At speeds of 60+ MPH, when I hit moderate bumps, the entire front end/forks of my 2016 Scout will jump into the air and the handlebars will wobble from side to side 3-4 times before it regains control. It's pretty scary when it happens but the bike has always regained control almost instantly on it's own. At first I thought I was gripping the handlebars too hard so I loosened my grip and it still happens, then I started wondering if it was normal but I have ridden a few other bikes and never had anything this extreme happen. It definitely seems different from a typical death wobble, it's only when I hit a good sized bump at highway speeds, and the handlebars only shake back and forth a few times while the front is seemingly off the ground. Any suggestions for what this could be, I just got the bike less then a week ago, good condition, low mileage, I've put about 300 miles on it so far and I love it, except for this one issue. I plan on doing some long road trips before the end of summer but I need to fix this issue before I do that. First thought was front suspension but I'm new to working on bikes and wouldn't even know where to start.
Indian Scout front end jumping into the air/handlebars wobbling over bumps on the highway.
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Have you checked the psi of the tires?
It's likely the suspension. The earlier model years did not have a very good suspension. In response, Indian upgraded the rear suspension to progressively wound springs in 2017, and upgraded the front suspension to cartridge style in 2018. Many people found great success for a reasonable price by upgrading the front fork springs to Progressive brand springs and changing the oil weight. There are many posts on this in the Scout threads, in particular the "Indian Scout Performance and Suspension" thread.
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Mileage? It’s an old model, you might need new fork oil. New springs wouldn’t hurt.
Other than tire pressure, make sure your rear suspension is set. It’s very fussy and 1 mm makes a difference since it’s at such a extreme angle. Don’t just adjust and guess, measure it properly as in the manual.
You can probably find the OEM 2017+ shocks on eBay to make a big improvement.
Other than tire pressure, make sure your rear suspension is set. It’s very fussy and 1 mm makes a difference since it’s at such a extreme angle. Don’t just adjust and guess, measure it properly as in the manual.
You can probably find the OEM 2017+ shocks on eBay to make a big improvement.
About 5500 miles now. I'll check tire pressure first. Are the owner's manuals available on the Indian website?
Okay thank you, I'll check out that thread. I knew prior to buying the bike that the suspension was one of the biggest issues, I just didn't expect it to be so bad that the whole front end comes off the ground when I hit bumps at high speed.
Honestly I have not, that's gonna be the first thing I do now, thank you. The dealer said to bring it back in and they'll have a look at it, so if tire pressure isn't the issue, hopefully they'll be able to figure something out.
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Yes. The 2017+ spec is 282mm when loaded. Not sure what it is before then.
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I’m guessing your preload is not just wrong, but very very wrong.
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I checked the PSI last night, front was low by maybe 5 PSI and the rear was low by about 10, I filled them to the specs and then went on a ride, still having the issue unfortunately. I'm guessing it's a suspension thing.
I got the owners manual for the 2016 on Indians website, so I'll check what the manual says and then I'll check the suspension on my bike. Thanks for the help.
I recently got a 2016 Indian Scout Sixty and there is one issue, when hitting moderate bumps at highway speeds 60-65+, the front forks/wheels seem to come off the ground entirely and the handlebars violently shake back and forth for a second until the bike regains control. I had posted about this in the general discussion thread and got some good suggestions but they also said I should come to this thread. I have checked the PSI and filled them to spec, that did not fix the issue. I will be checking the preload today after work. I knew the suspension was bad before buying the bike but an issue like this seems like more then just bad suspension. The dealer said I could bring the bike back in and they would have a look at it if I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Was wondering if you guys had any suggestions or if anyone else has dealt with this.
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Also, switch to their 20wt fork oil from the standard 10wt.
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Got it. I was thinking they may have been over inflated.
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That sounds really bad. Like something is broken.
Lets do a Dave Moss quick check.
Put a zip-tie around the bottom of your fork tube and ride. How far does it go up when you return? This will tell us if your front suspension is busted.
Second. Spray some white lithium grease on the travel area of one shock, and go ride. Similar to the zip tie, where is the level when you get back? If there’s none left, then you are bottoming out and need more preload. If there is a lot left you don’t have enough.
Put the zip tie on and went on a ride, this was it's spot when I got back. I checked the preload on the rear, the right side was at like 292mm and the left was around 288ish so I adjusted them back to spec for the 2016 scout's (282mm) and just sitting on the bike I felt a huge difference. When I would sit down pre-adjustment the shocks wouldn't depress at all, now I can actually feel the bike move lower a little when I sit down. I'll take it on a ride soon and see if it makes any difference. Let me know if the zip tie test looks normal or if something is wrong, I really wouldn't know what to be looking for with that. Thanks!
Thanks for the advice, I did change the preload back to the spec (282mm), they had been at like 292 and 288ish so I'm going to go for a ride soon and see if that makes a difference in the issue.
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