Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Thanks Mike; I did modify the forks as per the Kawa service bulletin and have fork emulators which helped the handling.
With Battleax tires is 30 PSI still the recommended pressure?
My H2 is about 425 lbs. wet and I weigh 175 lbs.

Any thoughts as to a fork swap that’s good, cheap and easy?

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There are only two types of motor sport racing:
Nitro and everything else
(Sometimes referred to as fast and slow)

glade to hear your getting better slowly , if you've put emulators in and everything is tight thats a TRIPPLE , dont worry usually happens when not enough throttle is used ( saw neck still ) , open throttle earlier and more , urs Al in Aus

What shocks are you running now?

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

Redwing Hammer Heads

I’m assuming the Chinese copies of Ohlin’s with the separate reservoir are probably not much better even if they look cool?

_________________
There are only two types of motor sport racing:
Nitro and everything else
(Sometimes referred to as fast and slow)

The thing with shocks, they just have to be set up with your weight. Sometimes you get lucky with the Chinese stuff, but not often.

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

Jim C

Man, so glad you are back and on the mend.......Gheesh........seem's like everybody is too busy with their distracted driving these days, scary for sure.

Not sure what year H2 you have, the 72 and 73 had Nylon Bushings (not so good), the 74 and 75 have Sintered Iron........on my H2B, I replaced them (probably were OK, I thought they were Nylon)...........I had to use heat on mine to get them out (sure most don't)........which was OK as I was having it Powder coated after that.........I got mine from Mid-Atlantic and they are beefy and fit well, they are some kind of Yamaha 650 bushing actually.......no slop, very tight and nice, grease yearly

Check the Steering Stabilzer Mount and make sure it has No Cracks, that can be bad........my handlebar mounts have cotter pins in them, I used blue locktight, but did not over tighten (the rubber should flex some)..........make sure that your rear brake bolt has a cotter pin through it, I blue locktighted the nut as well, that can get you hurt if the nut falls off and locks the rear brake.

I did some Mods to my bike that I really like and recommend.........Tapered Needle Bearings in the headstock........Forks have Progressive Springs and Gold Valve Emulators, night and day difference............EX500 Brake Caliper with HH pads, also use the EX master Cylinder and Clutch Perch, one finger braking and no dive with the new forks.........the bronze bushings, I use Progressive 412C shocks that are 13 3/4" long (longer gets the Geometry better for rake and trail)............All Balls sells front and Rear Wheel Bearing Kits with Seals, spins nicely..........went to a 520 X-Ring Chain System with PBI sprockets............and last, fatter EXCEL rims with BT45V tires

THX Phil

If you choose FAST and CHEAP, it won't be GOOD!
If you choose CHEAP and GOOD, it won't be FAST!
If you choose FAST and GOOD, it won't be CHEAP!

Words to live by.....

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

Speed, Price, Quality......... pick two!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Thanks!
Mine is a 72; you know the REAL H2 ; didn’t realize they had plastic bushings but they seem very tight.
I welded a little plate on the steering damper bracket years ago to help keep it in place; in reality the purple lock tight is for fasteners smaller than 1/4” but I use them both interchangeably don’t notice a difference; I intentional over tightened the handlebar mounts to increase the compression on the rubber dampers. Didn’t feel any difference in regards to handling or vibration.

I replaced the steering head bearings years ago but did not use tapered bearings :thumb down:
All wheel bearings were replaced and I have emulators as well as modified fork guts as per the resource site.
Also have a complete EX braking system with a Cody thinned and cutout rotor.
I raised the forks approx. 3/4” in the triple clamps and my Red Wing shocks are longer than stock, plus I put a 1” extender as per JA.

My front end does dive under hard breaking so perhaps new progressive springs would be a good choice.
I would like to change to a 520 chain and aluminum rims in the future too.
Did you notice a big difference with the fork spring swap?
Also, thanks for the suggestions

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There are only two types of motor sport racing:
Nitro and everything else
(Sometimes referred to as fast and slow)

Have you tried adding fork oil a little at a time?

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.