Newbie Tire/Suspension Questions

[mmattockx]

If I’m spending money on new tires, of course performance is number one priority but you also want it to look good too and suit the bike.

I would have said all tires look pretty much the same?

I'm not trying to make it uncomfortable. I was merely asking if there's improvements that can be made.

Some people like lower bars, but that is very much a personal choice. Changing your seat is most likely to end up less comfortable, especially if you cut its thickness down.

I'll do some research on the fork springs.

The rear shocks appear to be the original ones on mine and they appear to be okay.

There is no research required on fork springs, straight rate springs from Sonic or Race Tech will be a vast improvement over the super soft OEM springs. As for rear suspension, your bike is 37 years old and the stock shocks weren't very good to start with. Nearly 4 decades later they are certainly toast.

Hagon, Ikon (Koni) and YSS seem to be the best of the shocks available at the price.... Progressives are reasonable too. The YSS are rebuildable so that might suit you better.

If you want a Shinko get the 712.

<snip>

My suggestion is to get the bike running reliably with good tires, suspension, brakes ergonomics (a lot change out the bars) electrics etc & worry about the cosmetics later.

This is quality advice, OP. You should heed it carefully. I use the Shinko 230 tires on my 1100E and am very satisfied with them.


Mark

[Steve]

Yep, Shinko 712 or 230 TourMaster tires will do nicely. VERY affordable, especially if you mount them yourself. For a new rider, they will probably last over 6,000 miles, which might be a few years.

I am one of the proponents of Sonic Springs in the forks. I have an '80 850, but have added a frame-mount fairing and saddlebags, so I have the heaviest rate they offer, 1.1 kg/mm. Depending on your riding style and personal gravitational attraction, you might get by with the 1.0 rate. Combine that with the proper amount of 10w fork oil, your front end will be set.

For the rear, Hagon or Progressive are about the best in the reasonably-priced category. You can get some cheap Chinese shocks for about $100, but the damping on them is STIFF. Spring rate isn't bad, but you have to weigh well over 400 pounds to get the damping to allow any movement. I think both Hagon and Progressive are available at Z1 Enterprises. Call them to get a selection on spring rates that would work for you. If you fall into a limbo area between a softer and a firmer spring, go for the firmer one. I got lucky with a set of Koni shocks, but had to bump up two stages on the spring rates.

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[850 Combat]

As to the ride hight between yours and your friend's bike, your bike has air forks. Recommended air pressure is 8.5 to 17 psi in each leg, with a maximum pressure of 35psi, per Page 34 and 35 of the GS1000E owners manual, for the doubters here. It is common to switch to aftermarket springs as well, Progressive springs used to be popular. Now it is Sonic and Racetech. I just switched over to Racetech springs and cartridge emulators in the front of a 1000G. The suspension on these bikes was as good or better than what was available on other brands in the day. That isn't to say they don't wear out or that technology hasn't improved in 40 years.

I bought a brand new leftover 1983 GS850G in 1987. It was not as comfortable as the '81 850G I had at the same time. It had a better fit and finish though. The Black and red certainly looked better than metallic brown.

You can also lower the front of your bike by sliding the fork tubes up through the fork clamps. Make sue you don't go so far that something can impact or bind.

[wymple]

" on the hunt for some bullet style dual filament turn signals for front and rear."

I've gone thru a bunch of those. I wouldn't bother, unless you get some expensive stuff that came on a factory bike of some kind. Unreliable PITA stuff.

[salty_monk]

Yeah, I have the exact same experience with 3 or 4 Ebay sets. The best ones I found were at Cycle Gear but even though only lasted a year or so. I use the 1100E ones now. Get something OEM off something else would be my recommendation too.

Whilst looking at suspension & tyres you should also consider the brakes. At the minimum clean out your calipers & replace the lines with braided ones or install some more powerful twinpots. It's important to be able to stop (especially if your other mods allow you to carry more corner speed).