Steering damper for 1982 Gpz1100

i could be wrong hear but i think the idea is to eliminate the speed woble entirly by improveing all of these areas,then u dont need the steering damper.it worked for me anyways.i used to have a nasty wable. in the end it turned out to be that my front wheel was out of ballance.
my understanding is that the newer bikes need them because the rake is so steep and the front ends are so light it is not always firmly planted.this combo causes there issue.
anyone else?

This bike has had the ‘Kawi-wobble’ since new. Fortunately, my days of riding 135mph+ were few and have long since past. I just figured that as long as I was restoring the bike, for the $24 it cost me, I might as well replace the 25-year-old steering bearings. But unfortunately, just like what happened with the RD, the low speed response is now a bit ‘swishy’. So, I opted for the H1 steering damper solution as that completely cleared up the RD, and I expect it will do the same for the GPz.

Post edited by: howard95132, at: 2007/11/02 14:04

After doing a little research, it appears that I torqued the steering stem down a bit too much. After loosening the stem, the new bearings feel about like they should. I was concerned that I had about 1/8” of a gap between the lower bearing and the base of the steering stem, but I took it to a shop where they gave it a good pounding and they told me that ‘this was as far as it goes’. I’ve also seen some notes on the internet were some have seen this as well. Can anyone cooberate that the AllBalls steering stem bearings for GPz’s or Kz’s don’t sit quite flush with the base of the steering stem? I also installed the H1 steering damper. It’s not quite a perfect fit as it should be just a bit longer. I attached it by drilling out the hole for the side reflector nut and using a fork clamp. This limits my left & right travel just a bit as the steering is limited to about 1/8” before it hits the stops on either side. Wondering if anyone has seen this as well or if they came up with a better solution. I mounted the damper under the clamp as opposed to on top of it, and that straightened out the travel the best.