1. It's coming from the upper A-arm assembly. The procedures to cure the
squeek are at the bottom of my comments.
2. When the tires wear out or you just can't stand them any more. Purchase a
set of Pirelli MTR23/24 GTS tires. Get a 120/70 front and 170/60 rear.
Inflate at 38 front/ 40 rear and the handling on your GTS will be
transformed! This also gets rid of #3! It's the tires! Battlax BT57 are also
a good all around tire but seem to have been surpassed by the Pirellis in
all aspects.
3. See #2!
4. It's not the ball joint. The front end has been bullet proof outside of
the upper A-arm bearings.
5. Yes, it's buzzy. It doesn't have carbs, it's injected but YES you can
sync the throttle bodies.
6. Just ride. Let us know if you have any more questions.
Here are the upper A-arm procedures!
1. Place the bike on the centerstand and remove the front fender, top glove
box, two black dash panels and both left and right side front fairings. The
head fairing can be left on. Remove the "Rubber mat" that lays on top of the
upper A-arm. (Two small screws up front, then pull-twist to release the
rubber lock tabs along the front)
2. You should have clear access to the upper A-arm pivot points where they
attach to the frame. All references to "Left" and "Right" will be as if you
are sitting in front of the bike facing the headlight. Clip the small zip
tie securing the rubber boot to the left side pivot and remove the boot.
3. Using a ratcheting socket, remove the nut from the left side pivot bolt.
It is accessed near the bottom of the radiator. Don't lose the washer.
4. Go to the right side. Look at the pivot point from the outside. You'll
see a large, dark colored hex head bolt with an even larger lock nut screwed
onto it. Behind the lock nut is a locking tab that needs to be pried off the
lock nut. Now, remove the lock nut.
5. Using a ratcheting socket, remove the inside nut from the right side
pivot bolt. This can expedited using by inserting a hex wrench into the
outside of the pivot bolt and turning it instead of the ratchet. Again,
don't lose the washer.
6. Look at the left outside pivot bolt and notice how it has one flat side
that matches up with the frame notch. Using a small hammer, tap, tap, tap
the pivot bolt from the inside until it is removed.
7. Now unscrew the right side pivot bolt until the threads are disengaged
from the frame. Tap, tap, tap the right side pivot bolt until it is fully
removed.
8. You should now be able to move the upper A-arm assembly around enough
where you can get full access to one side at a time as it will swivel left
or right.
9. Pivot the A-arm and gain free access to the left side. Slide the bearing
sleeve from inside the A-arm bearing. You should be able to see the needle
bearing inside.
10. Apply a liberal amount of grease inside the bearing and work it around
with your finger. Slide the bearing sleeve back in and make sure it turns
easily.
11. On the right side, there are TWO smaller bearing sleeves that insert
from each side. Remove them and apply grease to the inside pivot bearing.
Don't be alarmed that it doesn't look like the other side. It's not a needle
bearing assembly. After applying grease, make sure the bearing is positioned
so that the bolt can pass through. You'll see what I mean when you get
there.
12. Re-insert the bearing sleeves on both sides and position the A-arm in
alignment with the left and right frame holes. Lightly grease the right side
pivot bolt where it will contact the bearing and screw it in through the
frame and into the bearing. Leave about 1/4 to 3/8 inch of the threaded bolt
showing on the outside of the frame.
13. Lightly grease the left side pivot bolt and re-insert it through the
frame and into the bearing. Make sure that the flat notch on the bolt lines
up with the frame notch.
14. Replace flat washers and nuts securing both pivot bolts. You should now
be able to screw the right side pivot bolt in and out which adjusts the
camber of the wheel. Notice how the upper A-arm assembly moves left and
right. Simply place it somewhere near the middle of the adjustment range.
15. Slide the lock tab washer over the right side pivot bolt and screw the
lock nut down tight. Tap the lock tab down over the locknut.
16. Using two zipties, re-attach the rubber boot the left side pivot bolt.
DONE!
It may be necessary to order a new lock tab washer for the right side pivot
bolt, but they seem to be re-usable once. I also order an extra rubber boot,
turn it upside down and use it on the right side! Why Yamaha only boots one
side is a mystery to me. There is a drainage hole that ends up pointing up
instead of down on the right boot so I simply siliconed the hole shut and
cut a small hole on the bottom side.
Kevin Hawkins // Greensboro, NC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.geocities.com/~raddboy
Y2K Kawasaki ZRX1100 // '93 Yamaha GTS1000
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Altman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 12:07 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: First Impressions
Hi all--
I've been on the GTS for about a month now, and have put on a litle over
1000
miles. I have a couple of questions about the bike, since I was more used
to my
old CBR1000F:
1. I have a hella squeak from the front wheel. It seems to come from the
vicinity of what looks like a rod between the steering knuckle and the
wheel. I
ordered the manual and will eventually get all the lube points, but I'd like
to
take care of this before too much more riding. What are the lube points in
the
front and what lube (grease, oil, WD-40)?
2. The bike came with BT-50s. I've never run this tire. What's the
consensus
(?) on the list on tires, and are the BT-50s acceptable? The rear tread is
fine
but it does have a chicken strip. The front is in good shape.
3. I was coming out of a turn and brought the bike upright. I briefly took
my
hands off the bars, and it went into a headshake pretty bad. I've noticed
that
it's not as stable in the turns as my CBR, and seems especially twitchy when
there is gravel or stones in a corner--I actually almost lost it in a very
routine turn. It generally seems less stable than the CBR, including on the
straights. Anyone ridden both these bikes who can help me out with the
comparison? Perhaps I am just riding faster? :)
4. Is it possible that these are all related? Eg.--the steering knuckle is
hanging up and affecting the handling, and the dubious tires contribute
(though
the front is in good shape)? Just different handling characteristics?
5. It also seems a litle buzzier than my cbr. While I realize that the cbr
is
notoriously (boringly, to some) smooth, it doesn't seem like the GTS would
be
any worse. Obviously I won't be thinking about sync-ing the carbs. Any
other
ideas?
6. Anything I need to be looking for until the service manual arrives?
Just
hit 10,000 miles.
I really like riding the gts so far, and am looking to forward put some
serious
mileage on.
Thanks all--
adam
