What is headshake?
Mar 31st, 2010 by Leo
Cars fish-tail under over-zealous acceleration. Motorcycles (mainly sporty ones) develop “head-shake.” With cars, loss of traction in the rear wheel (on rear wheel drive cars) causes the rear of the car to slide left, then right, then left again… It all starts with a slide in one direction, and the driver over corrects and sends it sliding in the other direction. With a motorcycle…head shake happens when the front wheel loses contact with the ground and regains contact with the wheel slightly out of alignment (to the direction it was going). You see it happen after a poorly executed wheelie – but it can happen under hard acceleration or after encountering bumps in the road: The wheel comes off the ground while the steering angle changes (usually by rider input) slightly, and when the wheel regains contact with the ground – you get the bars turn left and right while the wheel tries to regain its alignment…
Who’s susceptible? Basically if your bike can wheelie you can get headshake… So a 10hp scooter can get head shake, but (probably) not a Harley Softail.
Steering dampers (or stabilizers) are adjustable shock-type mechanisms designed to help alleviate head shake by making it more difficult to turn the bars quickly. For the most part they work (makes your bike less prone), but head shake can still occur.
So what can you do about it? Here’s what NOT to do: don’t grab onto the bars tightly. Easier said than done. Holding onto the bars tightly and having your weight on the bars can cause head-shake, but once it begins it can cause it to escalate. So rule #1 is to keep light on the bars. The second thing you shouldn’t do is use the front brake. This is easier. A little bit of rear brake or engine braking will help get the front end under control faster, but front brake will probably lead to a crash.
Other than that, keeping your bike under control after a bout of head-shake is all about fundamental riding skills: light on the bars, throttle control… Got any stories or tips for dealing with head shake? Share the wealth! Cheers!
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