I looked threw the faq section and didnt find what I was looking for so I thought I would just ask

I have an 89. I am in the process of hating the balance of the bike. (also me being 6'4") What other frontends  will swap into the GS500 of that year?
What other swingarms as well?
I have played with tire pressure and  rear end ride height. Even bought a new rear meat for it because the bike just wanders too much.

and unrealated to the questions at hand, Hi

New rider?  

You are most likely adding those steering inputs without knowing it.  Loosen up on the handlebars.  Should be able to flop your arms around while riding.  Lean forward a little and get your forearms as parallel to the ground as possible.  This will help you put less pressure on the bars and reduce unwanted steering inputs.

Matt

No, I have been riding for about 20 years now. I am not sure what is causing the issues I am seeing.  I hesitate to add a steering dampener if there is a bigger issue that I am covering up with it. I ride really loose ( not straight arm. ) and I cant think of anything that I am doing that could be causing it. This morning when I took it out, I tried to pay attention to my riding to see if I was straight arming or over gripping. I wasnt, that is why I was wandering if that was a common issue or a problem. Figured it was a common issue, that is why I was asking about different mods. The only thing that I can think of and is most likely not it, is the frame is twisted a little. Cant find any marks on the engine case, frame or anything else that would indicate that it has ever being laid down,  causing the frame to be out of line. I checked the triple trees as well as the rear bushings, and rear tire alignment marks.


Any other Ideas?

thanks,
Mike

balance problems? i do the iron cross/ crucifix on my bike all the time.  no prob w/ balance.

hmmm, then there is something I am over looking. I cant even let go of the bars without it wanting to go somewhere I didnt want it to. its like its balancing on a head of a pin

ya thats not normal.  sometimes when im on the highway i put throttle lock on and take my hands off for a few miles.  um i forget but there are a few things to check if ur bars wiggle when u take ur hands off..

its pulling to one side? or giving a wobble?

no wobbles, not one side or the other. its more like its standing on edge. like even the smallest fraction of an ounce weight transference, puts it one way or the other. I cant even lean back from the bars with my hands off. I used to ride everywhere without hands on my 77 KZ1000 and that sucker even suffered from spoked rims that were not that true

Well the Gs is a different animal from a 77 Kz1000 ...It's not as heavy as that KZ and is going to be more willing to take suggestions from your body and hands...and nature...

What speed(s) does it wander too much at....and what speeds do you get the headshake at?

I assume you have good rubber on the front with the right pressure.....the forks are straight (fresh oil.. no worn out springs..)  and the bike  is aligned ( you did just change tires..)??

your GS should be REALLY stable with no hands.  At least mine is.

how loose or tight is your steering? are you able to swing the handlebar from one end to the other without much effort? if the steeling is tight, it'll feel like the bike is in control instead of you...as if it always wants to lean to one side.

couple things

1) check steering head bearings.  Do they have grease? tight enough? loose?

2) check swingarm side-to-side play.  possibly bearings are loose/out of grease/bad

3) in MY case it's because of the tread design of my avon rear tire.  It has 'side to side' tread design.. hard to explain but you can see how the tread may push the bike side to side

Welcome!

This is a small bike and if you're used to a KZ1000 this bike is going to "feel" "twitchy" in comparison.

I'm thinking the steering geometry of the bike may be affected or has been modified. What size front tire? What size rear? Where are the forks in the triple clamps? Is the rear shock stock?

Just FYI the stock rake is 26 degrees and trail is 3.7 inches. Stock tire sizes are 110/70 front, 130/70 rear. The tops of the fork legs are flush with the top triple, er, the handlebar mount plate.

I hope this helps.

Edit due to seeing Blueknyt's post on tire pressures: front 33psi, rear: 36psi

ok, mine only seem to do that when front tire was low on air. are your fork tubes set too high in the clamps/ass end to high in air? mixed matched tire profiles?

Quotehis is a small bike and if you're used to a KZ1000 this bike is going to "feel" "twitchy" in comparison.

I'm thinking the steering geometry of the bike may be affected or has been modified. What size front tire? What size rear? Where are the forks in the triple clamps? Is the rear shock stock?

Just FYI the stock rake is 26 degrees and trail is 3.7 inches. Stock tire sizes are 110/70 front, 130/70 rear. The tops of the fork legs are flush with the top triple, er, the handlebar mount plate.

The tubes come up to the top of the handle bar plate just even with the top. The rear shock/spring combo was replace with an aftermarket UNI but it was done before I got the bike so I have no idea what model it is. I just went out and got the tire size.
Front: 110/70/17
Rear: 130/90/17
to the top of the seat without me on the bike its 35 inches
With me on the bike is 32 inches measured at the seat foam nearest to the  tank.
The pic in my avitar is the bike, so you can see its been modified with a different tail. was up til 5am last night reading and learning about these kewl machines of ours. so I am really just getting the snot from my eyes at this point.


Mike

if you can't flat foot it at 6'4"  then it is about 4 inches over stock and will suck the rake way in, to the point of being highly unstable at any speed. see what you can do about lowerign the rear end, and that will fix the problem.

oh, and it's nice here, I think I will go for a ride.  neener neener neener.

Ooooh, one of the biggest things I miss about the 'Glide; you could move all over the place and it would never step out of line. The Baby GS I have is an '89. It too seems "twitchy" but I know it is because of the steeper rake and the clip-ons. But if your rear is set higher than stock then everybody is right...your trail is down next to nothing and it is gonna be a handful to ride. That said, when I'm on the White Owl and let go of the bars all I have to do is move one side or the other and the bike trys to go that way. But I do have to say that if you like a little sports car then the Baby GS fills the bill. I'm just not much into sports cars. My oldest son loves it and is saving to buy himself one (if I don't get something else and give it to him for a present). Love the little White Owl, Siberia (home of the great Siberian Husky), and this forum.

C........

Edited my post above with the information I got with my handy tape measure

That was the next thing that I was going to ask is how was your sag at the front end? Too much sag (fork compression) will reduce the rake and trail numbers even more. Measure one of the fork tubes between the base of the dust seal and the bottom of the lower triple, and then measure it with you on it. The second number will get you rider sag.

I noticed the avatar earlier (nice avatar BTW, R1 or R6 tail), it looks like it has a longer rear shock, but with 3 inches of sag that's way too much. You may need to open up the front forks to see what springs you have and any preload spacers. If you have a spring that is almost as long as the fork, and has a tighter set of coils at one end, then you may have Progressive springs, if they're just the same length, then you may have RaceTech springs. Measure any preload spacer that may be in there; you may need longer one. Youl need to set rider sag for your weight (1.4 to 1.55 inches).

The rear tire is really tall, making the rake even steeper.