75 Z1B weird frame issue

OK, I removed all the front end and pulled the steering stem.
Bearings and races are fine but I can see that the steering head is tilted.
All the welds look perfect and no cracks whatsoever.
No way that the frame/steering head could have been crashed and repaired/rewelded without leaving some signs of it.
Don't know what to make of it but I have no idea how to fix it short of major cutting/welding

Know anybody with a frame jig?

Brian Lewis at Extreme Cycle in Topeka, Kansas. He straightens frames for AMA road race teams as well as Joe-average-motorcyclist. He's reasonable. Call him and drop my name (Kenton Russell).
785-234-5007
PS> I will put my name behind Brian Lewis and the work that he does; you will not have a problem with his work, I've known him for over 20 years.

Bad Kaw wrote:

Brian Lewis at Extreme Cycle in Topeka, Kansas. He straightens frames for AMA road race teams as well as Joe-average-motorcyclist. He's reasonable. Call him and drop my name (Kenton Russell).
785-234-5007
PS> I will put my name behind Brian Lewis and the work that he does; you will not have a problem with his work, I've known him for over 20 years.

that would be my suggestion also !B)poor ol z1s were made for wheelies,sometimes it takes years for thedamage to finally show itself.

Luc, whereabouts are ya? Anywhere near Kansas?

I'm in central california

why one side of the front tire is wearing more than the other side

That's normal.
A left turn is a larger arc than a right turn (where one drives/rides on the right side of the road).
This causes different wear patterns on the front tire over time.

I dont know about them being welded on crooked on purpose, but they {some} were crooked from the factory in the early Z1 days. A friend ran one of the first ones in the country at Bonneville and the front tire was not in line with the rear, did not track the same. They had to put the frame in a jig and cut & reweld the steering head on correctly. How many were like that I couldnt say, but Id guess your problem is dryed up or missing steering head ball bearings. replace them with tapered roller bearings if theres any slop in the front end. Whether you believe the above story or not is up to you but it is a fact. Early GS1100's had the same problem and the same fix.

I remover the steering stem and sall the bearings/cups were fine but tyhe probles is with the steering head/tube.You can see the it is not straight but tilted to one side
I takled to a guy that repair/straighten frame and I'm bring the bike next tuesday to have it it fixed.
He said that he will put the bike in a jig, using the rear swing arm mounting points as a reference and "twist" back the head in the correct position.
he also say that the steering head/frame is pretty strong in a front to back load but not on a side load and can twist easily if the bike ever went down

This would be the time to get some extra bracing welded in to prevent this from happening again. (I'd say it's a good time to take the bike apart because Winter is coming on, but considering where you live, that's a non-issue.)

You should definitely go back with the tapered roller steering head bearings, too, and check the swingarm bearings while you have it out. I forget... did the Z1B have bearings or bushings for the swingarm?

mtkawboy wrote:

I dont know about them being welded on crooked on purpose, but they {some} were crooked from the factory in the early Z1 days. A friend ran one of the first ones in the country at Bonneville and the front tire was not in line with the rear, did not track the same. They had to put the frame in a jig and cut & reweld the steering head on correctly. How many were like that I couldnt say, but Id guess your problem is dryed up or missing steering head ball bearings. replace them with tapered roller bearings if theres any slop in the front end. Whether you believe the above story or not is up to you but it is a fact. Early GS1100's had the same problem and the same fix.

anybody who has ever looked at the welds on a z1 frame can tell you the construction leaves a lot of room for improvement to say the least.i have the rest of my frame already braced up but havent done steering head bracing yet just for that reason, want it on a frame jig and everything pushed straight before i weld the rest ofthe bracing on

sage advice there plummen.