Converting the GS to a cruiser

[cowboydave]

well i think that a cruser gs is just about as crazy an idea as my gsxr tires but they work for me but to make a comfortable cruser out of your bike you should take a good look at the vulcan 500 and find a friend with a welder . drop your seaking position a couple of inches get some new plastics made or some crome parts or some sidecovers you and your welding friend made after you seating is farther down it will seem farther back and you can streatch your arms out and grab the bars. make some new handlebars there is no end to what you could do but time and money have fun but think of the worst conditions or riding your bike could be in before you change anything make sure you will be comfortable enough to rideout whatever comes along

[Mk1inCali]

How tall are you?

[phire]

Shouldn't you be obligated to sell your bike after the tongue-lashing we got for suggesting it might not be the best idea? 

If it were only that simple... You got a tongue-lashing because of your attitude; not because of your advice. Nothing I despise more than someone just wanting some advice and instead getting the 3rd degree by people.

Mk1- A shade shy of 5'8".

cowboydave- I've thought about that, too, but... I just don't know yet if I can come out on top this way. I mean, coming out "on top" isn't going to be very likely, but if I'm just going to be in the hole even more then it isn't worth it to me to sell and buy another bike... I figured if I could just modify my GS for a couple hundred or less, I could keep it and still have fun riding it. $4,000 I'd sell it for if someone offered me that, $3,000 I'd have to turn it down.. hehe see where I'm coming from? It aint like I'm selling a high priced car and taking $1,000 less wouldn't matter. I dunno, still keeping my options open I suppose, but just trying to have clear direction once I make a final decision.

[Kasumi]

And before any of you jump on him about you been 5'8" and the GS fitting you right just take into consideration, height is only one part of how a bike fits you, remeber you've got to take into consideration length of arms length of legs, weight. All sorts of things.

I say go for it at least you can say you've tried it and if it didn't work so what a few 100 bucks is better than a large loss. Im not been mean but im guessing you have quite short arms and thus to reach the bars comfortably for alot of control you are having to lean forward and not able to sit upright, thus all the weight goes on your wrists. If this is the problem some new handlebars may help, also i had a whacky idea for some foot rests, fit engine pars to protect the casings and mount some foot rests off of that 

[Will McClard]

There are a lot of members here who have not liked the riding position of the gs, and raised and moved back their handle bars. It is easy and makes a big difference.
The gs is a standard bike with a little lean toward the sports bike instead of toward the cruiser. It is not practical to make it as comfortable as a cruiser. You would have to change the handle bar position, foot peg position, get more low end torque in the engine, and rake the front forks. In doing all this you would loose a lot of  performance. Where the gs shine is in its compromise. It is not as comfortable as most cruiser but it has much better performance. It doesn't perform as well as most sports bike but it has more comfort.
It is a sliding scale. Most members here who like to mod their bikes go the other way and make it more of a sport bike.
If you truly just want to cruise you probably should try and get a different bike, but if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort, you gain some great performance.
I used to have a Vulcan 750 it was a great cruiser but the gs is far more fun, even with my bars raised.

[Wrecent_Wryder]

g6

[red_phil]

Buy a Harley, evidently that's what you really want.

You make it sound so easy.
If I could afford a Harley I wouldn't have a GS.
I wouldn't have a Harley either, but that's cos I don't like them.

[daneilah]

Why do you think you could only get $3K out of it? I have an '05 with 5K miles that I've had for a year and think I'll get nearly $4K for it, a loss of about $1300. I'd sell it and start over. Lesson learned, I guess.

Dave

Exactly.... sell it and get a different bike.

[Trwhouse]

Hi all,

This whole link got me thinking, what about converting my 1992 Honda Accord station wagon into a Porsche 933?
If it's under a few hundred bucks, I'm doing it!

Best wishes,
Todd

P.S. OK, that was sarcasm.     My advice, if the bike isn't what you want it to be, sell it and find something you like better. But next time, buy what you want, not what a dealer wants you to buy. Try lots of different bikes. Sit on them. Feel them. Listen to your heart and brain. Best of luck -- you'll be happy you got what you really want.

[bargovic]

You just need two bikes. A cruiser, and a sport bike.

And Im not saying this to be a prick, but more for u to think about:
Why would you want to sink more money into the GS, (already unhappy about paying for it new) to do a half-ass job converting it to an even more uncomfortable ride.  The only way to make the GS a full cruiser is to just swap the motor into a new frame of a cruiser.  Everything else seems like its going to make the bike handle like crap. I mean if you put "a few 100 bucks" ( which will really be alot more ) into the bike and still dont like it, now ur out more than what u paid, and it all mungerd up so no one wants to by a 1/2 GS, 1/2 cruiser.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig.  I think the best thing to do economically is to sell the GS, and buy a bike your comfortable with. I think the best thing to do IMO, is to keep the GS, ride it like u stole it so your not thinking about your wrists when ur on it. and also get a cruiser for some easy ridin.

[blue05twin]

Did you look up what your bike was worth on www.kellybluebook.com ?  I think the going price for a 05 is $3830.00 at leas that is what is listed.  Try asking for  4K and see what happens if you don't get any takers then figure out if your going to make it into a cruiser or not. 
I don't find term crotchrocket offensive at all.  We should just all sit in a circle holding hands singing Kumbha ya my lord. . . ( or however you spell it ).  And stop being mean because someone has a different view of what direction they want to take their bike.
And that topic has been 

[My Name Is Dave]

Did you call me "cowboy dave"?

[Chuck]

Did you call me "cowboy dave"?

I assume he meant him:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?action=profile;u=4903

[My Name Is Dave]

Did you call me "cowboy dave"?

I assume he meant him:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?action=profile;u=4903

Right right, I just got lost. He mentioned him and then discussed my post. I get it now.

Dave

[BaoQingTian]

Sell it and buy a Honda Rebel shorty

[LizardQueen]

I'm tall (especially for a girl, 5'10") and felt uncomfortable on the GS until I installed Genmar bar risers. I have real short arms for my height and the bars just seemed too far away until I put the risers on. It's a lot more comfortable now. 

The only problem I had on the install was I had to reroute the choke cable or it would bind up and pull the choke open when I turned the bars. 

It may be cheaper to try something like the Genmars first before getting rid of the bike. 

Personally, I LOATHE the "feet out in front of you" position of cruisers. I don't understand how people can stay balanced on them - I've sat on them and felt like a turtle on my back every time.

But if that's truly more comfortable for you I'd sell the GS and get what you would rather have. Don't wreck the GS by turning into something it's not. 

LQ

[phire]

Yeah, I've looked up what it's worth on kbb and given the fact that it has a small scuff on the crankcase cover, a scratch on one of the right fairing decals, barend, mirror scuffed on the side a tad as well as the turn signal from the wife trying to move it by herself. She was trying to be nice and not bother me but oh well, $hit happens. So, that's the main reason I don't think I could get full asking price for it. I've priced the decals and other parts to return it to a never-dropped look and the costs far exceed any real benefit. If I spent the money replacing the parts, I could ask more for it but... I'd still be that much in the hole.

Also, I should mention that I'm happy with where the footpegs are and everything else, it's just my arms that get cramped very easily on the GS. Sure, I'd love to have a Harley, but I'm in no hurry to get rid of the GS. It's a great bike and it was designed very well. Some people can cruise for hours without a problem on it and some can't. Unfortuntely, I'm one of the ones that can't. I don't even really mind the seat itself, when I mentioned having the seat reupholstered, I was more talking about having the angle I sat on it altered and not so much the softness of the fabric. If a different bar and/or a riser wasn't quite enough, I'd try it or a number of other things these helpful guys have mentioned. I don't really want to alter the entire bike, just enough to make me sit upright so I can relieve the pressure from my arms.

bargovic- I will all in good time my friend. It'll be quite a few years before I'm able to buy another bike, though so I figure a couple hundred bucks making some slight mods would serve me better for the time being. Once I ever do get around to buying a cruiser for easy-riding, I can always reverse the GS back to its stock position. I don't plan on spending more than a couple hundred bucks.



This could also be just a technique flaw as well, but I don't think so... I've spent the past 2,000 miles sitting every which way and leaning at a different angle, etc to no avail. Only thing that really works is to almost hug the tank and I can't be riding around like that. 

[Alphamazing]

I don't really want to alter the entire bike, just enough to make me sit upright so I can relieve the pressure from my arms.

This is what makes me think it's a technique flaw. I think you're putting too much weight on the bars. You should be supporting yourself with your torso and legs, not your arms. Your hands should feel light on the bars with just enough pressure to operate the controls. The GS is an upright standard with the stock controls. You shouldn't be hunched forward very much and your elbows shouldn't be locked.

Why don't you stick the bike on the centerstand and get some pictures of your riding position?

[phire]

Well, I don't really have any standard riding position, I'm always shifting around to stay comfortable. My elbows aren't locked, I found out that causes more problems a long time ago. I have to hunch a bit in order to unlock them while still keeping a good handle on the controls, though. If I grip the tank with my legs and use my feet to upright me a couple inches, that works and I'm able to just lightly hold onto the handlebars like you should, but then keeping those muscles constantly flexed gets annoying after awhile. I've even tried using padded gloves with what I thought was good insulation but that didn't make any difference. I currently sit as close to the tank as possible which of course gives me the shortest distance from the handlebars. I really think though that if I just get some bar risers or whatever the official term is and/or some handlebars it may just be enough to give me a perfect fit. (If not, this thread is full of other ideas.)