i was riding on the road yesterday and whenever i get to 5 gear it was going all over the road, it was hard to keep it in a straighjt line. What causes this and can it be fixed

 

It is the original A-ARM design..

1: Setup your suspension pre-load
2: Setup the proper TOE with you on it.
3: If that don't work welcome to the world of after-market a-arms [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

It's a problem with not enough caster. Or is it camber? Whatever. Suspension set up will help, but on the 00-01 models the only real fix is new upper a-arms.

It's most noticable on pavement, but still manageable. HOWEVER, getting the front end back down on asphalt at high speed after a fourth gear wheelie was a real thrill ride. I don't think I'll do that again without changing the a-arms.

 

BigBen,

Did you move to Washington? I noticed it in your sig..

 

Technically, I've lived in Washington this whole time. My family farms here. I'm a student at Kansas State, so I'm only there during the school year. (Which is when I have the most free time, and do the most posting. I was here in WA all summer, but was only online about five times because I was so busy.) It's Winter Break right now. This spring will be my last one in Kansas.

Man, that explanation got long.

 

Castor!

I remember it this way:

Castor is lik you have a cast on your leg. . . a leg with a cast typically has a bend in it. Well you want the bottom bolt of the a-arm hub to be about 6-degrees out ahaed of the top one (kind of like a chopper) The faster you go the harder it is to steer and the more it wants to go straight.

Camber is like the cams on your bike. They are off shape on a horizontal axis (or like an egg on a counter.) You want the top of the tire tilted in slightly (can't remember how much.)

Aftermarket A-arms are fully adjustable so you can set the camber and Castor however you want it.

 

Yes I hate the stock a arms... I don't know how many times I've gone either straight off a corner or hammering through the trail and all of a sudden just get bounced sideways or steered straight out in the woods at a high rate of speed![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] Scares the living $hit out of you cuz you don't even see it comming! Then you think it's bad going down a fireroad or a blacktop road wide open..... When I geared mine up a tooth on the front sproket it gets A WHOLE lot hairier when you're going 80+MPH! But untill you can afford good a arms it helps to get a good set of tires and it's even better to get an inch taller front tire (22"). I still got the $hitty Kenda front's on mine and it's just plain scary![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

 

I got the full a arms, plus 23"tires, I can go 80 down my dirt road, the handling is spot on [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Best is still the A-arms.. I had 22/23 tires and hated them. TO BIG!!!
I have the arms and 20/21 now..
Here is a good decription on Caster, Camber & Toe

 

My 720 is now a different bike with new a arms (hope my left elbow heals)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]