Death, just moments away

VenturaRider wrote: Here's a old English video on weave and wobbles. Theres also some cool shots with a 73 Z1 in the demo.

650ed wrote: I have no personal experience with a Z1 or KZ900, but the KZ650 and KZ1000 didn't have any wobble at any speed when new. Ed

Note: I can say with 100% confidence that the KZ650-C1 did not have any inherent speed wobble when new. Please understand my comment is not based on theory, hearsay, or myth. It is based on my buying a new KZ650-C1 off the showroom floor in April 1977 and riding it for more than 35 years (and I still ride it). For the first 32 years there was absolutely no wobble of any sort at any speed. The shocks on the KZ650 wore out after only 2 years at about 12,000 miles and were replaced with better units. The worn out original shocks made handling in the turns inadequate, but did not generate speed wobble. Three years ago, at approximately 47,000 miles, I experienced a consistent 90+ mph speed wobble because of a bad tire(s). That was the first time the bike ever had a wobble. After replacing the tires the wobble is totally gone. Along with the tires I replaced the steering stem bearings (which had dimpled) with tapered roller bearings and installed new swing arm bushings, but the cause of the problem was the tires.

The year after I bought my bike a good friend bought a new (1978) KZ1000-A2. I rode that bike up to speed and experienced no wobble. My friend and I logged many many miles together, often taking forays into triple digit speeds, and he never experienced wobble. He did not keep his bike as long as I kept mine, but suffice it to say the bike had no wobble when new.

Folks can express different opinions on the internet, and some may have experienced wobble due to bad tires or other components, or even manufacturing defects, and I certainly cannot speak to every model made. However, I can say without a doubt that the 2 models I mentioned had no design related speed wobble issues. If they did, the bikes my friend and I rode would have experienced that problem because I don't believe a manufacturing fluke would prevent a design problem from showing up. Ed