Kawasaki GT550 issues and woes...sump plug & steering

kippermitten

kippermitten

kippermitten

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Hello, not been on for a while, mega busy at work relocating our server farms to new racks in North Acton, what a scum hole!
Anyway, I picked up my Kwak GT550 a month ago, has been fine, no issues, survived a parking drop with barley a scratch, man alive its heavy though!

So - sump plug spins with a spanner on - have got it tight so it leaks a tiny bit on occassion but I need to sort it - so is it best to get a new thread cut, helicoiled or as one mate said, get someone to weld a plate over the old hole and get a new one cut....hmm.

Other thing is steering - it wobbles! It seems to wobble when going from lock t lock at 15 to 30 mph in traffic and slower speeds - what could this be?
Ive thought of the bearings and a wheel balance issue but not sure...

Also - how easy or hard is it to fit K & N cone filters and adjust the carbs on these to suit a 2 into 1 exhaust system as now it has a std airbox and motad 4 into 1. I want to go retro with twin chrome pipes and the K & N you see...

All advice appreciated.

Perry.
 
The GT550 was an excellent hack, yours was probably ex courier as they swear by them. Look for the tell tale signs that there was a rack bungied over the rear seat.

They GT used a very heavy frame so that it could share it with the GT750 shaftie. The wobble is typical of front wheel bearings and or bent front forks/yokes. You can loosen the tension on the forks then retigthen them with the right spanner. Look for wear on the oil seals as if one side is leaking then they will not pull up true together..

Re the sump, get it helicoiled, avoid welding a plate as you are more likely to put swarf back in the engine. Either way, to be safe I would still split the crankcases. do the repair then rebuild afterwards noting the conditions of the shells and mains.

If you think that's heavy, try a Triumph Rocket3 or a GL1800.. !
 
Sorry totally missed this thread!

Hmmm sum, thats not good, is it definately the thread on the bike thats gone? either way you will need a new plug and locking ring thing so get that first and see, if not then hmmm yea as above I would take the whole sump off to make sure you dont get anything in the sump, personally I would check ebay to see if a new sump is going cheap, might be the hassle free option :p

As for the wobbling, as above check the wheel bearings but also it could be the steering race's they make the front end wobble at low speed, to check this you need to get the front end off the ground and turn the steering if you can feel notches when its turning then you need to get the head bearings and racers replaced.

As for the mods, no idea, there must be a specific Kwak GT owners forum out there, might be good to see what others have done, but I dont see why not, would just need to carbs setting up properly for the new air and exhaust.
As for exhausts just check all the exhaust manufacturers sites and see what they offer for your bike, ebay is also a good place to check.
 
The K&N mod (pod's) or bellmouths (no air box or pods's needed for this one) Will need to be jetted to run right. Stage 3 dyno but i am sure they don't make one for the GT550.

If your using it as a "hack" then why spend so much?

Like any thing..How far you willing to go?
 
Get the sump Helicoiled, it's the only sensible way to go.

Headstock bearings would be my first guess for the wobble as well, but I have to wonder about this:

It seems to wobble when going from lock t lock at 15 to 30 mph in traffic
Click to expand...

You steer from lock to lock at 30mph? No wonder you get a wobble induced!
 
Cheers for the replies.

So - check wheel bearings and headstock for play and notchiness.
Im pretty sure the forks/yolks arent bent as it was owned by a service engineer from 2000 onwards who really looked after it and any major issues were sorted asap.

Yeah, helicoling sounds the way to go but...

I found sump plug repair kits on the bay....

This site sez 12x15 as a size for the drain plug:

http://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-1989-g6-z550_model12601/partslist/E1432.html

So a repair kit would be a 12x16 bolt with thread tool?

Ta fer the help, appreciated as I want to keep the little (fat) donkey running sweet as its a perfect winter bike.
 
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