2018 Steering Slop/Loose Tie Rod

[willtill]

It's all about ratios and lever arms. My CTX700 has "only" 1.5 inches of shock travel, but because of the 2.5:1 ratio of the shock to swing arm, it gives me a little over 4 inches of travel before bottoming. So having a shock move just 1 inch is really not an issue, and doesn't mean anything without knowing the lever arm ratio to determine what that 1 inch of travel actual means.

Someone needs to get a camera in that front end and film that shock shaft; as the shock is being articulated....

[ths61]

Someone needs to get a camera in that front end and film that shock shaft; as the shock is being articulated....

That would be a great video to have while the bike is being ridden one and two up..

Like the DarkSide GoPro videos showing the car tire's contact patches.

[ShanghaiDan]

Someone needs to get a camera in that front end and film that shock shaft; as the shock is being articulated....

Yep, it seems to me to be basically the same type of forces on the front shock as on a rear monoshock setup. Short stroke, lever arm for operation/usable stroke. Mainly in-and-out forces since both ends can rotate freely about an axis.

[Zteve]

Our B's rear shock has too much pre load and it looks like the new Wing's front has too little. Someone needs to check on the guys in the suspension dept.

[ths61]

I don't understand how the reports of great ride quality from the front end are co-existing with the reports from Traxxion about having 1" of shock travel and the shock bottoming bumper coming into play frequently.

I would speculate there are multiple reasons such as:

1) Pride of Ownership/Denial after spending $30K on a first year bike.
2) Variances in bikes first off the line.
3) Variances in riders perceptions and riding styles. Some people notice things, others don't, just like with anything else.

Wart reports are popping up around the internet for multiple issues (paint, fit & finish, mechanical, software) from early adopters and not just from vendors. Not unexpected for an initial production run.

[Walcrow]

Looked the rubber bumper is part of the shock dampening system!!. The top of the shock hits the damper and gives it that "rubberized road feel". Honda should come out with a rubber bumper like a Superbrace that comes in 2 pieces. Just screw a new one on every 500 miles or so, then hit the next rest area. Parts Dept. will sell 'em with 500 to the case.

OR.....Max says the travel of the shock is 53mm and the bumper takes up 60% of that travel. Maybe the bumper compresses to about 59% of that amount. I'd get the 4 year extended warranty on that bumper......OR.....Honda is going to get real pissed if they have to pay to replace that sucker every so often under warranty if it wears out prematurely. If what I saw had 300 miles on it, that piece might not last too long.

[Verismo]

Since I am a neophyte when it comes to suspensions, I have neophyte thoughts about them, such as: given that the bumper is noticeably different in size and proportion to other bumpers, is it possible that Honda designed the new one to function in a slightly different way? From the description in the video, you would think there would be a very regular feeling of "bottoming out" the front end, given the tiny amount of available travel on the shock. That is the opposite of what I felt from the front end on my test ride. It was never harsh, actually most comfortable front end I've ever felt on a bike. Maybe I didn't push it hard enough in the corners to experience the limitation?

Jason

[Walcrow]

Here's the steering head rattle issue from Max.................

https://youtu.be/cHcTiEQDIjY

[choptop]

Not necessarily something a person wants to see or hear but good to know.

[daleglide]

After demo riding the 2018 Gold Wing Tour I could feel the front end slop you are talking about. Not all the time, but it was noticeable.