[Argus21]

My 04 GT with 7100 miles on it has been parked for 3 weeks. During its down time due to near constant rain and craziness at work, I installed an Aeroflow Tall Sport windshield.
I finally took it out tonight to try out the new plexiglas and the shield works great. Far superior to the stocker. Much quieter as well. I am 6'2" and there is no longer any helmet buffet.
I did feel that the front end seems floppy and heavy since the last ride. I am not sure where to look on the telelever setup but something doesn't feel right. It's fine in a straight line or a turn at speed but just feels different at slow speeds. The tire pressures are per the book and I found nothing loose or leaking.
Any help out there?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Razel]

My 04 GT with 7100 miles on it has been parked for 3 weeks. During its down time due to near constant rain and craziness at work, I installed an Aeroflow Tall Sport windshield.
I finally took it out tonight to try out the new plexiglas and the shield works great. Far superior to the stocker. Much quieter as well. I am 6'2" and there is no longer any helmet buffet.
I did feel that the front end seems floppy and heavy since the last ride. I am not sure where to look on the telelever setup but something doesn't feel right. It's fine in a straight line or a turn at speed but just feels different at slow speeds. The tire pressures are per the book and I found nothing loose or leaking.
Any help out there?
Thanks in advance.

A few things come to mind, the first one, naturally, would be the windshield. If it's easy to do, take it off and take a short ride doing what you were doing before when feeling the unnatural behavior. One of those "Look where you last did anything to see if that causes the problem" concepts.

The second one, which probably doesn't help, is that the front shock doesn't have any adjustment. The floppy and heavy feeling would be up and down motion, right?
Otherwise, the shocks wouldn't come into play. I only add this as mine was replaced under warranty at 600 miles. Wear item, yeah, but not that fast...

Might be the ball joints in front, though. I know that the '03 GT's had an issue with them, and the dealer would replace the ball joint on an as-needed basis. As-needed meant that you had to complain about low-speed handling for them to look into it. I don't know when the issue was resolved, but it had to do with getting a matched set. Pretty sure it was sorted out before the '04's, but you might have an issue there. But, I'll bet the dealer will want the original windscreen on before declaring the suspension as suspect.

 

[Argus21]

Thanks Ray.
I agree with the "if it's screwed up, undo the last thing you did" as that served me well in many years of flying.
I am not sure on the windshield being the cause as the weirdness occurs at 5-15 mph but is not apparent at speed. Doesn't soak up road shock like it used to.
Maybe it is because my front Z4 is getting pointy looking and developing a crown.
Front suspension seems to work ok when you hold the front brake and push and pull on the handlebars.
A trip to the dealer is probably in order.

 

[billbeemer]

u got it, front tire

same thing happened to me. that front tire is good, all of a sudden it's bad. to troubleshoot, put 43 psi in front and see if it behaves differently. that will isolate the problem, but it is positively the front tire cupping. btw.....several long time riders have recommended 40psi front, 45psi rear for wear. decreased heat.. i have 16k miles on original z4 front and rear. have new tires on order, gonna try the pirella long distance tire. good luck

 

[radiowazee]

Interesting ... I noticed the same thing with my K just the other week!! I figured I must be loosing my mind.

When I pulled out of the garage I noticed the front end turning really heavy -- meaning when I gave it a slight right/left turn it wanted to go all the way right/left.

Really wierd, like the bike was fighting me and wanted to turn the bars all the way. Also felt some fight when I tried to countersteer at 30-45MPH -- the bike needed more pressure from me to lay into the turn than normal.

I've only got about 5000 miles in the saddle on my K and I'm still learning her "feel" -- so I thought maybe I was just getting "in tune" to the finer characteristics.

I'll double check my tire pressure -- I usually run 39/46 front/rear (10% over spec.)

Howard


PS. the performance difference in the added tire pressure is really noticeable -- the spec. is 36/42 -- too soft. 39/46 when the tires are COLD really brings her to life! I run Z6's btw.

 

[bhaynnes]

It's all about tire pressure and preload.

both tire pressure and preload can cause the symptoms you are experiencing.

 

[osii]

Also, check your rear shock. When it starts to go, like mine did at low miles, the front end gets very wobbly at low speeds. Crank up the preload and see if it helps. You may need new shocks if you have been riding hard and heavy.