Rm 80 Headshake

[mark293]

MY JUST TURNED 9 YEAR OLD , INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 65CC RIDER IS WANTING ANOTHER 80CC BIKE. BY ANOTHER I MEAN, WE HAD AN 01 RM 80 BUT THE HEADSHAKE IT PRODUCED DID NOT INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN THE BIKE FOR HIM AND WE SOLD IT SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

MY QUESTION IS ARE SOME BIKES INHERENTLY PRONE TO HEADSHAKE OR IS THIS SOMETHING I CAN GET RID OF WITH LIGHT FORK AND SHOCK SPRINGS. THE MOTOR WAS AWESOME AS IM SURE THE NEW 85 IS ALSO. WE JUST CANT GO FAST ON A BIKE THAT SHAKES. MAYBE ITS THE RIDER. I TOLD HIM DONT CHOP THE THROTTLE OFF IN STUTTER BUMBS. IT SEEMED TO WORK SOMETIMES, BUT SOMETIMES IS TOO SCARY FOR ME.

THANKS FOR ANY HELP.

 

[dell30rb]

I ride a 2002 cr80 ... absolutely no headshake here

It probably has the best balanced suspension of the 80's as well as a very strong motor.

< Mod edit: No bike bashing comments please >

 

[nikki]

Headshake can be caused my many variables. Sometimes tightening the steering stem nut can help (bars don't turn as freely). Moving the forks up/down in the clamps can have an effect. Spring weights can make a difference too. Same with the clicker settings.

I moved your thread to the Mini Forum so hopefully others with RM 80's or other 80's can share what they have found in terms of headshake.

 

[MikeS]

I suspect it has alot to do with setup. We are on our 3rd RM,now an 85. With the 01 my son had followed or led through sections with other RM's that had headshake. We never had that problem. Atleast now the new RM's have a more stable front end for all occasions.

My guy is heavy. 135+ last year. We used .31/21 springs and emulators. This Year we are at 140+ and have opted for the 32/33 springs. I asked him about how he handled the stutter bumps and he said. Get back and pin it. If he was braking into them he said he just stayed back and used both brakes. As i remember the kids that had the problem where light weights and smaller., so maybe set up and physical strenght has alot to do with it.

Mike S 300MXC
Mike Jr RM85,TM125E

 

[ACS]

Some bikes are more suspectable top headshake than others. Most minis dont seem to have a problem but setup and rider style can cause problems.

Your little guy is pretty light. Lighter springs would help as would decreasing the amount of fork going through the top triple clamp. Some times its also rider position on the bike on the fast sections. They need to get up on the pegs and sometimes a bit back on the bike to make it "float" on the rougher sections on fast straights.

Get him a ride on the other brands at the track and see what he likes. Keep in mind though that individual riders set ups (or the parents view of set up) can make one brand seem better than others.

 

[mark293]

LIGHT HE IS NOT. AT 100 LBS , HE IS THE BIGGEST JUST TURNED 9 YR OLD I KNOW. I REALLY LIKE THE POWERVALVE IN THE RM 85, BUT IVE ALSO READ (DIRT RIDER 85 COMPARISON TEST) AND IT TOLD ME WHAT I ALREADY KNEW. THE RM HAS A BUSY CHASSIS. I THINK THAT IS A SUZUKI TRAIT. CAN IT BE ELIMINATED OR REDUCED? STEERING STABILIZER? TIGHTNING STEERING NUT? ETC..... IM LEANING TOWARDS THE KX EVEN THOUGH IT DOESNT HAVE NEAR THE MOTOR THE RM HAS... TRADE OFFS , TRADE OFFS

 

[Daago]

We are now on our third RM, (now the 85 of course). I definitely recommend tightening the steering stem so that the wheel will just barely turn freely side to side with the bike on the stand and the front wheel off the ground. We have had to do so on all our RM's for some strange reason. You should tighten until you achieve a slight resistance in the free movement of the wheel.

After having done so, then you might also experiment with the fork adjustments.

As for the RM vs. other 80cc bikes...the entire '02 crop seems to be one of the collective best. However, for us, we're just partial I guess.

Good luck