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Height adjustment???

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

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Anyone had any experience lowering a GS? I just bought an '81 GS650G and the seat height is a little tall. I'm able to tippie-toe, but can't put my feet flat on the ground. Makes it a little hard at a stop light or when there are potholes where I stop.
 
re: lowering your gs

re: lowering your gs

have you thought of taking your seat in have some of the foam cut out and then have it recovered it would be the cheapest way to go and you get a new looking seat out of the deal I have had a few gs1100's and I'm 5foot 9 and that's what I have done ,works for me .......cheers.....mark
 
Thanks, did not even think about that. I guess sometimes the simplest things totally escape me.
 
Another thing you might conserder is to cut the foam and install gel seat pad while it is apart
 
Shocks...

Shocks...

Correct me if I'm wrong here, guys (you've no doubt got more expereince with GS bikes...).

Both JC Whitney and Dennis Kirk sell rear lowering kits for dual-shock bikes. The kit consists of two brackets which bolt to the swingarm in place of the rear shock, and contain a new mounting tab some inch or more to the rear to mount the shock back to - effectively lowering the rear of your bike up to a few inches.

Remember that you must lower the front end of your bike the same amount, or your handling can be seriously affected (like putting longer forks on your stock bike without raking the frame). To do this on most bikes, loosen the triple clamps and slide the forks upward, effectively lowering the frame down the fork tubes, and clamp them back in the new position. This works on alot of bikes, but if you have single-piece handlebars that clamp on top of the triples, they will block the forks from being lowered very much. If this amount is not enough for you, you can always ditch the one-piece bars and go with after-market clip-ons, which clamp around the tops of your fork tubes (like a sport-bike). Be advised that the clip-ons will be lower than your stock bars, and require more of a lean in your riding position. However, depending on how much you lower your bike, this may be compensated for a little bit by the new height of the top of the fork tubes.

Make sure you have some help doing this, as you will have to manipulate your bike quite a bit - the unsprung weight is quite heavy, and you'll have to lift the rear of the bike to position the shocks into their new mounts. For the front, place the bike on its center stand, and lift the front of the bike with a jack under the engine (not sure your particular model, but you should be able to find a suitable place to jack it up - use a wood block to keep from damaging your crankcase or pipes - a board across the frame tubes is best). A hydraulic jack works best, as it's easier to control. After you have the triple clamps loosened up (top and bottom), slowly ease the jack down until the forks are in the desired position, then clamp them back down - be sure to measure the tubes and make sure you lower them both the same amount!! Also check the routing of your cables and wires after lowering your suspension - too much slack in either can cause problems on the road, and a pinched wire or cable can put you out of commission. Zip-ties are cheap insurance....

Did this make any sense?

One thing to note is that by doing this, you will affect the way your bike handles - sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, sometimes it just makes it different (sometimes it can even improve it!). Just be sure to lower the front and rear the same amount. In addition, it will cut down the amount of suspension travel you have - but if you're too short to flat-foot the bike in stock trim, chances are you don't way enough for this to be a problem for you. Also - this will lower your bike's center of gravity - this may be a good thing for a shorter rider if you ever have to pick your bike up from a spill, and it may be more stable at high speed, too. But - this can decrease your cornering clearance as your exhaust pipes and footpegs will be closer to the ground. This is not a permanent modification, though - it's simple to restore it to stock condition if it doesn't work out to you (and you're only out a small amount of $$$$$).

I have a good friend who is 5' tall, and bike height has been his biggest trouble - I hope you get yours sorted out!!

-Q!
 
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