"Squirrely" over 70mph

Hello again...

Although I have been working on Bikes for 30 years and consider myself a fairly competent mechanic who will take on most things I have never owned a KZ before and they sure are a little different to most other bikes I have ridden.
Handling wise, my KZ1000P feels like it is going to be a pig at low speed yet is as agile as any bike I have ridden, the tires are Dunlops and hold the road well, yet will 'track' the slightest groove in the pavement making the bike sometimes feel as if it is bendy in the middle.
My main concern is over 70mph it feels as if I am riding on ice, the bike is very "squirrely" and feels 'loose'.

I have checked tire tread and pressures, the head bearings are fine, no notchiness or stiffness, the swing arm bearings are OK, the rear shocks seem fine as do the front forks.

Is it ME, or do they all feel this way? my old DR650 was rock steady at 80-90mph but there is no way I want to do these speeds on the KZ, she feels happier at 55-60.

Any ideas Guys??

When's the last time you've had the rims checked for out of round, or wobble. Maybe they need some wights, out of balance.

I know the older KZ's were unnerving around 100, less, but the newer ones weren't nearly as bad.

Proper tire inflation along with having the wheel bearings checked are two more items that should be included in a checklist.

I have had perfectly good looking tires cause this. With a tire change the "squirrels" may go away. If the forks are pressurized are they equalized and is the oil equal? maybe just change fork oil to make sure. GLuck

My 900 is pretty stable at 70...starts getting interesting at 80 on the interstate if it's bumpy. I too vote for checking the rims for straightness. Book spec is .030" side to side when checking with a dial indicator at the rim where it meets the bead of the tire.

are you running a ribbed front tire? sometimes that will cause bike feel freaky as it follows rain grooves in road.also have you checked steering head bearings to make sure theyre greased up and tight?

Are your head bearing Ball or Roller? :dry:

The PO installed Roller and I have never experienced what you are seeing... not the same bike, not the same head bearing and not ribbed tires of course... but always stable.

Best of success.
Bill

bill_wilcox100 wrote:

Are your head bearing Ball or Roller? :dry:

The PO installed Roller and I have never experienced what you are seeing... not the same bike, not the same head bearing and not ribbed tires of course... but always stable.

Best of success.
Bill

I am not sure exactly when Kawi switched in the early 80s but from that point on they were all tapered rollers. I know that everything with a J motor had rollers.

I would try to tighten up your swing arm bolt to eliminate any and all play. And Yes I also agree that ribbed front tires will feel squirrelly. Old tires that are getting dry will also make it erratic.
I would also check your front axle bolt and make sure it is tight enough. Many people leave them much too loose.

also check your tires to make sure they are installed in the proper direction if they are run backwards the same symptoms will happen.

My Suzuki did this and it turned out the air in the forks were uneven. While I was researching what it could be, the fork springs were mentioned alot. If everything is in check like steering, and swingarm, wheel bearings,and such I would look at the suspension for the cause. If it is an old cop bike it probably has seen some miles and abuse

once your sure the tires look decent and your sure the tire pressure is good....try moving it 2 lbs at a time...i always use front 36 and rear 36 as starting points..this 2 lb move at a time can be the single biggest changer of a front end ....dunlops are terrible.....rear shocks of a known quality like s&w or koni click tops...are the single biggest rear end solver .....fork oil and checking fork springs for squishy at a stand still is next imo...you can insert a 1" or 2 " piece of 3/4 -7/8 pvc on top of the right diameter fender washer..set the washer then pvc spacer on top of the fork spring and carefully re thread the fork cap...this will give the front end some preload,even on new progressive springs this is a great trick.....all the other recomendations the guys said are great for sure....steering bearings should be tight but not so much as to keep the bars from natural flop when sitting on the rear and centerstanded.....those bars in your avatar (cruiser bars) are great for adding turning at slow speeds input ,but VERY touchy at speed and would need to be spot on centered and sweep adjusted to your exact liking so your not wheighting them at speed...lastly...some bikes (kz's alot) get punched into somthing just enough to get the forks(axle yokes )out of line with the triple clamps,but not enough to catch without careful checking...i go about 25-30 and stand up and watch my front tire track out of the fender...it can be tweeked a tad and you'll see it for sure... and steering then has to fight to re-set itself when the bikes driven with the bars out of sync with where the front wheel is pointed...on a kz you can lossen the top tree clamps to forks bolts a tad and with the wheel against somthing turn the bars to straighten while re-tightening the forks to clamnps..then do the stand up run and see again..dunlops suck and are the likely cause...imo....good luck

i ll probably get bombed for this, but sometimes a steering damper does the trick......my front end was real squirrely when i got it....couldnt let go of the bars at speed...put in new springs/oil,new tire,steering damper and fork brace...i had no indication neck bearings or swingarm bearings were bad....ive had it up to 100 and its very civilized...no hunting or wandering and feels planted...just my useless .02.....