wobble at slow speeds

[Gushmul]

Originally Posted by doctoras9

Hi
What Rev Ken said

Mine also wobbling 50-60km/h (when I take both hands off from handlebar) from the first ride years ago until today,  with 4 different pair tires during that period

IMHO the phenomenon is due to hard engine’s brake, the weight transferred to the front wheel and cannot be absorbed smoothly by the soft front suspension, because of simple telescopic fork without any adjustment.
Fatter sae oil fork, or aftermarket springs can help.
But the solution would be to upgrade it to a closed cartridge, just like Andreani’s

https://www.m4tuning.com/en/honda/220227-fork-cartridges-kit-misano-evo-andreani-honda-cbf-1000-105-h25e.html

I actually test rode two other CBFs before the one I bought, all three of them had the wobble! Interestingly mine felt quite settled during the warmer weather, things cooled off a lot at the start of this week and I've kept forgetting to do my tyre pressures, but I've noticed my wobble has increased quite a bit when I let off the throttle at 30-40mph (your 50-60km/h range). Hopefully I remember to check my tyre pressures this evening or tomorrow morning before I leave for work, but I bet they're a bit low and that's the cause for the increased wobble. It really is strange that Honda let a bike come out of the factory with this "feature".

[Art]

Originally Posted by Gushmul

I actually test rode two other CBFs before the one I bought, all three of them had the wobble... It really is strange that Honda let a bike come out of the factory with this "feature".

Low speed wobble, or any other wobble, isn't a feature of the CBF1000.

No wobble on mine or on the others I've ridden.

[jm2]

Originally Posted by MexiCan

Nice offer jm2, however, I am actually 3300 mi from you (on the other side of the Atlantic). Any suggestions as to what to do mechanically?

Wrong Ridgeville - I'll be 1,300 mi from you end of November.  Okay, that may be a bit far for you (but I'll be putting in the majority!).

After ditching your mechanic;  find someone who knows what they are doing.  It looks as if you may have gone from too tight head bearings to too loose.  But I wouldn't trust that the replacements are even in correctly and you may have to bin those and start again.
But really you ought to be able to feel tight or notchy bearings and test for those too slack (get your mrs/gf/mum to sit on the pillion perch and have a wiggle).

[MexiCan]

For those interested: I finally took the bike to a different mechanic. This time, a 70 year old man with a passion for building and racing all kinds of land machines and owner of a Honda repair shop. He noticed the problem instantly even though someone else had actually done something to improve the handling (untighten the bearing).
He changed the bearing to a genuine Honda part (he said the previous one was an aftermarket) and he tightened it by feel (resistance or looseness while moving the handlebars L-R with the bike up in a stand), not necessarily following the specs. The result: I have my old bike back, NO WOBBLE, steady as can be and not overtly susceptible to turbulence or pavement seams. Happy!
So, if anybody in my area has troubles with their machine, PM me and I'll give you his coordinates.

[MexiCan]

Forgot to acknowledge JM. You were absolutely right!

[Frosties]

A giant ship’s engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one ‘professional’ after another but none of them could figure out how to fix the broken engine.

Then they brought in a man who had been fixing ships since he was young.
He carried a large bag of tools with him and when he arrived immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away and the engine was fixed!!!

A week later, the owners received an invoice from the old man for $10,000.

What?! the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything..!!!”.

So they wrote to the man; “Please send us an itemised invoice.”

The man sent an invoice that read:

Tapping with a hammer………………….. $2.00

Knowing where to tap…………………….. $9,998.00

Effort is important but experience and knowing where to direct that effort makes all the difference.