Fork brace options for a 650?

Thinking of trying a fork brace on an '80 650. Curious if the ones out there work with the stock fender or not. Anyone have one on a 650? Did it make much difference?

-Thanks

Can't answer the question, but the stock fender has a built in brace underneath. It's not as stout as a dedicated brace, but it serves the purpose well. Are you experiencing a problem with handling? If so, there are several other factors that can affect handling much more than the lack of a fork brace. Ed

BOOM!

Best price I was able to find on them. I had one when I first got my KZ650, they are nice and stout pieces.

Handling issues, eh, not all bad for a bike of its age.

It has a wobble at high speed or in cross winds, not bad at interstate speeds just barely noticeable. High speed its obvious, but I am talking at 110 and up. Head winds and cross winds can cause it as well. I know the frame on these bikes isn't the best.

This bike was completely gone through about 4-5 years ago. Modern tires, rebuilt forks, wheel bearings, tapered steering stem bearings, and new progressive rear shocks. This bike is just really my scooter for around town, but every now and then I get lost out in the countryside with it...

Unlike some of the large KZ's the frames on the KZ650s are excellent and do not contribute to wobble. If your bike has wobble there is something wrong with a component, because the KZ650 doesn't wobble at all unless something is wrong.

I bought my KZ650-C1 new in April 1977. After break-in I often took the bike up to full speed - 120mph. Once, riding next to a friend (who had a faster bike) I rode at that speed for 10 minutes straight - 20 miles worth! I didn't experience even the slightest wobble at any speed.

Several years ago my KZ650 developed a high speed (above 90 mph) wobble. It was a scarey bad wobble at that speed and trying to go faster made it worse! I'm sure you can relate! There was no wobble at normal highway speeds, but I knew something wasn't right. I already had very high quality shocks (the originals were always marginal at best and were replaced early on). I tested my swing arm bushings and found they had a little play. There should be none, so I replaced them. Your newer KZ650 will have bearings rather than bushings, but you should check them by unhooking the rear shocks and with the back of the bike off the ground grab the top and bottom of the tire and try to twist the tire left and right There should be no play. After replacing my bushings the wobble was dampened a little, but mostly still there. I replaced the steering stem bearings with tapered roller bearings and that helped a little, but the wobble was still there. I replaced wheel bearings - no improvement. I balanced the tires - no improvement. I changed the fork oil (you should do this if you haven't), but that didn't change my wobble.

In desperation I changed tires. The ones on the bike were Michelin Macadams that had low miles and still looked great. Plenty of tread and very even wear. I put on Pirelli Sport Demons along with new tubes. To my surprise the wobble was totally gone. I couldn't believe that tires which looked like they were fine were causing the wobble, but they were. Now there is absolutely no hint of a wobble from 0 mph up to the top speed of my bike - just around 120 mph.

I would highly recommend that you check everything on the bike until you find the source of the wobble. It can be a frustrating task, but until you find and correct it a fork brace, steering damper, etc. will not correct the root cause of the wobble. Ed

Well, the front tire was new when I got the bike, Bridgestone touring tire and still had the nibs all over it. I replaced the rear tire with a Pirelli. Maybe I should try a matching tire on the front.

I think that is worth a try. Ed