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funky cornering - frame or swingarm???

  • Thread starter Thread starter sandman
  • Start date Start date
S

sandman

Guest
What is it that makes my gs do funky things in the corners? Is it the frame that needs to be stiffened or is it the swingarm or both? Would just welding up the frame alone solve the problem?

Thanks, S
 
sandman said:
What is it that makes my gs do funky things in the corners? Is it the frame that needs to be stiffened or is it the swingarm or both? Would just welding up the frame alone solve the problem?

Thanks, S
Click to expand...

Listening to the Bee Gee's while driving??
Having some hemmoride itching?
A misquito buzzing around inside your helmet??

All kidding aside, I bet you need either front or rear wheel bearings, or the swingarm bearings are bad.
 
Da Funk

Da Funk

Okay, here's the scoop - I finally bought an 1100 E ('80) after years on the old 750 Kat ('82). Love the power on the 1100 (downright scary actually - my friend's have new 1200's and they aren't pulling away).

Da Funk - when entering a corner its like the rear end bounces / skips out or something - I don't really know how else to explain it. Its VERY disturbing though. This isn't at very high speeds either. My Kat handles WAY better than the GS (at the moment anyway).

I'm wondering if the swingarm can just be stiffened up or the frame or ??

Thanks for any info / suggestions.

Sandy
 
Are they the stock/original shocks?
If so, they may be beyond their useful life span.
To be blunt, they're probably junked.

Before you start ripping a swingarm apart to replace bushings, take a clsoe look at the shocks. What setting are they at?
How big a person are you?
I changed both ends of the suspension on my 1100E (well it's Luke's now)
but it stopped the yee/yaw motions. I'm a big person, as is Luke.
I loved the suspension set up Even 2 up, no wandering around.
Luke seems to enjoy it also.

Also what condition is the rear tire? Not just tread depth, but check inflation. A low tire can cause wandering.
 
I would check out the swingarm bushings, and steering head bearings, along with upgrading the suspension components before worrying about stiffening the frame, along with the tire pressures, as mentioned.
 
I'd give your rear tire a look too. I saw some girl looking at her rear (tire) in a parking lot last weekend so I went over to see if she needed help. She said just about the same thing, it felt like the back end was skipping and hopping around a little in fairly low speed corners.

Turned out to be a broken belt in her rear tire, if you spun the rear wheel and looked at the sidewall you could see a sudden bulge on one side, maybe 3/16in or so high.

/\/\ac
 
Da Funk

Da Funk

Thanks! I'll look into those things for sure. I'm wondering though, what is what makes our bikes so much different from the newer ones? Is it more the frame design or the swinger? I have good access to welder friends that would likely do the work for beer. I'm sure machinists drink beer as well, I just don't know any of them....

Thanks, S
 
Your biggest problem is rear shocks that are toast. The suspension has to be set up for your weight to have a chance of working well at all. You need to set the preload at both ends. You should shoot for about 1" to 1 1/4" of sag at each end. Sag is the difference in the length of the fork fully extended with the wheel off the ground and the sitting on the ground with your weight in the seat. At the rear take your measurement from axle center to a point straight up.
 
sandman said:
I'm wondering though, what is what makes our bikes so much different from the newer ones? Is it more the frame design or the swinger?

Thanks, S
Click to expand...

Our bikes weigh about 100 lbs more than a comprable class "newer" bike
 
Also when you look at the rear tire, it may have squared off, when you lean past that flat spot the tire tends to fall to the side, this could be what you feel. :-k
 
Are the front and rear tires matched? Usually tires are sold in sets with the front designed to work with the rear. Mixing tires and patterns, especially bias ply and radial designs, can cause problems. Radials flex more at low speeds.
 
Billy Ricks said:
Your biggest problem is rear shocks that are toast. The suspension has to be set up for your weight to have a chance of working well at all. You need to set the preload at both ends. You should shoot for about 1" to 1 1/4" of sag at each end. Sag is the difference in the length of the fork fully extended with the wheel off the ground and the sitting on the ground with your weight in the seat. At the rear take your measurement from axle center to a point straight up.
Click to expand...
Sag is a very important measurement and has to be done before any damping adjustments.

You need to check the bike over for problems - tires, shocks, swingarm bearings, steeringhead bearing, etc. The bike won't corner like a GSXR, but it should do a decent job of it. Just assume that you have a 30 year old machine that hasn't had the suspension serviced (which is probably the case) and go through it.
 
Excellent replies you guys! Thank you all very much. I have an 82 Kat with new Progressive rear springs (bike is parked while I enjoy the GS). I'll swap out the springs and check the tires for unusual wear and matching type. I'm having what I've been told is jetting issues with the GS so I'm going to see if my Wolfe header from the Kat fits the GS and makes any difference. Will be a fun weekend of swapping parts.

I noticed a GSXR 1100 front fork assembly on eBay for the Kat..... Whaddya think?????

S
 
Paging Katman...

Paging Katman...

There's a GSR member, username is "Katman."
(I live about 20 mins. S of White Rock, I've met him, a nice guy).

I think he lives near the Port Mann bridge...he's a GS1100S Katana guru, and has done lots of experimenting with various front-end swaps...knows what works & what doesn't.

His thread on his "ICBM Katana" build in this Forum is truly epic.

Do a search for his posts, or PM him...might be able to help you out.
He usually has quite a parts stash, too.

Good Luck,
Ted
 
I've met the man. He's super knowledgeable and a great source of info. I've read the ICBM Katana thread a couple of times over. Just don't know if I've got the $$ to do the full pull......
 
"Just don't know if I've got the $$ to do the full pull......"

I hear ya.

Meantime, I agree with the others. My first guess(es) would be swingarm bearings, then wheel bearings.
Swingarm bearings, wheel bearings, and steering-stem bearings all need to be in top condition. They don't last forever; they're are all designed as replaceable 'wear items'.

If you choose to service the swingarm, replace both the needle bearings, AND the bushing sleeves they ride on, together as a set.

FWIW, not long ago I had a similar issue with my '84 ZX900A Ninja.
Bend it into a turn, the suspension would settle, then the rear-end did the mambo - like the rear tire jumped/slid 1-2 inches outside. Then it would settle again and finish the turn. Not super-scary, but kinda disturbing.
Turns out the rear-wheel bearings went south. Replaced them, problem solved.

Get the chassis basics squared away, upgrade the fork springs and shocks, mount good rubber, and these old dinosaurs can actually be ridden pretty briskly without drama.
Sure they squirm a little bit, but they ain't Kawasaki H1/Mach 3 500's!
Ride one of those sometime...

Guys with last names like Lawson, Cooley, Spencer, Pridmore, et al., can push these things hard enough to make frame flex a concern. It's really not likely on the street.

And if it IS, you should be riding on the track.

Good Luck,
Ted
 
A lot of good advise. I used to have a '78 GS1000E that I couldn't figure out what the deal was with the wiggling around, turns out the holes in the motor mount, and the motor mount bolts were wore out. The whole engine was moving, not a lot, maybe .060 to .080 total movement, but enough to make the bike do some weird wiggles every now and again. New mounting plates, and mounting bolts, and all was well with the world again.
 
Seems like this is a typical case of start small and work big.

Is your tire pressure acceptable for the application (two up? sport? commute?)?

Are your tires squared off, worn, way too old (+4 years)?

Assuming a chain drive, is your rear tire and sprocket aligned with the chassis/front sprocket?

Any play in the wheel bearings (lateral, radial)?


Granted, this is pretty much what everyone else has said so far, but little things can compound into horrific handling problems. I'm a heavy fat bastard, and my Katana+1100e motor on stock 25 year old shocks and dunlop GT501's doesn't do what you describe, even when cornering as hard as I dare out in the hills.
 
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