Wannder City

[Littlebeaver]

I understand that the E3's are the best combination for this bike, along with progressives 412's on the rear, and new fork springs on the front the bike should ride really nice... A fine tune on the steering neck, checked all the bolts to frame, and to fork brace and the upper 4 bolts to forks connecting to steering column...I checked the progressive's settings as they were set in the middle, I set them to the stiffest setting...[Big dude]. double checked the air pressure, I checked for free play in the swingarm... all good. I just bought the bike, He has a
Duro on the rear and a Sinko on the front, dyna beads, hummmmmm... I'm a little chapped he didn't tell me of this wandering issue above 65mph, God help me if its windy out.... My 81 GL is far more stable a ride... It's hard for me to understand that the tires are making the bike do this,, but they are different tires so it's very possible... I have never rode a bike with different tires like that,, I have spitfires on my GL. Dyna beads, I mount my own and I know what I'm doing.. so having said this, I plan on getting the CT and I will try it with the Sinko and see what happens, if it continues to wander I suppose a E3 is in order for the front...I will more than likely change out all the wheel bearings while I am at it.. The last thing I wanted to do is all of this... I just paid out 4k for it and I would have thought the guy would have said it wanders like a drunkin sailor lol,,, I have no hard feelings though... It is what it is,, I will fix it.. the guy was very nice and all,, nice bike,,, I kinda like it....GL is kinda jealous right now..lol I'm just glad I have the ability to do all this stuff....Have a great day fella's... Beave

[debron]

Tires do make a heck of a difference, even within the same brand. The Dunlop D-404 (standard issue on many bikes) though sized and spec'd for the XII are horrible, but the Dunlop E-3's are wonderful.

[cushman eagle]

My VXII had those 404s on when I got it ,they might be ok for my Cushman,but they were terrible on my '99 I have 13000 miles in the e-3s now and there is still a considerable amount of tread on both ends. and am very pleased with them.

[Brealytren]

Beave,
I'm right there with you buddy. I have a '91 with 30k on it that just has never been a stable ride. When I bought it two years ago for $2k it was reasonably stable.....but still not right. This Spring I put a set of Shinko Tourmasters on it and WOW.....WHAT A NIGHTMARE! It wandered so bad, especially in corners, it was downright scary! I replaced the wheel bearings, torqued the steering head bearings, torqued the swing arm bearings, tried various pressures, I have progressives front and rear......NO improvement! I finally put on a set of E3s a month ago and got rid of 80 percent of the instability...but it's still not the solid ride I have on my Goldwings. Recently, I received a Personal Message (I have a posting much like yours out there) telling me to check the washers under the fork brace that protect the plastic fender from being crushed. If these washers are crushed from being over tightened, I'm told the fork brace is ineffective resulting in the symptoms OUR bikes are displaying. My plan is to check them this weekend. Keep me posted and I'll keep you posted. Good luck!
Chuck

[Littlebeaver]

Oh Oh I will never put those awful tires [404's] on any of my bikes again,, I had them on my GL when I got it and they were just terrible for me...Cupped something awful.. Proper air pressure and balance was spot on...Just a sad tire..

[Bill O]

I understand that the E3's are the best combination for this bike, along with progressives 412's on the rear, and new fork springs on the front the bike should ride really nice... A fine tune on the steering neck, checked all the bolts to frame, and to fork brace and the upper 4 bolts to forks connecting to steering column...I checked the progressive's settings as they were set in the middle, I set them to the stiffest setting...[Big dude]. double checked the air pressure, I checked for free play in the swingarm... all good. I just bought the bike, He has a
Duro on the rear and a Sinko on the front, dyna beads, hummmmmm... I'm a little chapped he didn't tell me of this wandering issue above 65mph, God help me if its windy out.... My 81 GL is far more stable a ride... It's hard for me to understand that the tires are making the bike do this,, but they are different tires so it's very possible... I have never rode a bike with different tires like that,, I have spitfires on my GL. Dyna beads, I mount my own and I know what I'm doing.. so having said this, I plan on getting the CT and I will try it with the Sinko and see what happens, if it continues to wander I suppose a E3 is in order for the front...I will more than likely change out all the wheel bearings while I am at it.. The last thing I wanted to do is all of this... I just paid out 4k for it and I would have thought the guy would have said it wanders like a drunkin sailor lol,,, I have no hard feelings though... It is what it is,, I will fix it.. the guy was very nice and all,, nice bike,,, I kinda like it....GL is kinda jealous right now..lol I'm just glad I have the ability to do all this stuff....Have a great day fella's... Beave

Ive been riding CT for a year. but, you need to know how good this bike can ride. Hold off on the CT and put E3's, front and back. You will appreciate the road worthiness of the Voyager from that point on. Then after you wear down the E3, then switch to the CT. You'll find a great appreciation in the great ride of the bike.

Not trying to discourage you, but you need to start at a good point to appreciate the progression.

Bill O

[doug of so fla]

I agree with Bill, a car tire is different than a M/C tire and it has it's quirks and you need to get the XII riding like you want it and then try the car tire. It should be fairly easy to find a rear rim now for a XII so you can have a car tire mounted and then you can swap them out that is what the wing riders do as there are plenty of rims around because a lot of riders are triking there rides and the rear rims are everywhere and cheap.

[Littlebeaver]

Yeah sounds like a plan, I agree... a set of E3's was suggested early on so I shall pull the trigger on a set... Where do you folks get your tires from? I have used a few online sites in the past but I am just curious who has the best price....? Hey can I go 85 mph without having a face like this ...From the wandering...

[voyager55]

www.google.com

[Littlebeaver]

Brealytren, I will give you my findings,, something I was thinking about, it's something that Honda did but yet Kawasaki didn't do... On my 81 interstate under the fairing on the forks there is a weight that is mounted to the center of the forks, Kawasaki doesn't have this weight... I am a curious SOB so I also experiment a lot and I think way outside the box of the normal, I may just see if I can mount a weight there to see if theres any difference in the ride....

[the2knights]

Just my 2 cents. The xii will never be as stable as the Goldwing. I love the xii, but steering geometry and wheel base make the xii much more nimble than other full size touring bikes. Also make it far more sensitive to tire choice, especially on the front. The trade off is worth it for most who love the xii!
Do all the right things, and make it the best you can and get out and enjoy it. Take advantage of the things it does well, and enjoy the ride!

[Littlebeaver]

Good advice, thanks...

[Okie34]

I did the tire thing, the steering nut thing, the spring/shock thing, the air pressure thing as well. Then I figured out that we sacrifice some stability for manuverablity.

Tires DO make a HUGE difference though. Here are my findings over the last few years:

Worst Tires - Dunlop D404
Best Tires - Metzler
All around good tire for price - Pirelli

As noted, the D404 were just yuck. Best riding tires were the Metzler 88's but I had issues with them separating after about 2K miles. Just split the tread. I've had Avon Venom's on, too expensive and didn't improve things much, Same with the Dunlop E3's. Pirelli MT66 have so far been the best ride and mileage combo for me. Plenty nimble and high mileage.

Good luck in your search!

-- JD

[Littlebeaver]

That's great, I'll put a note down in my book, thanks man... Ok I went out for a nice ride today,, it's taking me some time to bond with this bike, but I'm starting to smile fella's , I'm getting the feel of it and it's different than my Ginger [81 GL] but it's badass in the curves man, I love it, even with different tires it freakin loves the curves man... After setting the steer adjustment it rides way way better now, not like it was, shifting all over and such... Here is a proper photo of the bike I shall call Bertha... This Motorcycle is a looker for sure...I get a lot of compliments on it, I just got the sucker too.. Proud owner..

[Chris near Kansas City]

My favorite color!

[grumpin]

Nice looking XII!

[Littlebeaver]

Yeah, I thought it looked nice so I had to buy it..
1. love the handlebar positioning
2. corning and leaning is awesome
3. love the controls for the radio
4. backrest is a perfect fit
5. gas mileage is super I get 41 city and I have not gone on a long long ride yet.
6. It's gorgeous
7. I like how easy the bags come off.
8. false tank removal is simple, no seat removal required.
9. It has a Aux plug [lighter] for slow charging it.
10.Centerstand, that's different, I like it..
11. I really really love the sound of the bike, both in down shifting and in roll on's, and I find myself having a tough time getting off the silly thing..
...
12. Oh the cruise is cool, The final reason is because it's a Kawa man... did I say it was quick... 13. Lot's of parts on ebay man...

[ghostler]

Yeah, I thought it looked nice so I had to buy it.. ....
5. gas mileage is super I get 41 city and I have not gone on a long long ride yet. ....
12. Oh the cruise is cool. The final reason is because it's a Kawa man... did I say it was quick...

Wait until you take it on a long ride. The 2001 XII allows me to do 2 hours before stopping. Don't get butt cramp as I did with my previous bike.

6.1 gallon tank is a plus on long rides. A friend's V-Star 1300 has a 4.9 gallon tank, was watching the fuel closer and fueling up sooner than I would, love the distances traveled before fueling. I've been getting high 40's to low 50's MPG on long rides.
This thing was made to go long distances.

[Lucasind]

...... Nice lookin bike !, I've only owned my XII since 2012,
I'm finding the more time I have it, and the farther I ride it... the more I like it.!

[Littlebeaver]

Like I said, I listen to advice, I'm like a a big fat sponge lol
,, Debron, sir,,,, I just ordered my E3's and my dynabeads.... Oh I found out last night that the cassette works good, but the heads were a bit dirty, I got a few q-tips out and some rubbing alcohol and cleaned them up and now the sound is great.. YES.....I can make my own tapes now and stuff...