Anysteering stabilizers made for my 1982 KZ1k csr?

Hi everyone, I am new in here. I just bought my first '82 Kz1000 csr. Are there any stabilizers made for these kind of motorcycles? Where can I get one? Another question- is it ok to ride the motorcycle if there are small cracks on the side of the tires? The tires do have good threads on them. I know it costs money to take care of these motorcycles and I do not have the funds for a new set until about a month. I would like to take it on the freeway to school if possible. Will it be ok for city riding in the meanwhile? Any help is much appreciated.

Welcome aboard.

What are you trying to accomplish with a steering stabilizer? I ask because if you are trying to compensate for instability in the bike you should first find the root cause of the problem (such as worn swing arm bushings/bearings, bad steering neck bearings, bad tires, etc.) rather than try to cover it up with a stabilizer.

Regarding the tires; I would replace them as soon as possible. If they're cracked, even though they may not blow out, they are probably very old and may be hard and slippery.

I would strongly suggest you get a Kawasaki factory service manual for your year/model bike, they're usually available on eBay. You can use it to perform maintenance tasks and diagnose any problems you may encounter.

Good luck, Ed

I second Ed's comments.

A motorcycle is not a good place to skimp and take short-cuts. With a tire blowout on a car, you're likely to escape serious injury. On a bike? Odds are not so good.

And as Ed wrote, hard, dry rubber does not grip the road well. If you insist on riding on those tires, ride VERY conservatively, make sure you have good health insurance (and life insurance, if you are supporting a family), and wear good protective gear.

i would not recommend riding on cracked tires. Think about that for a second.
what would u tell me if asked u that question. It doesn’t really sound like a safe thing to do, does it.
Please dont.
Steering stabilizers were an aftermarket product. u may find an old 1 on ebay. a lot of newer bikes are coming with them from the factory now. u can find 1 of these on ebay as well. a new one would be a better choice. u will need to make up some sort of a bracket for anything u find.
Why would u want 1? usually these are not necessary, unless u are riding very hard. if u have an issue , u should check for loose bearings first. worn swing arm ,and steering head bearings are commonly found to cause steering wobbles. any LOSE pivot, or bearing can be an issue.

Thank you everyone. I have a much better understanding of motorcycle riding now. I kind of figured the answer about the tires, but I just wanted some confirmation. With the stabilizers, I just thought maybe the ride could be better like a sports bike. I used to have a sports bike with stabilizers and so I didn't notice the light shake from the front of the bike as it does on the cruiser. The light shake is only felt when I go over bumps. Is that normal? Again, thank you everyone for your answers and comments.

You have something amiss. A cruiser with a leading axle on the fork is much more stable than a sport bike. if you have any kind of shimmy or vibration from the front end you have some major problems which I would find ASAP.
I agree with the other guys about the tires.

otakar wrote:

You have something amiss. A cruiser with a leading axle on the fork is much more stable than a sport bike. if you have any kind of shimmy or vibration from the front end you have some major problems which I would find ASAP.
I agree with the other guys about the tires.

+1 there should be no shimmy. The manual describes how to check the steering stem bearings and swing arm bearings (or bushings). These items or old tires are likely to be the source of the problem. Replacing them requires the manual and at least one torque wrench, but is not terribly difficult (even I have done it Ed

One thing I would check immediately is the pressure in your fork tubes. make sure that they are not leaking and that the pressure is equal between the two. That will cause a shimmy and can throw the front wheel askew.