FAQ: Why does my front end feel ‘vague’?

Front-end feel is such an important part of enjoying your motorcycle. Motorcycle racers will tell you that front-end feel is one of, if not the most important ingredients for fast lap times.

And it’s pretty much the same for everyday riding. If your front-end is feeling vague and you lack confidence in it, then even your riding style will be affected. You will stiffen up and be less fluid with your movements, which will affect the way your motorcycle handles. You want the front-end to feel as one with the machine otherwise everything will feel disjointed.

There are a few causes for poor front-end feel – and they can compound on each other, too. The main ones are worn tyres, incorrect tyre pressures, poorly damped suspension, worn wheel bearings and even badly worn steering head bearings. If you’ve got all of these happening at once then you are in a bad way. Let’s have a look in order at what we would check to sort the issue.

The front tyre is usually the biggest culprit – but even the rear tyre can affect the front. If the tyres aren’t very old and have a fair amount of tread left on them then low tyre pressures could well be the culprit.

As a general rule, tyre pressures should be around 34psi in the front and 38psi in the rear on a road bike. This pressure is taken when the tyres are cold and with a pressure gauge that actually works – not a $2.00 one you’ve thrown around the garage for years. This is a guide and it’s advisable to ask if you are unsure. Tyres also leak pressure gradually, so you should check them weekly if you ride regularly.

Tyres low on pressure produce a heavy feeling at the front-end, while too much pressure means the feeling is too light.

If your rear tyre is worn flat in the middle or is low on pressure, this can make it harder to ‘tip’ the bike into a corner. In turn, that can have you believe there’s something wrong with the front, when in fact the rear is the culprit.

Finally, if your front tyre is worn out, irrespective of pressure, it will not work and has to be replaced.

Related reading
Understanding road bike tyres
What makes a good tyre?

Your suspension’s job is to keep the tyres on the road as much as possible, and stop the bumps playing havoc with your bike.

However, not all suspension is created equally, and older or more basic machines will have little or no suspension adjustment – and what suspension is there will often be rudimentary. If it has lots of kilometres under its belt, then it’s highly likely rudimentary suspension will also be worn out.

If you front-end is still; wayward, this will be the next area you check if your tyres are in good condition and the pressure’s on the money.

If your suspension is adjustable and you still have the owner’s manual (the internet is your friend here also), check to see where your suspension is adjusted. Is it close to the factory settings? If not, adjust it back to the factory settings and see how this works.

Secondly, look for visible leaks from the forks and the shock abosrber. Remember how we said the rear could affect the front? If your forks are leaking badly and much of your fork oil has escaped then this could well be your problem.

If the forks are fine, then bounce the front-end up and down as hard as you can to ascertain if the movement is controlled in any way. If it’s not, it’s time you got it serviced at a reputable motorcycle workshop. Even non-adjustable suspension likes a birthday every now and then.

Wheel bearings are the next thing to check on this journey of discovery. There should be next to no side-to-side movement from your wheels. The front wheel is the most important to check here. Hold it at 12 and six and see how far it moves. A couple of millimetres are okay. Anything above that and they should be replaced. It’s not a big job for a workshop.

Steering head bearings are often overlooked. Over time they wear and can have flat spots on the bearings. When it’s bad, the bike will feel like it doesn’t want to steer, and will often want to stay in a straight line.

The only real way to check is to lift the front end off the ground and rotate the handlebars side-to-side. If you can feel a flat spot, replace them. They could be poorly adjusted too. You want the handlebar to fall to the side and go to full lock with a small to moderate amount of pressure from you to start it moving. If it falls to quickly then it needs tightening up. Won’t fall all the way? Then it’s adjusted too tight. This is a feel you get over time working with motorcycles, so if you are unsure then head into a good motorcycle shop in your area.

Most front-end issues are caused by normal wear and tear. Replace those worn parts and you’ll have a much sweeter handling motorcycle.

If the problems still persists, then it’s probably time to delve deeper into issues such as bent or cracked frames.