Shimmy in front suspension question

The Older Gentleman wrote:
> george the jones <dadgreg DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
>> MPH. I've removed the windshield and mirrors from the handlebars
>> without making any difference. Just keeping my hands solidly on the
>> grips keeps the shimmy under control but it doesn't seem safe or
>> normal. Any suggestions would be helpful because it doesn't feel
>> very
>> solid like I would expect.
>>
>> Current mechanical status:
>> New tires, brakes and wheel bearings
>> New fork seals with oil specs and air pressure per service manual
>> Real wheel appears square with the frame and in the right position
>
> It's an early 1980s Kawasaki with a dreadful chassis and riding
> position. Live with it.
>
> You could try fitting a ribbed front tyre - helps act as a crutch - and
> maybe change the rear shocks. I'd also check the swinging arm bushes for
> play, but really, you're never going to get a 1981 LTD Kawa to behave
> properly.

Bullshit. I had an '81 440 LTD, that bike was as smooth handling as
could be.

Les
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

"george the jones" <dadgreg DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote

> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
> MPH.

> Current mechanical status:
> New tires, brakes and wheel bearings

Most obvious guesses:
You got a bad tire.
Steering head bearings, loose or worn out.
If you've got spokes, one wheel is not "true".
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Albrecht via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:
> george the jones wrote:
>> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
>> MPH.
>
> One of those damned LTD abortions, eh?
>
> The severe mismatch between front and rear tire sizes ( 19 inch front and 16
> inch rear ) causes the front tire to have to work harder to stabilize the
> chassis is a vertical position. When the rear tire encounters an irregularity
> that causes it to
> move sideways, the bike will start to fall over to the left or right and the
> rolling motion feeds through the chassis to the front tire which tries to
> correct for the lean to the right or left, but that condition is past, and
> the front tire keeps trying to correct for the strange things the rear tire
> is doing.

More bullshit.

Les
Former owner of a great handling LTD
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

george the jones wrote:
>My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
>MPH.

One of those damned LTD abortions, eh?

The severe mismatch between front and rear tire sizes ( 19 inch front and 16
inch rear ) causes the front tire to have to work harder to stabilize the
chassis is a vertical position. When the rear tire encounters an irregularity
that causes it to
move sideways, the bike will start to fall over to the left or right and the
rolling motion feeds through the chassis to the front tire which tries to
correct for the lean to the right or left, but that condition is past, and
the front tire keeps trying to correct for the strange things the rear tire
is doing.

--
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 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Project Magnet #1 <test_spamgourmet RemoveThis @cox.net> wrote:

> The Older Gentleman wrote:
> > george the jones <dadgreg RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
> >> MPH. I've removed the windshield and mirrors from the handlebars
> >> without making any difference. Just keeping my hands solidly on the
> >> grips keeps the shimmy under control but it doesn't seem safe or
> >> normal. Any suggestions would be helpful because it doesn't feel
> >> very
> >> solid like I would expect.
> >>
> >> Current mechanical status:
> >> New tires, brakes and wheel bearings
> >> New fork seals with oil specs and air pressure per service manual
> >> Real wheel appears square with the frame and in the right position
> >
> > It's an early 1980s Kawasaki with a dreadful chassis and riding
> > position. Live with it.
> >
> > You could try fitting a ribbed front tyre - helps act as a crutch - and
> > maybe change the rear shocks. I'd also check the swinging arm bushes for
> > play, but really, you're never going to get a 1981 LTD Kawa to behave
> > properly.
>
> Bullshit. I had an '81 440 LTD, that bike was as smooth handling as
> could be.
>
And I throw your bullshit back at you. Light and easy to handle, yes
(and yes, I've ridden one), but not a particularly good-handling bike.

I mean, the chassis dates more or less from the early 1970s....

Your ignorance shows, I'm afraid.


--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 CB125 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

The Older Gentleman wrote:
> Project Magnet #1 <test_spamgourmet.RemoveThis@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> The Older Gentleman wrote:
>>> george the jones <dadgreg.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
>>>> MPH. I've removed the windshield and mirrors from the handlebars
>>>> without making any difference. Just keeping my hands solidly on the
>>>> grips keeps the shimmy under control but it doesn't seem safe or
>>>> normal. Any suggestions would be helpful because it doesn't feel
>>>> very
>>>> solid like I would expect.
>>>>
>>>> Current mechanical status:
>>>> New tires, brakes and wheel bearings
>>>> New fork seals with oil specs and air pressure per service manual
>>>> Real wheel appears square with the frame and in the right position
>>> It's an early 1980s Kawasaki with a dreadful chassis and riding
>>> position. Live with it.
>>>
>>> You could try fitting a ribbed front tyre - helps act as a crutch - and
>>> maybe change the rear shocks. I'd also check the swinging arm bushes for
>>> play, but really, you're never going to get a 1981 LTD Kawa to behave
>>> properly.
>> Bullshit. I had an '81 440 LTD, that bike was as smooth handling as
>> could be.
>>
> And I throw your bullshit back at you. Light and easy to handle, yes
> (and yes, I've ridden one), but not a particularly good-handling bike.
>
> I mean, the chassis dates more or less from the early 1970s....
>
> Your ignorance shows, I'm afraid.

The LTD's had a great, comfortable riding position, much better than the
KZ series they replaced. Handling was better too, I had both at the same
time. The LTD never gave any hint of shimmy or wobble, under any
conditions, including hitting small animals at 70+ mph.

The only thing my LTD didn't handle well was a '64 Ford Galaxy 500 at 30
mph.

I assume, since you talk bad about the LTD's, that you had a bad
experience with one or more. I'd believe it was either from wear or
other issues, not due to the design. I'd never heard anyone that had an
LTD complain about the handling until now. Everyone I knew loved theirs.

Les
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Project Magnet #1 <test_spamgourmet.TakeThisOut@cox.net> wrote:

> Wide? compared to what? Many bikes today have wider rear tires from the
> factory than the LTD's did. 130/90/16 on the rear of the one I had.

And, dimwit, they tend to have fatter front ones as well.

--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 CB125 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

"Albrecht via MotorcycleKB.com" <u33665@uwe> wrote:

> I was surprised to see a lot of LTD's in western Europe in the late '80's.
> Riders probably bought them because they were so cheap.

By and large, although Germany developed a taste for them.

In the UK, at that time, they had to discount a lot of them to shift
stocks.

The French never really got the cruiser thing at all.


--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 CB125 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Albrecht via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:

> I consider the source when I read Usenet ravings.

So do I. Both you and the other idiot base your opinion on the
experience of someone else that may have had a bike that was worn out.
In good shape, the bikes handled great.

Les
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Project Magnet #1 wrote:

>Many sport bikes have rear tires much wider than the front. Must be a
>design flaw.

Powerful sportbikes have large rear tires which can take the heat of
providing grip while travelling at very high speeds around race tracks. It's
not a styling exercise.

The manufacturers first started running into problems with tread block squirm
and heat buildup in the early 1970's, when motorcycles started going 150 mph
continuously around the high-banked tri-oval at Daytona.

The used the whole NASCAR tri-oval to qualify, and they used part of the tri-
oval and the infield during the race. Tires were chunking at 150 mph, so
tires with shallower treads were developed and they were wider.

Nowadays, AMA superbikes are developing about 225 rear wheel horsepower and
even the widest tires cannot handle the heat buildup as they spin at 180 mph.
The AMA had to change the 200 mile race to the 600cc Formula Extreme class to
avoid killing somebody.

The early 1980's saw Honda and Kawasaki change from 19-inch front tires on
sportbikes to 16-inch front tires for quick turn in. during vigorous
cornering.

Again, this was NOT a styling exercise.

The bikes with 16-inch front tires were too twitchy for most racers,so 17-
inch wheels gradually became the standard.

And the width of a 17-inch front tire at abour 110 or 120 millimeters is
based upon the tire's ability to handle the braking loads. If the
manufacturers could get away with a smaller front tire and still have the
needed braking, they would use a smaller front.

However, the large rear/small front tire combo seen on LTD's and L-models of
the early 1980's was mere styling.

--
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http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/tech/200711/1
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Project Magnet #1 <test_spamgourmet.RemoveThis@cox.net> wrote:

> In good shape, the bikes handled great.

No, they didn't. "Adequately" might be fair.


--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 CB125 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

"george the jones" <dadgreg DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1193887712.406353.143760@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
> My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
> MPH. I've removed the windshield and mirrors from the handlebars
> without making any difference. Just keeping my hands solidly on the
> grips keeps the shimmy under control but it doesn't seem safe or
> normal. Any suggestions would be helpful because it doesn't feel
> very
> solid like I would expect.
>
> Current mechanical status:
> New tires, brakes and wheel bearings
> New fork seals with oil specs and air pressure per service manual
> Real wheel appears square with the frame and in the right position
>
Did you loose a wheel balancing weight?
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question 

Rider <sdfj DeleteThis @yahoo.com.hk> wrote:

> "george the jones" <dadgreg DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1193887712.406353.143760@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
> > My 1981 Kawasaki LTD 550 has a shimmy that is most pronounced at 35
> > MPH. I've removed the windshield and mirrors from the handlebars
> > without making any difference. Just keeping my hands solidly on the
> > grips keeps the shimmy under control but it doesn't seem safe or
> > normal. Any suggestions would be helpful because it doesn't feel
> > very
> > solid like I would expect.
> >
> > Current mechanical status:
> > New tires, brakes and wheel bearings
> > New fork seals with oil specs and air pressure per service manual
> > Real wheel appears square with the frame and in the right position
> >
> Did you loose a wheel balancing weight?

That won't cause a handlebar wobble.


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com
 >> Stay informed about: Shimmy in front suspension question