Look Mom No Hands

david · Post by **david** » Mon May 14, 2012 9:40 pm

The "Silver Surfer" has been riding like a dream (now that it's almost dailed in) even with no hands.

So I've put about 80 miles on the clock, and today is the fifth day riding. This afternoon I took my hands off the handle bars (Yeah I'm Bad) at about 20- 25 mph and within about 3 seconds the front wheel started to wobble (there was no problem before today). Tried again on a different stretch of road same thing.

I checked the wheel for play, and the head set, everything seems to be tight from what I can tell.

The Lammy feels fine when both hands are on the grips, so I know I should just keep my hands where they belong but, everyone likes to impress their Mom.

jbcollier · Post by **jbcollier** » Mon May 14, 2012 10:27 pm

Scooters are very poorly designed for good "handling" characteristics: all the weight at the back, heavy unsprung weight and small wheels. However, they are designed to be practical, stylish and, within limits, fun to ride.

I don't know if any of my scoots would shake their heads riding no-handed. I also have no intention of finding out. Ride it and enjoy it for what it is.

(A gorgeous thing to behold!)

david · Post by **david** » Tue May 15, 2012 10:53 am

Honestly, I half expected the front end to wobble a bit when I took my hands off to adjust my helmet or send a text or something. But to my surprise she cruised along straight and steady.

So when ridding and texting (with both hands) a few days latter and there was some wobble I had to wonder what changed; probably nothing just an anomaly.

She is a joy to ride though, and a "gorgeous thing to behold".

Post by **Kevin** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:20 pm

check your tire pressure. Maybe down a little.

david · Post by **david** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:42 pm

All was good there (18psi front, 28psi rear), thanks though Kevin.

Post by **Kevin** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:55 pm

i thought pressures were

12 front, 18 rear with single rider
12 front, 32 rear with passenger

david · Post by **david** » Tue May 15, 2012 7:21 pm

You are correct Kevin, that is what the original ownner's manual recommends.

As I am running modern tires I thought I would go with what the "Sticky manual" recommends to start, and see how it feels.

18 front and 28 rear, nornal use single rider.
18 front and 34 rear, normal use with pillion.

And so far the tire presure feels good, not too harsh on the bumpy bits.

jbcollier · Post by **jbcollier** » Tue May 15, 2012 9:08 pm

Generally, modern rubber works better with "somewhat" higher pressures than what was recommended in the day.

There is a set procedure to figure it all out based on how much the tire temp rises during use but it's a bit over the top for scooters that seldom see the other side of 100 kph.

david · Post by **david** » Tue May 15, 2012 10:16 pm

Thanks John, I wasn't 100% sure.

But when I look at the maximum tire presure (36psi) and I know that is then adjusted for the weight of the vehicle and some other factors, 12psi/18psi (front/rear) seemed low.

The 18psi/28psi (front/rear) in the Sticky manual seemed like a good starting point. And so far the handling feels good, as well the tires don't feel over inflated when riding the rough patches of our fine roads

nick · Post by **nick** » Wed May 16, 2012 12:26 pm

I'm running my tires ~18psi front and 28-30psi rear. They seem to be good thus far.

I however am not brave enough to go handsfree on my scooter.