have to find that happy medium that suits your style. 40 psi is fine, not for the way i like to ride though. what i'm saying is let's not blame his problem on 32 psi. i can handle that pressuer fine, maybe it doesnt suit him though and he feels like he's having to fight the bike. i dont know

you old guys are sure set in your ways!! :icon_bigg:cheers:
 
#14 ·
Stock replacement Dunlop 404, about 13,000 miles, 40 psi...



Center of the tread doesn't look worn out to me...

Actually underinflation is what wears out a motorcycle tire...Seen plenty of posts on here with guys running 32 psi and only getting 8000 miles from the exact same tire....We're set in our ways because we figured this shit out years ago...
 
#16 ·
I run 40 PSI and mainly highway and mine wears in the center because I ride mainly the highway. When I go down to lower pressures I get cupping and unresponsive steering but better grip feeling but I also get that at 40PSI with the new shocks I just put on set softer. I have 12,000 miles or so on my front 880 and it started cupping on the left side about 3000 miles ago at 40PSI and installed and adjusted correctly from day one. I took the wheel weights off and put Ride On in the tires and get a smoother ride and the cupping is almost gone as the tire started to wear normal again. Over steer can also be caused by the back shocks being set too hard so try dropping down 1 notch at a time and see if that helps.
 
#20 ·
I also want to say that I've never experienced a skid or spin (that wasn't related to excessive torque of my right wrist on the throttle) with the Metz radials at 40/40 - they always hook up and stay hooked up when you need or want them to... that was not the case with the oem dunlops at 33/36... those were slippery as heck to me...
 
#21 ·
I truly appreciate all the input (I'm the OP) but I've experimented with pressures in the front tire from factory recommended 32psi to 40psi and I still get the inside handle pushing against my hand in a turn. The rear tire remains at factory suggested pressure for now until I get a right-angle nozzle adaptor. Now, one poster suggested it could be rider error and I won't deny that possibility. I rode a lot 30 years ago but have been dormant since then so I admit up front that I'm re-learning. It could be a short between the headphones. That's why I ask on this forum "Is this normal?". It shouldn't be in my opinion. On the smaller bike that I used in my rider course to get re-licensed I was one with the bike. I thought I was back to being a good rider quickly. Then, switching to my new 2013 VT1300CS (the dealer had one left over) I'm riding like a perpetual newbie because the bike wants to get ahead of me in lower speed turns and especially in under 5mph turns. I find myself struggling to turn it in tight spaces which is polar opposite of how I was able to handle the bike I rode in my rider course. In the course and on a smaller bike I could do perfect figure-8s inside of two side-by-side parking spaces. I can't do a slow figure-8 on the VT1300CS without falling into the turn. I come off looking like I had never ridden a bike before. To end this post before it gets too long (yeah yeah, it's too late :) ) I need to know; is it natural for a 1300cc bike to want to 'tuck in' (my term) in a turn? I mean, do you guys feel that the handle bars are 'neutral' through the turn and just following your input and not fighting back?
 
#23 ·
...On the smaller bike that I used in my rider course to get re-licensed I was one with the bike. I thought I was back to being a good rider quickly. Then, switching to my new 2013 VT1300CS (the dealer had one left over) I'm riding like a perpetual newbie because the bike wants to get ahead of me in lower speed turns and especially in under 5mph turns. I find myself struggling to turn it in tight spaces which is polar opposite of how I was able to handle the bike I rode in my rider course. In the course and on a smaller bike I could do perfect figure-8s inside of two side-by-side parking spaces. I can't do a slow figure-8 on the VT1300CS without falling into the turn. I come off looking like I had never ridden a bike before....
under 5mph?? Figure 8's?? I'm pretty sure that we all thought you were talking about 'out on the open road'... your big cruiser is never going to do in a parking space what your pea-pod (Honda Rebel sized bike) in the riders course could do... best to get out there and ride it for real... rarely have to do that kind of maneuvering in real world, but if you do, put your feet down and 'walk it' until you get the feel for the much bigger bike that you now have...
 
#27 ·
Not to mention the huge difference in weight and the extreme difference in the center of gravity. Those little rebels sit low and weigh next to nothing so they can be leaned way over with the rider upright and turn on a dime. A 600+ lbs bike is going to always feel like it wants to tip on over until you get to 10+ mph.

The only thing you can do to fix it is practice, practice, practice. I ride everywhere including very tight spaces. My typical parking maneuver with my 1800R is a U-turn in a two-parking-space spot and then backup ~8ft to the curb. I've had more than one rider at a gas station look at me funny when I scrape the boards in tight turns to get to a pump and exclaim they can't do that on their little v-stroms -- and I KNOW that there's folks a thousand times more agile on bikes just as big.

It just becomes second nature. Using the clutch, brake, throttle and steering input to manipulate the bike to do what you want. Taking more advanced rider courses might be a good idea to get used to your heavier bike and learn to manipulate it to a greater degree.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Here is a video of slow speed maneuvering done by an expert. Notice that his foot is close to or on the brake petal pretty much the whole time. And just to show how top heavy and unstable our big bikes can be at slow speeds he even gives us a couple of extra maneuvers!

https://youtu.be/qdsL13m6xCM
 
#32 ·
Here is a video of slow speed maneuvering done by an expert. Notice that his foot is close to or on the brake petal pretty much the whole time. And just to show how top heavy and unstable our big bikes can be at slow speeds he even gives us a couple of extra maneuvers!

https://youtu.be/qdsL13m6xCM
It has always struck me as much easier to do those slow speed maneuvers on a bike that you don't have to pay to repair if you drop it :)

G'day,

Vinish
 
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