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GS1100E High Speed instability

  • Thread starter Thread starter VP1
  • Start date Start date
My '82 Katana was getting the wallows through fast sweeping bends, certainly a bit disconcerting at (an indicated) 140kph = 87mph.

Got home and checked out my running gear. Here's what I found:
1. Front tyre worn out. Not going to help. :rolleyes:
2. Front wheel bearings with freeplay. Bad. :eek:
3. Damping pistons in (rebuildable IKON) rear shockies scored, one much more scored than the other. :(
4. Swingarm bearings & bushes past their best, with visible scoring marks on the bushes. :mad:

So I went and fixed all that, and put new oil in the front forks while I was at it.

All is now well; I can push the old warhorse into fairly rough bends with a lot more confidence. :cool:

In addition, as a number of folks have already mentioned, make sure that your wheels are aligned. Do not trust the gradation marks on the swingarm for this; they are usually a mile out. Use a straight edge.
 
Checking the wheel alignment using the string method is a simple way to determine if the wheels are in the same plane. Once you have the wheels aligned, take note of where the adjusters fall relative to the marks on the swingarm - if they are off you need to keep this in mind for when you do subsuquent adjustments for chain tension.

Regarding the alignment being off from the factory, my understanding is that some racers from back in the day used to check and adjust their brand new bikes to make sure everything was honky dory before they hit the track. It was not unusual for the bikes to be off to some extent from new but I can't quantity how much.
 
It was not unusual for the bikes to be off to some extent from new but I can't quantity how much.
Click to expand...
For the record, the gradations on my Katana's swingarm are a full 1 1/2 marks out of whack. I think that's a scary degree of inaccuracy.
 
TheCafeKid said:
Yeah, Im not sure how much i believe this.. But, if they saw fit to print it, It probably should be taken into consideration. The manual states that improper oil or air levels in the forks, or uneven levels, will cause stress on the axle, stress on the fork walls, yadda yadda yadda. I measured carefully, but Im sure its not EXACTLY even. Ive never had a problem, but I do try VERY hard to follow their suggestions..
Click to expand...

Yes, I also wonder about this...and I tried really hard to get the levels right when I just rebuilt the forks...but....
Last summer I had a leaky seal, and when I finally tore down the forks that side was near empty, while the other wasn't and never notice anything uneven...

As long as there is enough oil to work the dampeners and such inside, I can't imagine a few millimeters of height difference would effect much.
Maybe slightly more air compression space...
 
Nessism said:
Checking the wheel alignment using the string method is a simple way to determine if the wheels are in the same plane.
Click to expand...

I know HDs were built with wheel offset. Have we determined if the GSs had any ? I have two 8' straight edges and I swear I have near a 1/4" offset front to back. :-k
 
bonanzadave said:
I know HDs were built with wheel offset. Have we determined if the GSs had any ? I have two 8' straight edges and I swear I have near a 1/4" offset front to back. :-k
Click to expand...

I'm not aware of a factory offset on GS bikes. In fact, some of the factory service manuals show the string method to check alignment and there is no mention about offset.
 
bonanzadave said:
I know HDs were built with wheel offset. Have we determined if the GSs had any ? I have two 8' straight edges and I swear I have near a 1/4" offset front to back. :-k
Click to expand...
No Dave, that is not by design.:eek: You may have found the root of your handling issues, if that reading is accurate.
Tony.
 
Mysuzyq said:
You may have found the root of your handling issues, if that reading is accurate.
Click to expand...

I was as exacting as possible. Made cutouts on my straight edges to clear the centerstand. Used a case of pop cans to raise the straight edges off the ground. Got down to 1/16" turns on the adjusters and that was as close as I could get. This was before the head bearing change so I have to check again. Any chance the tires could have that much error ?
 
I would check again if you've made changes since that reading, though I'm not sure if head bearings alone could account for it. IIRC, Posplayr had made some observations re. tires and the effect on alignment readings.....maybe he'll chime in with some input.
Tony.
 
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