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Ongoing Handling Issues

Scott Evans

Scott Evans

Member
Member
Tonight I set out to ride to both the COG meetup in Acton and the MotoSocial in Grimsby, however after about 8 miles of riding with the “hinge in the middle” feeling, I turned around and headed back home. It’s disconcerting to say the least. Now I will loosen off the head bearings another little bit and test ride her again. And load her up with camera gear that I had in my top box etc. I have been told the C10 is one of the most solid, stable mounts you could have, but thus far since getting her on the road last year, its been repeatedly like the rear or front wants to get out from under me, if you know what I mean. Maybe it’s time to sell her. Fed up.
 
connie_rider said:
Something isn't right. Would be good to compare.
Do you have someone near you that could let you ride their C-10.
Click to expand...
Well I was hoping to get to Acton tonight for the COG meet and let a couple of others ride her but…LOL I should try to get to TwoWheel Motorsports in Guelph Ontario, and their parts manager is a big Connie lover and owner.
 
Bud said:
Check the motor mount bolts. Could be loose or even have one missing. They feel flexy in those situations. HTH
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+1

Had it happen to me years ago. Suddenly my nice C10 was a horribly handling bike.

Cause: an upper motor mount broke and disappeared. Its usually the upper left. Its important to shim it rather than tighten the bolt down to try and force things together.
 
Bud said:
Check the motor mount bolts. Could be loose or even have one missing. They feel flexy in those situations. HTH
Click to expand...
I checked them last winter and they are all there, backed them off slightly and retorqued them to shop manual specs.
 
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Silly question time, was this particular bike been wrecked/on the deck?

Reason I ask is, I have been dealing with very similar issues. And the usual suspects haven't produced any 'It's fixed!' results that I thought they would have.

Turns out, I had two different issues contributing. First, was the bottom left fork leg 'lightly' ground down on the very bottom. Ground metal was making the pinch, well, not pinch.

The other issue was a bit more insidious. The front fender was not riveted to fork/fender brace. The fender literally could/would flop/flutter around. Anytime I pulled onto my parking pad, I go over a hump, that produced an audible/feelable knock. I chased everything I could reasonably think of. It wasn't until yesterday that I was going into one of many 'search party' adventures, that I realized there was something amiss. I took the fender completely off, bolted the Murph's forkbrace back on, that came on the bike when I bought it, and lo-and-behold, the bike was transformed! Gone was the skating/marble/wandering/hinge feel, to something much more akin to a solid performing bike. Perfect? No, this bike is old, in age and design. But much more to what I thought I would be getting myself into.

Not that I advocate such activities, but on the way into work today, I held triple digits the entire time on the expressway.

This has been the most frustrating bike I have ever dealt with. But it has so much of what I want, that I felt compelled to keep at it.
 
beardothebeardo3680 said:
Silly question time, was this particular bike been wrecked/on the deck?

Reason I ask is, I have been dealing with very similar issues. And the usual suspects haven't produced any 'It's fixed!' results that I thought they would have.

Turns out, I had two different issues contributing. First, was the bottom left fork leg 'lightly' ground down on the very bottom. Ground metal was making the pinch, well, not pinch.

The other issue was a bit more insidious. The front fender was not riveted to fork/fender brace. The fender literally could/would flop/flutter around. Anytime I pulled onto my parking pad, I go over a hump, that produced an audible/feelable knock. I chased everything I could reasonably think of. It wasn't until yesterday that I was going into one of many 'search party' adventures, that I realized there was something amiss. I took the fender completely off, bolted the Murph's forkbrace back on, that came on the bike when I bought it, and lo-and-behold, the bike was transformed! Gone was the skating/marble/wandering/hinge feel, to something much more akin to a solid performing bike. Perfect? No, this bike is old, in age and design. But much more to what I thought I would be getting myself into.

Not that I advocate such activities, but on the way into work today, I held triple digits the entire time on the expressway.

This has been the most frustrating bike I have ever dealt with. But it has so much of what I want, that I felt compelled to keep at it.
Click to expand...
I have not seen any signs of this bike being down and I have stripped it right down after getting it. I have riveted the fender back on the brace, so no clunk there. There clunk is definitely from head bearings as, it disappeared when tightening them up, but there seems to be a VERY fine line between no clunk and too tight. The fender brace is certainly something I have advocated for on many of my past bikes and I may still explore that with this one. I can relate to your last comment, especially when I had mine given to me.
 
I forgot this;
On my first C-10, I used to feel a clunk when I stopped or pulled away from a stop.
1) Did the fender/head bearing/wheel bearing work. Still had a clunk.
2) Thinking that the springs may have been shifting under braking, I also added a centering spacer to center the springs. I also changed the fork springs.
This helped but did not solve my issue.

Later I discovered that the bushing's inside the fork tubes were worn out.
{replacing those was the final solution}.

Ride safe, Ted
 
I wanted to ask about this, since it looks like the OP has solved their issue.

It VERY well may be the tires (replacing them soon), but ever since my bike was kicked over, I've felt that the bike has felt a bit "wobbly". Almost like frame flex. And if I pull the choke and let off the throttle, I get an increasing handlebar wobble.

I can still lean the bike over at speed (Look at this point(look at the street view; the satellite image is out of date; shows the old onramps, not the roundabout), and follow it going toward the bridge; I hit this in the right lane at around 60-70 MPH before trail braking and leaning the bike over HARD, crossing over into the left lane before pitching the bike over to the right and hitting the center lane onto the bridge) and the bike is steady, even with the worn tires. (And to be clear, this happens at night with 0 traffic; DC is DEAD after 11pm)

However, when I go to do a slow speed (think 15-25 MPH) constant corner lean, I feel some "slop" in the steering.

I've had this feeling before, and it was when the frame on Pandora (see my sig) was cracked. I checked and I dont' see any breaks or loose bolts.

Ideas on what it could be?

-x01660
 
There are brackets on the front of the steering neck where the front main fairing is attached. The bolts are known for getting loose, and occasionally some have broken.
Check the bolt for tightness.

Somewhere on the Forum is more discussion/pictures of that fairing mount. Maybe someone can find and attach it here.

Ride safe, Ted

1701361954749.png
 
Last edited:
mbsevans2722 said:
Thanks Ted, I had the forks apart when I rebuilt the bike, new springs, spaces oil, bushings, seals etc etc. the clunk definitely comes from head bearings.
Click to expand...
What's the condition of the head bearings? It's possible for them (and the races) to get flat spots that give weird handling.

I'm now to the Connie life, but have seen that in other bikes. Interestingly, the Connie uses the exact same bearings as a lot of smaller Kawasakis, including my 600, which is barely over 400lbs.
 
beardothebeardo3680 said:
Silly question time, was this particular bike been wrecked/on the deck?

Reason I ask is, I have been dealing with very similar issues. And the usual suspects haven't produced any 'It's fixed!' results that I thought they would have.

Turns out, I had two different issues contributing. First, was the bottom left fork leg 'lightly' ground down on the very bottom. Ground metal was making the pinch, well, not pinch.

The other issue was a bit more insidious. The front fender was not riveted to fork/fender brace. The fender literally could/would flop/flutter around. Anytime I pulled onto my parking pad, I go over a hump, that produced an audible/feelable knock. I chased everything I could reasonably think of. It wasn't until yesterday that I was going into one of many 'search party' adventures, that I realized there was something amiss. I took the fender completely off, bolted the Murph's forkbrace back on, that came on the bike when I bought it, and lo-and-behold, the bike was transformed! Gone was the skating/marble/wandering/hinge feel, to something much more akin to a solid performing bike. Perfect? No, this bike is old, in age and design. But much more to what I thought I would be getting myself into.

Not that I advocate such activities, but on the way into work today, I held triple digits the entire time on the expressway.

This has been the most frustrating bike I have ever dealt with. But it has so much of what I want, that I felt compelled to keep at it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback. I may look into a fork brace.
 
If a slight adjustment of the steering head bearings goes from clunk to too tight I would expect the bearings are toast. My 95 is in the shop getting new bearings and Race Tech Gold valves. I noticed the bearings getting a little notch before setting out for the Beat the Heat event. I backed them off a tad just to make it there but it definitely flops after a certain amount of lean angle. You'll be tipping in, then FLOP! We'll see how it works after the work.

My second GL500 was really bad - you'd be going down the road and and it would randomly follow any old wave or ripple in the lane. Fresh tapered bearings set it right.
 
Merle Lowe said:
If a slight adjustment of the steering head bearings goes from clunk to too tight I would expect the bearings are toast. My 95 is in the shop getting new bearings and Race Tech Gold valves. I noticed the bearings getting a little notch before setting out for the Beat the Heat event. I backed them off a tad just to make it there but it definitely flops after a certain amount of lean angle. You'll be tipping in, then FLOP! We'll see how it works after the work.

My second GL500 was really bad - you'd be going down the road and and it would randomly follow any old wave or ripple in the lane. Fresh tapered bearings set it right.
Click to expand...
Appreciate your feedback, however I put new All Balls head bearings in it, when I rebuilt it. Having said that, they came with the bike and I am thinking I might just order up an OEM set and install them over the winter.
 
You might order them from Murph's kits.
He only sells top-quality bearings. All-Balls are Chinese made...I would not put Chinese wheel bearings on my bike.
 
Jorge said:
You might order them from Murph's kits.
He only sells top-quality bearings. All-Balls are Chinese made...I would not put Chinese wheel bearings on my bike.
Click to expand...
Well, unfortunately, I also got free all balls wheel bearings with the bike so that is what’s installed in my wheels. And the problem with ordering from Murph‘s is that I get dinged with not only the exchange rate change, but also postage I have ordered quite a few things from him, but it is pricey. I’ll just order up the head bearings from my local Kawasaki dealer.
 
Sorry, forgot you're North of the border; I understand.
Another alternative, when it comes time to replace them, is to simply purchase them from an industrial supply place or on-line. I purchased the last set of C10 wheel bearings from Grainger, and they had them in stock. There might be a Grainger near your home.
The 1994+ C10 front wheel bearings are the most common bearing size used worldwide. It's used on electric motors, car alternators, and lots other stuff that rotates. You can simply buy a 6203 bearing with double seals (not "non-contact seals") which already comes with grease, C3 internal clearance (the most common) and you're good to go.
Brands I'd recommend: NTN, NSK, SKF, KOYO, FAG, NACHI.
 
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