Is it my sport bike or am I just used to 9 inches of travel ?

[rger8]

So before I bought my 2006 GS 500 I ownded a 2004 KLR 650. I have noticed that my GS seems to beat the S--T out of me when I hit a bad bump in the street, it's a bit of a shock Are all sport bikes like this or just the GS 500? Guess I got use to 9 inches of Shmoosh!!!

I'm going to call it my "GS 500 Brutale" as it's so Brutle on my body

[johnny ro]

Its not a a sport bike. Its a softly suspended training bike. although with 500c it doesn't get training status I suppose for registrations etc.

Sport bikes are set up for high speed smooth pavement. Are they bumpy in crumble pavement? I think yes.

GS bottoms easy. This is bad. You can help that cheaply with stiffer springs front and rear. and better damping.

[tt_four]

Swerve around the bumps and pot holes. Pot holes are a car problem!

23mm wide 120psi bicycle tires inside the city have gotten my very good at spotting the smooth pavement and sticking to it.

[kml.krk]

did you get the bike used?? if so then maybe previous owner put some very stiff straight rate springs in the front forks??

[mister]

did you get the bike used?? if so then maybe previous owner put some very stiff straight rate springs in the front forks??

+1

If you're getting the bejeezus knocked outta you, there's something amiss. Yes, like much heavier springs in the front or he filled the forks with cement and not oil or something.

Generally, tire pressure should be around 33psi on the front (cold) and 36psi on the rear. Accoring to the manual.

Michael

[kylegod]

I think youre just used to your klr. before my gs I rode and still have a honda xr250l. big difference when i got the gs.

[Paulcet]

A coworker of mine rides a KLR and glides right over the speedbumps, which I ride around because they would knock me off the seat if I hit them that fast.  So maybe it's normal.  Go push down on the handlebars of a similar bike in a dealership.  If it moves like your bike, it's normal.

[kylegod]

yeah i can hit a speed bump at 30 on my xr250 and be fine. gs500 was my first street bike so it was a big difference when i had to take bumps or speedbumps on the street.

[tt_four]

Ah ha, the old bmw gs650 dual sport I had as a service loaner would cruise straight over sidewalks without a thought. That poor bike

You guys aren't doing speed bumps right. You've gotta stand up, bounce your weight right before you hit it and give it plenty of gas. It goes especially smooth over those "speed humps", the speed bumps that are 3 feet wide. There used to be a back road that had 3 of them, you could seriously hit them going 50mph.

[RichDesmond]

So before I bought my 2006 GS 500 I ownded a 2004 KLR 650. I have noticed that my GS seems to beat the S--T out of me when I hit a bad bump in the street, it's a bit of a shock Are all sport bikes like this or just the GS 500? Guess I got use to 9 inches of Shmoosh!!!

I'm going to call it my "GS 500 Brutale" as it's so Brutle on my body

The stock springs are very soft and allowing the suspension to bottom out. That's what's causing the harshness.

[NF11624]

Ah ha, the old bmw gs650 dual sport I had as a service loaner would cruise straight over sidewalks without a thought. That poor bike

You guys aren't doing speed bumps right. You've gotta stand up, bounce your weight right before you hit it and give it plenty of gas. It goes especially smooth over those "speed humps", the speed bumps that are 3 feet wide. There used to be a back road that had 3 of them, you could seriously hit them going 50mph.

Thats right - the speed humps are easy to take just by standing and using the proper technique for going over a bump (give a little gas on the ascent).  The actual bumps though - esp the parking lot bumper ones (huge yellow ones) are a different story though

[kylegod]

Ah ha, the old bmw gs650 dual sport I had as a service loaner would cruise straight over sidewalks without a thought. That poor bike

You guys aren't doing speed bumps right. You've gotta stand up, bounce your weight right before you hit it and give it plenty of gas. It goes especially smooth over those "speed humps", the speed bumps that are 3 feet wide. There used to be a back road that had 3 of them, you could seriously hit them going 50mph.

Yeah ya gotta "pump" Ive ridden bmx for the past 12 years so I have a good grasp on this.