Clicking feeling in my front end?

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By: Anonymous: John () Friday, 26 April 2013 @ 08:13 AM ICT (Read 1368 times)

I have a Yamaha YZF-R6 for 6-years now, bought it new, and I've noticed something on the front end that I cannot figure out. Towards the end of any heavy braking I get a sort of clicking judder feeling through the handlebars. A friend had a go on the motorcycle too and he thought he could feel the same thing. It's not terrible, but I cannot work out if something could be wrong on my forks?

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Re: Re: Clicking feeling in my front end?

By: news (offline) Friday, 26 April 2013 @ 08:59 AM ICT

If I had to make a guess I would say it was either work fork bushes, or more likely, loose headstock bearings. Even if you don't ever do wheelies or stoppies the headstock bearings that allow you to steer can either loosen up or become damaged. And what you're feeling is the small rocking motion in the headstock under braking.

The easiest way to check is to get your friend to pivot the motor up on the side stand so that the front wheel is in the air. Now grab the bottom of the forks near the wheel spindle and try to move them back and forwards.

They should obviously turn left and right, but if you can feel a faint movement in any other direction the bearings either need adjusting or replacing. The steering action should also be smooth and not notchy. It's probably easier to get a workshop to strip out the front end unless you're got the tools to hand – in which case strip out the front end and check the bearing cups for bad witnesses, the reassemble and adjust correctly.