dropping the beast

[elevatorman71]

is there anyone out there that has dropped there 82 gs850l i am lookin to drop mine and wanted to get any ideas............ thanks

[spots25]

i don't recommend dropping it at all, it will break shiny bits

[80GS750]

lol


you can take a few coils off your springs in the front and that will lower it, and for the back maybe buy shorter shocks, or move the mounting point to allow a lower stance...

thats probably the easier ways but im not sure cause ive never done it

try to remember that the frame will ride lower and you may have cornering and clearance issues

[DanTheMan]

I dropped mine once, and the right side mirror broke.........

[PAULYBOY]

As to the rear, you have a couple options. 1. is to find adapter brackets that will lower the shocks at the top or bottom mounting positions. 2. find shorter shocks by looking thru ebay, etc. I think the original shocks are about 12.5 in from eye to eye. You can find some out there as short as 9 inches. 3. make it a hard tail and substitute struts or rods for the shocks, like I did on a GS450. I made mine with heim joints s it could still be adjusted somewhat. Just make sure you suspend your seat, or get ready for a hard ride.
BTW, as an aside to this thread, anyone over 250 riding these bikes really should look for some Harley take off shocks from a more recent model. I weigh in at about any two of the rest of you, and when I put some ebay harley takeoffs on, my ride went from harsh/squishy in the rear to "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."

[elevatorman71]

is there a diagram to take apart the front end?

[bwringer]

Buy a shop manual. Please.

http://repairmanuals.com

The stock shocks are 13 inches eye-to-eye. The eyes are 12mm diameter (1/2" is close enough). If you're cheap, removed OEM Harley shocks are pretty easy to find for some reason. You could go to 11 or 12 inch shocks, but no guarantees as to whether you'll bottom out.

Lowering the front while retaining some sort of useful fork travel will be more difficult. If it still has the stock springs, they probably sag through most of the travel anyway. You can only pull them up in the triples a little bit before they hit the bars, and you'll also quickly run into clearance problems between the headlight and fender. Careful experimentation might get you an inch or a bit more.

Not sure why you'd want to lower such a sweet-handling machine, but I guess it takes all kinds.

[tkent02]

If it's too big for you just buy a smaller bike.
Training wheels work too.

[kvgarrison]

is there anyone out there that has dropped there 82 gs850l i am lookin to drop mine and wanted to get any ideas............ thanks

I've got an 82 GS850L and I love it's height. I'm 5'9" and I stand flat footed on mine, I'm also losin weight but I;m still 190 and I just took a 1225 mile trip in three days and was just fine in the hind! check the photobucket link for sweet pics

[Turambur]

Height?

I'm sure that you may just be looking for the low rider feel by dropping the bike an inch or two and height has nothing to do with your post but just incase.. I'm 5'7" and part of the reason I bought this bike is because I can sit with both heels on the ground.. And it has a BIG motor. :]

[elevatorman71]

well considering i am 6'3 the bike height isnt the reason its the look i am wanting