bent front axle

[wanta86r]

once i get up to high speeds on my 86r i get a really bad front end vibration. has anyone ever bent a front axle on 85/86r? what else could be likely causes? the neck bearings are good, the wheel bearings are good. the front rim doesnt apear by eye to be bent. has anyone ever had a bent hub? could i be improperly putting everything together.

[TeamGeek6]

Check for a broken cord in the tire, lift the front wheel, hold the bars so they cant turn and put a straight edge on the floor near the tread. Then slowly rotate the tire and see if the tread wobbles. This happened on my Goldwing, the new Dunlop tire put a shake in the bars which turned out to be a crack in the inside tire casing.

I doubt its a bent axle, ive bottomed out the forks on mine so hard so many times and never had that happen. Bad bearing maybe.

[Dammit!]

Just stand the thing up on the grab bar and spin the tire. Watch the gap between the fork and the wheel on both sides. You'll be able to tell if it's the tire or the rim. I'd be extremely surprised if it were the axle or the hub. If it's anything to do with the axle, excessive wear would be more likely than a bend. You can always pop it out and role it along the edge of a table to be sure though.

[skippy]

how are the bushings on the axle, somethg rare, but perhaps.. and its all tight?

[wanta86r]

thanks guys- i figured the axle and or hub would be hard to damage. im guessing its the rim, but the tire is so old too that its very hard too eye up. i have a brand new oem tire on the way, and now im looking for a mint 86r gold rim to eliminate all concerns. let me know if anyone has got one.