Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Hey fellas,
As some of you know, I was rear ended at a red light in October of 2014.
38 years of NO driving issues with the exception of being rear ended at a light about 16 years ago.
Neck issues are not good, especially at 58.
The good news is that I can now turn my head to the left and right far enough and quickly enough to fell OK about riding; I’m thankful to be back regardless of some minor pain.

I put about 30 miles on my bike since the car accident and I’m ready to make some smoke this summer!
The beast started on the 6th kick on Saturday.
I had forgotten how much it feels like there is a hinge in the middle of the frame when taking unbanked tight turns at speed.
Plan to go through the entire bike this weekend and wanted some guidance regarding checking of the swing arm bushings.
I installed a grease fitting when I got the bike and keep the bushings lubed.

To check for slop, can I grab the rear tire and force it back and forth to see if the swing arm moves while the shocks are attached?
If this isn’t accurate, how can I determine if I’m in spec without disassembly?

If I do need to replace, is the hot set up is to use one of the bronze bushing kits available or is there something better?
Thanks in advance,
Jim

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

am needle bearing kit: perfect

Is that the one mentioned on the resource page where you have a little bit of machine work and use KZ bearings (and I think the main shaft)?
or
Is there another method?

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

Needle bearings are WAY over kill. Bronze is great. You might need a bit of a hone with a brake cylinder hone, but they are straight forward install. And yes if you can get any movement, then you should upgrade.

Didn't know about your accident, glad you are able to ride again......

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

french kit: bolt on

Thanks fellas.
Looks like rain for the next 2 days but perfect riding weather on Sunday.
I’ve really missed riding my devil bike.

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

Thought I would report back.
The swing arm bushings are tight although there might be a slight amount of slop in the rear wheel bearings; odd in that they probably only have 5-10K miles on them.
After going through all the hardware and breaking one of the handle bar mounting bolts (yes I have a dial torque wrench; no I didn’t use it), it seems like a combination of little things.
The motor mount bolts were not loose but a couple were not super tight and front fork mounting bolts very slightly loose.
The rubber mounted bolt that holds the handle bar yolk to triple clamps were loose; I was afraid that tightening them would cause more vibration due to less damping but not the case.
It does feel better although I think that it might be front fork or frame flexing even at moderate speeds.

As I recall, the frame guessing is really only beneficial in high speed racing applications and that a front fork brace (if they actually exist) won’t help the skinny little tubes, meaning that this is a quirk that we all love?
Is this corrector thinking?

As a long term dream, what forks (that are stiffer with better handling) are a good choice for a swap assuming no major work other than triple clamp and /or bearing mods and maybe some disc brake work?
or
Is it just not worth the trouble for a street bike?

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

In my experience, a fork brace is especially beneficial with skinny little fork tubes. On my DT100, a brace made a huge difference. But a stock H2 fender serves the purpose of a fork brace to some extent.

I just felt my H2, Guzzi, and Ninja 250 by standing in front of the bikes with the front tire locked between my knees, and trying to turn the handlebars back and forth. Here are the very informal results:

H2 with stock front end: Pretty stiff, but I can feel a little flex
Guzzi with 35mm tubes (1mm smaller than H2) and Tarozzi brace: very stiff, nearly no flex
Ninja 250 with 36mm tubes: very stiff, nearly no flex

The Ninja's tube diameter and spacing is the same as the H2's, so the only reasons I can think of for it feeling stiffer is that the tubes are shorter (16" front wheel) and maybe the fender bracket is stiffer, although with a plastic fender, it's hard to imagine that's the reason.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

Jimmy glad to see you back, I as well was unaware of your accident.

What you're describing sounds like typical H2 stuff. Put a wrench on everything that moves. As far as the front forks are concerned the '74-75 internal components are better than the '72-73 for damping/rideability. And as Jim suggests a fork brace could also improve the front suspension performance.

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"... don't drink the foam." Sonny B.

Flexing in the system at moderate speeds is pretty much nill. If everything is tight, then it's probably the tires or tire pressure.

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