Getting the rear wheel off the ground withthe centrestand

[BigD_83]

Is it common with these GS bikes in general or the 650s in particular that the rear tire touches the ground when put up on the centrestand?

I do not recall my 650G doing this when I brought it home, but after a tire change it certainly is. It doesn't take much to get it off the ground, a piece of 1/2" plywood under the centrestand legs will do it, so it is mainly an inconvenience.

EDIT- I had a look back at the bike up on the centrestand with the original tires, and it looks like the rear wheel is hitting the ground.


For other reasons, I went back to a more or less stock tire size (100/90/19) on the front. I thought maybe the larger tire (110/90/17) that just came off the front was pushing the bike back and up a bit. The rear tire is still hitting the ground with quite a bit of weight on it.


Two things that are "new"

a. rear tire is a little oversize; 130 instead of 120

b. I had the shocks off to grease the final drive splines, but I didn't change the preload.

I have no idea about the condition of the shocks, but I believe they are NOT stock. They bounced me around pretty hard when I originally brought the bike home, so it is possible they may not have enough rebound in them and they are just stretched out to the max.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[cowboyup3371]

My rear tire sits on the ground while on the centerstand as well (I have a 550T). If I need to do any work with it, I'll put a 2x4 or 2x6 on the ground and sit the centerstand on top of it. Works pretty well.

 

[1_v8_merc]

None of my bikes touch...and they have larger tires....maybe ur suspension is sagging maybe?

 

[bccap]

Just went down for a look. Both the 750 and the 1100 have about an inch of clearance on the rear tire.

 

[BigD_83]

Man, I wanted to change the shocks out eventually, but I didn't want to HAVE to do it before the summer.

Me thinks Merc is right. Given the handling of the bike, the shocks are probably tired.

 

[tom203]

My 650L with 130-90-16 rear just kisses ground, shocks look/feel OK, but I have no idea if they are replacements.

 

[GSJim]

My 1983 GS650G rear tire is about an inch off the ground when the bike is on the centerstand (130/90-17 tire and original shocks). My long-departed GS550T also had clearance because I used to lube the chain with the bike on the centerstand.

Jim

 

[Steve]

My guess is that the shocks are NOT proper replacements.

We have an '82 650L in the garage that has the same 'problem'. I think the shocks that are on it came off the 850L and are a bit longer than what is supposed to be there.


Also, just had to comment on this:

They bounced me around pretty hard when I originally brought the bike home, so it is possible they may not have enough rebound in them and they are just stretched out to the max.

If they didn't have enough "rebound" in them, they would not stretch out to their full length.
The "lack of rebound" that most guys talk about is rebound DAMPING, not spring. And, I don't know of a single shock in use on a motorcycle that is not fully-extended when the bike is on the centerstand. Yeah, they will be "stretched to the max" every time the bike is on the centerstand.

.

 

[BigD_83]

Good point, Steve. That was poorly worded on my part, and rebound damping is what I did mean.

I was under the (apparently incorrect) impression that the shock springs would be strong enough to keep the swingarm off the ground. A bit of math could figure it out for any given spring/wheel setup, but I'm not going to go through the bother of getting all the data for that.

One of these days I'm going to track down the reading material on suspension setup TheCafeKid (I think?) mentioned in a post somewhere , and try to really understand what is happening front and rear to produce a safe yet performance-oriented ride.

In the meantime, I'll have to get out the measuring stick and figure out the unloaded/loaded length (and sag) in the shocks to see if they are just worn out, or the wrong shock for the bike. One thing is for sure, there has been SOME work done on the shock mount in the past because one of them is not stock, but a rather makeshift arrangement.

 

[Steve]

I was under the (apparently incorrect) impression that the shock springs would be strong enough to keep the swingarm off the ground.

The springs are PUSHING, not PULLING.

When the bike is on the centerstand, the springs are pushing the swingarm down, at least until the damper rods are fully-extended and stop the travel.

For the bikes that have their wheels off the ground, it's not the spring holding it there, it's because the damper rods are topped out.

.

 

[bccap]

There are 2 parts on that Keith Code dvd. The second part is on suspension setup. I haven't viewed it though.

 

[BigD_83]

Aha!

Years of schooling gone to pot. Of course they are PUSHING. They become longer when you take them off...where is the hand smacking head icon?

 

[Steve]

...where is the hand smacking head icon?

Take your pick:

.

 

[TheCafeKid]

There are 2 parts on that Keith Code dvd. The second part is on suspension setup. I haven't viewed it though.

I have not seen Keith Codes suspension vid either, but I would highly suggest anyone who hasn't "schooled" themselves in at least simple suspension set up do. This, in conjunction with the tires, is what keeps you attached to the road.
Besides tossing the now likely dangerous stock springs and shocks, it's more than a decent idea to know how to set your suspension for your riding habits and why. If the suspension is too soft, it can make the bike pretty scary as many of us know, but having it too hard isn't just uncomfortable, it's also equally as dangerous because every time the bike hits something the suspension won't soak up, you're breaking traction with the road. Enough of that happens while leaned into a corner, no matter the speed or aggressiveness, and it could end in a very bad day for someone.

Having the bike dialed in not only creates a more pleasurable ride, it also creates a more stable machine in any given situation. When you know what the bike will do, that creates a much more confident and focused rider. All of these things, obviously, work together to make a rather dangerous hobby a bit safer.

 

[Guest]

Same here about an inch or more clearance on the center stand.

 

[BigD_83]

My guess is that the shocks are NOT proper replacements.

We have an '82 650L in the garage that has the same 'problem'. I think the shocks that are on it came off the 850L and are a bit longer than what is supposed to be there.


Also, just had to comment on this:


If they didn't have enough "rebound" in them, they would not stretch out to their full length.
The "lack of rebound" that most guys talk about is rebound DAMPING, not spring. And, I don't know of a single shock in use on a motorcycle that is not fully-extended when the bike is on the centerstand. Yeah, they will be "stretched to the max" every time the bike is on the centerstand.

.

I had another look at the bike tonight and the tire JUST touches the ground. With the bike supported on the centrestand on a 1/2" piece of plywood, the shocks keep the tire off the ground, and the extended length of the shock is 14 1/4".

IIRC, the measurement on the 650G should be 13 1/4 - 13 1/2". That could be the issue. Can anyone confirm with an eye to eye measurement on their own 650G?

What might be the expected consequences of this setup, if the shock is indeed an inch longer than stock?

 

[GSJim]

My 83 GS650G shocks (originals) are a hair under 13.5" (340mm). I can get a more exact measurement when the weather improves enough to drag the bike out of the garage.

Jim