Shorter Shocks

[GSJake]

I have a 1980 GS850GL and i'm wondering how short of rear shocks i can get? I'm having issues pushing the bike when i'm sitting on it because only half my foot can reach. I've shaved the seat a bit but it's not enough.

[Steve]

I have a 1980 GS850GL and i'm wondering how short of rear shocks i can get? I'm having issues pushing the bike when i'm sitting on it because only half my foot can reach. I've shaved the seat a bit but it's not enough.

Did you shave just the top of the seat or did you shave the sides a bit, too?
Making it a bit narrower at the front will give your legs a straighter shot when you need to put them down.

Back to the shocks ... if they are stock shocks, they are probably about 13" long. You could probably go to about a 12" shock with no problems, but if you go much farther, you might cause some problems with the u-joint in the driveshaft.

Another way to lower the bike a bit is to slide the fork tubes up through the triple clamps a bit. Might get only about an inch, and that will lower the bike about half an inch where your legs will go down.

One thing to keep in mind when you lower the bike ... cornering clearance will be reduced. Lowering the bike about an inch does not sound like much, but it's about 20-25% of what's available, so it takes out a sizeable chunk of room.

.

[Hammered]

After speaking to a suspension expert, Im told if done correctly, you can remove up to half the travel of your shocks. This is without bottoming out every bump you hit. It sounds like you may just need another inch or so. Talk to these guys, my shocks are in the post to them now.

http://www.skullenterprises.com/welcome_to_mb_products.htm

Theyre lowering the shocks by removing 2" of coil and rod, rethreading and shipping back to me.

[BassCliff]

Good resource

Hi Mr. GSJake,

Here's a site that has lots of good info:

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/index.html

And here's the section devoted to lowering your bike:

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Suspension2.html#Lowering

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[curseboy]

Anybody else worried about the effect on the handling? I'd say try things in small increments.

[argonsagas]

Incremental adjustments are often nice to do, and they afford an opportunity to make a mistake without necessarily putting you into the category of major blunder.

That said, there is no absolute right or wrong because you are not engineering something new, but modifying a used bike that has a lot of used/worn parts.

Dropping to a 12 inch rear shock would be my choice for lowering the bike, but remember that it is often, perhaps usually, best to make a similar height adjustment to the front forks. This is up to you as your size, weight, and riding style will all affect the results.