REFLECTOR:Nose Gear Shimmy

[Scott Derrick]

I'm more inclined to keep the friction washers tighter and the nose tire 
at a higher pressure.  That's the mode that fits the design.

I know it bounces a lot harder when taxing on a bumpy surface.  By 
running the nose tire softer at 15psi or there abouts, I think you are 
more prone to the risk of running it flat.  I drove tricks for a living 
a few times and developed the habit of kicking or hitting a tire to 
check its pressure, 15 psi feels a lot like flat.

I suppose by running the nose at a low pressure you run the risk of 
spinning it on the hub and cutting off the tube stem.

I run my nose tire at 35 PSI, mains at 40-45 and I've never measured the 
friction of the castoring compression washers( I know I should).

Scott

Chuck Jensen wrote:

> Bob,
>  
> That's certainly interesting.  How much braking does it take to get your 
> nose to break loose?  I wonder if the choices are:
>  
> 1.    Carry high pressure in the nose gear but have tight forks to 
> compensate, or
>  
> 2.    Carry lower pressure in the nose gear and be able to loosen the 
> forks which permits easier steering.
>  
> Are these false alternatives?  Other than an ever so slight increase in 
> take-off roll from the extra friction of a low pressure front tire, I 
> don't see the downside of the low pressure/loose(r) fork option. 
>  
> Note:  "loose forks" is a relative term and doesn't relate to any value 
> other than something less than the recommended 15-20 psi.  If I spoke to 
> my attorney, I'm sure he would say I should say "Experiment at Your Own 
> Peril."
>  
> Chuck
> 
>     -----Original Message-----
>     From: reflector-admin@tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-admin@tvbf.org]On
>     Behalf Of SlvEgl99@aol.com
>     Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 2:26 PM
>     To: reflector@tvbf.org
>     Subject: Re: REFLECTOR:Nose Gear Shimmy
> 
>     I always try to carry 40 in the nose gear of my XL, 45 in the mains.
>     Had shimmy, but did not happen again once I tightened the fork.
> 
>     Bob Wood