mid-high speed wobble!!!

Well, they may have possible been replaced by the previous owner who apparently was a very capable motorcycle mechanic. So, I'll check them and see what I find...

I usually pick mine up in medium turns at about 70-80 mph. I say medium, because I'm not gonna even start widening my chicken strip before I get this thing solid...

So godjester, you wobbled at "co80gh", left "skidmarks" :laugh: and recovered? Wow, sounds like quite a ride :blink:

Sounds like I should invest in some black underwear next time I go play in the twisties on my KZ.

I know this isn't high tech or erudite but how is your tire pressure?

-Duck

A tire pressur of 24 -26 PSI dropped down to 20PSI sounds very wrong to me. Most manufacturers reccomend something like 34 front 36 rear for street duty, and most tires are dropped down to 30 - 32 for track days. I generally leave my tires at 30/32 for agressive street riding as well.

The only "street" tire I know of designed to run down at 20PSI is the new Michelin Pilot Power Race rear tires that are run in the 22-23 range on the track. They are also radial tires, and you shouldn't run radials on your bike.

Try raising your rear tire pressure to 32, and softeniing the shock preload. Right now your tire is probably providing more spring than your suspension! These bikes do well with soft spring rates on the street, it prevents loads from twisting the chassis etc.

Also, what tires are you running? These bikes should be run with Bias Ply tires like the Dunlop GT501s or Avon RoadRunners or Avon SuperVenoms. Tires will make a huge difference in how the bike handles, and the vast majority of old school wobbles are mitigated by modern tires.

Last, if she does wobble just loosely hold onto the bars, don't stiffen up and she'll come right back into line. Clamping down on the steering will just cause the frame et al to flex more. You should be just a big old steering damper in that situation!

Interesting info on the tire pressure... I'll give it a try. And the suspension too. I'm getting my clutch cable tomorow so I'll be able to figure out what I need to do from there. I'm sure I'll be back with more info/questions!

Thanks for all of y'alls help!

ok, I adjusted to tire pressure as per the owners manual, and bumped the rear shocks down one notch, Noticed there was a slight ridge on each side the rear tire from the previous owners un-agressive (aka boring) riding style. (no sharper turns) and then headed out on one of the very twisty local back roads to check it out. After about an hour of riding on these things and hammering out of low speed turns, and doing hard, sharp switchbacks on the straights, I think I wore the ridges down a bit, so on the return trip I started off easy and picked up speed through the twisties. By the time I was nearing home I was knee down and dragging pegs in the fast sweepers :woohoo: Solid as a rock. It was a blast.
Thanks to all of y'all for your excellent advice. It was dead on!

"A tire pressure of 24 -26 PSI dropped down to 20PSI sounds very wrong to me. Most manufacturers recommend something like 34 front 36 rear for street duty, and most tires are dropped down to 30 - 32 for track days."

Yeah, what he said...the manufacturers have tested their tires for the best pressure for the best results, and they're usually pretty accurate. Pressure changes are for sudden situation changes, not everyday riding.

That said...what kind of tires are you using? Some makes are better than others, and some models not suited for various bikes. Check with any metric-rider buds in your area; they might be a big help here.