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This is old news but I thought I'd reiterate that money spent on good tires and suspension can make you a faster and happier rider with the same amount of power you had before. Just installed some nice air shocks from an '82 Seca Turbo 650 onto my GS450. $44 shipped from eBay. What a difference! And a perfect fit, installed in minutes. I was worried that they might be too stiff but they're perfect for my bike. 4 position rebound damping control, an air valve on one with an equalizing hose connecting them. These were the OE shocks on the Yam, from pictures on the Yam website. http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/ep...rbo_small.aspx Possibly made by Showa? They are completely enclosed, with a internal coil spring and oil damping. With no air and damping set to two or three they feel just about right. I tried 15lbs. of air at first. That was a little too much preload but would work for two-up or carrying some luggage. Kept letting the air out a little at a time till there was none and decided that was what felt best. These shocks would probaby work well for any GS with eye-to-eye type shocks. Three pumps with a bicycle pump had them up to 27lbs. and only about 1 in. travel on the 400lb. GS450 with my 190 lbs. bouncing up and down on the saddle.
When I first got the bike it had stock suspension and 20 yr. old tires that were hard and weather-checked. Old school ribbed style on the front. Didn't stop me from riding it though!
It was spooky on the rain-grooved freeways here in SoCal. Very unstable and twitchy. Upgraded things one at a time starting with a new front tire, an Avon AM20 90/90-18, then a rear tire, AM21 110/90-18, then Progressive brand fork springs and new fork oil, and now finally getting rid of the old Showa rear shocks which weren't too bad at first but after 6k miles were wheezing and had lost most of the damping. Each time an old part was replaced the improvement in ride quality and handling was drastic. Now the rear shocks actually work the seat almost feels comfortable. I'm no longer getting my posterior kicked by every little undulation in the road! Even with the old rear shocks still in service I could run away from my buddies on the slow twisty roads in the canyons. One rides a V-max and the other a Bonneville America. I rode the Bonnie and it is actually pretty nimble for a 600lb cruiser. It has plenty of ground clearance and can lean well. Haven't ridden the V-max. We have a favorite stretch of road going from Azusa Cyn. to Mt. Baldy village. Here's an article w/ a map:
22 miles and well over 200 corners. Most of it is 35-40mph and under with a couple of brief bursts to 60mph. I can consistently take these corners at 5-10 mph faster than my buddies, and I'm no road racer. The little GS450 is confidence inspiring. I can change lines mid-corner, brake mid-corner (within reason), and lean over till I'm almost on the edge of the tread. I've had the front end slide once or twice hitting some gravel or wet leaves but the bike has never gone down, always hooks up as soon as the tire gets back on asphalt. Having ridden dirt bikes in the past has helped a lot. Even though I was just a slow fire-roader type rider getting used to having one or both wheels slide around was invaluable experience.
It's amazing how much fun this slow little bike is on the right roads. The motor is completely stock and I suppose still makes most of its original 42hp. Bike mags testing the GS450 got results of approx. 90 mph in the 1/4 miles and 0-60mph in around 6.5 seconds. If I rev her up to 8k thru the gears by the time I shift from 3rd to 4th there's 60mph showing on the speedo. Quick enough for me! The joy for me is the ride quality and handling more than sheer power and acceleration. But, if my buddy lets me ride his V-max that joy may be ruined forever! I hope not, I do like the smaller lighter bikes. Looking for another enduro now.
When I first got the bike it had stock suspension and 20 yr. old tires that were hard and weather-checked. Old school ribbed style on the front. Didn't stop me from riding it though!
It was spooky on the rain-grooved freeways here in SoCal. Very unstable and twitchy. Upgraded things one at a time starting with a new front tire, an Avon AM20 90/90-18, then a rear tire, AM21 110/90-18, then Progressive brand fork springs and new fork oil, and now finally getting rid of the old Showa rear shocks which weren't too bad at first but after 6k miles were wheezing and had lost most of the damping. Each time an old part was replaced the improvement in ride quality and handling was drastic. Now the rear shocks actually work the seat almost feels comfortable. I'm no longer getting my posterior kicked by every little undulation in the road! Even with the old rear shocks still in service I could run away from my buddies on the slow twisty roads in the canyons. One rides a V-max and the other a Bonneville America. I rode the Bonnie and it is actually pretty nimble for a 600lb cruiser. It has plenty of ground clearance and can lean well. Haven't ridden the V-max. We have a favorite stretch of road going from Azusa Cyn. to Mt. Baldy village. Here's an article w/ a map:
22 miles and well over 200 corners. Most of it is 35-40mph and under with a couple of brief bursts to 60mph. I can consistently take these corners at 5-10 mph faster than my buddies, and I'm no road racer. The little GS450 is confidence inspiring. I can change lines mid-corner, brake mid-corner (within reason), and lean over till I'm almost on the edge of the tread. I've had the front end slide once or twice hitting some gravel or wet leaves but the bike has never gone down, always hooks up as soon as the tire gets back on asphalt. Having ridden dirt bikes in the past has helped a lot. Even though I was just a slow fire-roader type rider getting used to having one or both wheels slide around was invaluable experience.
It's amazing how much fun this slow little bike is on the right roads. The motor is completely stock and I suppose still makes most of its original 42hp. Bike mags testing the GS450 got results of approx. 90 mph in the 1/4 miles and 0-60mph in around 6.5 seconds. If I rev her up to 8k thru the gears by the time I shift from 3rd to 4th there's 60mph showing on the speedo. Quick enough for me! The joy for me is the ride quality and handling more than sheer power and acceleration. But, if my buddy lets me ride his V-max that joy may be ruined forever! I hope not, I do like the smaller lighter bikes. Looking for another enduro now.
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