BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

My 17 RT with 23K miles is just not cornering well as it used to. I do the majority of my riding on country roads. Lately I have been noticing a lack of stability on the twisties at high speed, particularly if the turn is a little bumpy. I am not noticing any leakage or damage around the shocks or suspension components. Any thoughts on fixing this problem?

Tires are Road 6 GTs   At factory pressure settings.

Suspension mode is usually Normal Dynamic

No damage to wheels

I have been told by a very experienced guy, who is also a mechanical engineer, that as some tires wear they develop a more flattened center profile (my bike does). It is is more prevalent if much of the riding the tires have seen has been on straight roads or highways. With the more squared off profile, when the bike leans into a corner, there is a more drastic change as the contact patch transitions from the flat, worn area to the more rounded sides, than when the tires were new. The bike can feel unsettled during this transition. Doing some aggressive cornering sessions in an empty car parking lot can help to even out the wear, or try new tires. Not sure if this is your issue but it seems to be one potential explanation. You could also try loosening the bolts holding the front wheel, push down on the bars a few times, then re-tighten. This might help if there is binding in the front forks from misalignment.

Slow down a little.

check the shape of the front tyre. They can go egg shaped as they wear. I've done this many a time on a Hayabusa. Going fast in the twistys with a heavy bike is a lot of force on the front rubber. Its the edge of the tyre that wears out.