front air shock reccomedations

I read on another forum that the CSR 1000 handles "like a pig", what with the seating position and handlebars. I would have to agree with this. My Honda CM400T was set up in same style- teardrop tank, pullback bars, stepped seat, yet I never remember it being hard to handle. Maybe that is because it was a lighter bike?
I rode my Kaw to a riverbottom once, and tried to ride it in deep sand, and it was impossible. I had to keep putting my feet down.
I got my bike in San Antonio, and that is where I rode it the first year that I have had it. There is a downhill righthand curve on I-10 eastbound right before it joins up with I-35. There is a pavement joint dropoff right in the middle of this curve. This was on my way home from work, and I had to be very careful of my speed because my Kaw tended to wobble dropping off that pavement joint.
Now, there are 2 issues I need to know about in this post.
The first is about the steering head bearing. Over a year ago, it was binding up on me, and rather than take the whole thing apart to grease it, I just sprayed chain lube into it the best I could, and it seems to be fine. Can this cause problems, even if I do not feel the binding anymore.
The second issue is air fork pressure. I weigh about 220 lbs. Would 20 psi be a good air pressure to put in my forks? Also, is there a cheap way to make an air coupler/equalizer, like out of an automotive air shock kit? I really do not want to spend $25+ on a fancy coupler. Also, what effect does no pressure, or uneven pressure have on stability?
My bike is no cafe racer, for sure. It is not a lot of fun in curves the way a bike should be.
Thanks, David

david first things first lets talk about your wobbling issue it may come down to a few things steering head bearings are they notchy or loose or too tight.next you might want to get the bike airborne at least in the back and cheak the swingarm bearings pull on the swingarm side to side also check to if the shocks have free play in their bushings not a good thing either. also since it is a used bike you might want to check the alignment between the front and rear wheels next go after your forks i use atf or 10 wt oil and with the one bike of mine that has an air fork i use about 15lbs of air.i'm right around the 220 mark myself so our setups would be simalar. one other thing to check that i have seen before is are both of your shocks at the same preload settings. but if your steering head bearings didn't feel right before i'd be tempted to change them out. also what is your tire pressures at.

by the way i love it in the hill country been down that a few times. i envy you guys that have those kind of conditions to play in and you also have a rocking fun race track too. all the things a man ever could want.

1981jmotor wrote:

The first is about the steering head bearing. Over a year ago, it was binding up on me, and rather than take the whole thing apart to grease it, I just sprayed chain lube into it the best I could, and it seems to be fine. Can this cause problems, even if I do not feel the binding anymore.

If you are still using the factory ball bearings in the stem, the cups will gall up and that will cause the bind you are feeling. This can be dangerous especially in a corner. I would replace with tapered roller bearings for a piece of mind.

You could rig up a homemade equalizer - my neighbor (howdy Bill) did it on his 650-CSR - max pressure on it is 14 psi. Not sure what the 1000s pressure should be.

Alternatively, you could get new progressive springs & eschew the air.

Since you mentioned the bike's handling.... If you still have the stock handlebars & if they're as bad as what came on the 650-CSR, then a new set would be a good idea. I put BMW Med Tall Street bars on my CSR - these necessitated the least amount of effort. Superbike bars or anything else low will require a tad more work to make them fit.

max air pressure in the front forks of 81-82 csr and ltd is 7-8 pounds.Manual also calls for 10-20 wt oil in the forks,but since Kawi doesnt make a blend anymore,10 wt is ok.be sure tire pressure is up to spec.ALso,if u havent put fork seals in your bike,u may find that ur air pressure leaks down as fast as u pump it up.good set of seals might help, as well as the stem bearings.bj

Original shocks? If so, they are trashed by now. Worn out shocks will cause all sorts of handling weirdness. Add in some some dimpled steering stem races and sloppy swingarm bearings and you guarantee a wicked dance at every corner. As already mentioned, new fork oil, proper fork air pressure and proper tire inflation are also important.