model: karizma r
modelL april 2011
kms done: 28,0000

The bike has been reliable and rock solid. but for the past 10 days, i'm facing a wierd problem in my bike.

My bike wobbles suddenly and wobble disappears suddenly. when the bike is moving, front wheel starts to wobble and the front wheel and handle bar get stiff suddenly as if the wheel has got punctured. then i apply the front brakes and everything is back to normal. this issue comes all of sudden and disappears and the bike is running fine again.

a local mechanic guy said everything is fine. most of the mechanics are not able to diagnose the issue properly as it doesn't appear regularly.

i tried 2 hmc service centre and they were not able to diagnose the issue and one on the basis of my explanation they are asking me to change the entire forks, handle bar and t cone. but the bike handles and corners well. there is no issue in handling. there is no shakes or wobble at 120. but the wobble comes up and goes once in a blue moon that too only around speeds of 60-80.

the bike had a minor fall down and there is a small bend in handle bar. but the accident happened a long time ago. after that i have done many trips. i have changed chain sprockets, oil seal for the front right side fork as oil was leaking, spark plug exactely at 23,000km. i have done many long trips after that. this issue has surfaced only a few fays back.

experts pls help. can you guys suggest me a good mechanic in chennai?

^Your bike has problem with fork cone set. Ask the mechanic to change steering cone set. Your problem would be solved.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Ravi, if you remember, I had a fall at Badrachalam that Yuv funny braking.. From then I have not changed the handlebar thinking its good. After riding RXZ these days, I kind of feel there is a bend in handle bar that my left shoulder slightly tilted high than my right while riding. I'm planning to check cone set and fork in Aug.

1. Changing my handle bar - do we get the same ZMA handle bar or there has been some change?
2. Can we change chain sprocket to new ZMA... Open type O ring type, is it compatible?

My bike wobbles suddenly and wobble disappears suddenly. when the bike is moving, front wheel starts to wobble and the front wheel and handle bar get stiff suddenly as if the wheel has got punctured. then i apply the front brakes and everything is back to normal. this issue comes all of sudden and disappears and the bike is running fine again.

a local mechanic guy said everything is fine. most of the mechanics are not able to diagnose the issue properly as it doesn't appear regularly.

i tried 2 hmc service centre and they were not able to diagnose the issue and one on the basis of my explanation they are asking me to change the entire forks, handle bar and t cone. but the bike handles and corners well. there is no issue in handling. there is no shakes or wobble at 120. but the wobble comes up and goes once in a blue moon that too only around speeds of 60-80.

^Your bike has problem with fork cone set. Ask the mechanic to change steering cone set. Your problem would be solved.

Could be either of the two Ravi, I had a strange problem in that the bike would start wobbling by itself after crossing any bumpy surface, it was narrowed down to Swingarm bushes with the help of @psr .

If swing arm bushes are worn out, you would get wobbling of rear wheel when you apply brakes, especially with a pillion. Also, on roads with straight line undulations, the bike tends to sway either side. Its like your bike's chassis is straight and the wheels are swinging to sides. Worn-out swingarm bushes also seriously affect the cornering too. The rear wheel sways out of line in corners.

Where as if the steering cone set is gone completely (if the bearings rust), the handle becomes tight in turnings. You can observe it clearly, and you will notice it all the time irrespective of roads. In some cases, the steering balls would misalign due to damage caused by hard impact (when you hit potholes hard). In this case, whenever you hit a pothole, the balls would move from their place and the steering tends to move like a snake. Once you brake hard and start again, it behaves normally. In some cases, the space between the balls and the case increases and you would notice 'tak' sound at the T stem when you apply brakes hard.

I have experienced all these in many bikes and are based on my experience.

Thanks for the useful information.
In my case however, the bike would wobble on hitting any bump or pothole. This was more like the entire bike wobbling, and not just the steering getting stuck. Trying to control the bike/steering would make no difference to the wobbling. Once I stopped and started, I wouldn't face those symptoms till a while. We went over every detail (from cable routing to cone sets etc etc) and the final conclusion was the swingarm bushes were catching slightly. After the cleanup, those problems vanished.

May be your case of wobbling might be different, which I have not experienced. Did you happen to replace steering cone set at that time? If swing arm bushes are rusted, then it would make squeaking noise. If the swing arm bushes gets rust and worn out, only then you would notice issues. In this case, just cleaning the rust will not solve the issue. May be there is something else that we don't know about swing-arm issues.

today i took the bike for 150km long drive. i was able to find when does the wobble occurs?

1. the wobble appears after hitting a deep hot hole or a slight uneven road surface.
2. the steering becomes very tight and stiff after the wobble. when the handle bar becomes tight, wobble goes away.

as suggested by ak3d, i had the sweaking noise near the schock or swing arm earilier but now it has vanished.

a question if the swing arm bushes is the culprit, will the front wheel wobble?

tommorow i'm getting my t cone and swing arm bushes checked? any idea of the cost for swing arm and t cone? t cone is same as the steering cone set?

There are 4 bushes in the swing arm.
Each costs somewhere around 300-320

You can check for yourself by holding the back tyre and moving it to 2 sides. If there is any weird wiggling movement then there is wear/tear in the bushes. Better to change it.

I should've changed it in my 9 year old Zma but the price made me hold it for the moment. Been experiencing the weird wiggles for past year or so...

today i took the bike for 150km long drive. i was able to find when does the wobble occurs?

1. the wobble appears after hitting a deep hot hole or a slight uneven road surface.
2. the steering becomes very tight and stiff after the wobble. when the handle bar becomes tight, wobble goes away.

as suggested by ak3d, i had the sweaking noise near the schock or swing arm earilier but now it has vanished.

a question if the swing arm bushes is the culprit, will the front wheel wobble?

tommorow i'm getting my t cone and swing arm bushes checked? any idea of the cost for swing arm and t cone? t cone is same as the steering cone set?

To George K T

In the new zma they had changed its camshaft ,rocker arm to bump up the bhp to 19.2 , its just plug and play

I am waiting for its camshaft and rocker arm for me

And they changed its chain type O- Ring type

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

You can use the bearing setup of ZMR. Get the metal pivot collars and bearings meant for ZMR (50+50+150+150) and new dust caps (4 x 20) (approximate prices).

Another cheaper option would be to get the plastic bushes of P150 Classic model (first model). They are direct fit and costs only 35 for 5 bushes.

Please STOP if you haven't placed the order already!!!
Vicky dot in is fraud and is de-listed!

You may never receive your item/reimbursement!

(Victimized twice already before I knew of the scam)