Problems fitting dogbones

[carn]

Heya, what's the phrase... Long time lurker first time poster.

Last year, I got my first bike - a 2006 GS500, and I love it

Unfortunately, the previous owner was a very short woman, so she decided to lower the bike - alot!
Me, being 6'6" naturally has some problem with this, so I finally decided to get some new dogbones, and while I was at it, jack it up about 25mm.

But here's the issue. The new ones I got are 17,2 cm centerhole to centerhole, but they dont seem to fit. According to the manufacturer I got the right ones. The old ones (the extreme lowering ones) are 18,9 - 19 cm.

When I try to fit the new ones, I'm still missing about 2-3mm before the holes are centered, and the wheel is as low as it can get (almost touching the ground while on the centerstand), and the rear shock is touching the swingarm. So they cannot go lower.

Am I missing something, is there a special trick to putting on the dogbones? Could the previous owner have done something else to the bike that would cause this?

I'm a bit lost, because when looking at the measurements, I feel they SHOULD fit, but I just cant make them :/

[dry_humor]

in most cases they should be able to go on without a problem. "plug and play" as some would call it.

maybe you need to hoist the tail up some more since the center stand only gives you so much play to begin with. get some ratchet straps and get the tail up, then maybe you'll be centered enough to hook everything up as it should be.

[BockinBboy]

The previous owner may have altered the center stand or changed to a shorter one to make it lower also... so it may not be up as high as original stand.  Once the bike is lowered, it is very hard to get on the original center stand.  On my lowered bike, I just put a couple boards under the rear tire to get it on the centerstand with more ease.

This also brings me to another point:  Your side stand may be shorter since the bike was lowered.  Its not as big of a deal using a shortened one... It will just lean over a lot.  A buddy of mine lowered is zx-14 eight inches and cut the side stand for that height, then once he hit a bump and blew out his oil pan.  Raised back up an inch and a half and now the side stand is too short and the bike leans over a ton, but it won't fall over... Jist of it all: I'd be more worried if it were too long and didn't lean enough.

- Bboy

[adidasguy]

[dry_humor]

...I just put a couple boards under the rear tire to get it on the centerstand with more ease.

lol or this. putting some boards under the center stand to get more height instead of ratcheting up the tail should give you a little more room to work with.

brains over brawn ftw!

[burnchassis]

Would you be interested in getting rid of your lowered bones?
I also have a short daughter that struggles with the stock height.
I would have traded ya.
-CS

Heya, what's the phrase... Long time lurker first time poster.

Last year, I got my first bike - a 2006 GS500, and I love it

Unfortunately, the previous owner was a very short woman, so she decided to lower the bike - alot!
Me, being 6'6" naturally has some problem with this, so I finally decided to get some new dogbones, and while I was at it, jack it up about 25mm.

But here's the issue. The new ones I got are 17,2 cm centerhole to centerhole, but they dont seem to fit. According to the manufacturer I got the right ones. The old ones (the extreme lowering ones) are 18,9 - 19 cm.

When I try to fit the new ones, I'm still missing about 2-3mm before the holes are centered, and the wheel is as low as it can get (almost touching the ground while on the centerstand), and the rear shock is touching the swingarm. So they cannot go lower.

Am I missing something, is there a special trick to putting on the dogbones? Could the previous owner have done something else to the bike that would cause this?

I'm a bit lost, because when looking at the measurements, I feel they SHOULD fit, but I just cant make them :/

[The Buddha]

Park your bike on a 2 X 4. Or a cinderblock ... or off the edge of a 2 story buiding.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Dizzledan]

Park your bike on the edge of a 2 story buiding.

Just a word to the wise, do not breathe while performing this step. Ask me how I know 

[gsJack]

Those 17.2 cm links should raise it about 36-37 mm about 1 1/2".  The old 18.9-19 cm links are approx 2" lowering links.  Stock links are about 7 1/16" between hole centers.  The amount raised/lowered to limk change ratio is about 5:1.  Depending on tire size the rear tire should be about touching the ground with your 17.2 cm links.

[Janx101]

Park your bike on the edge of a 2 story buiding.

Just a word to the wise, do not breathe while performing this step. Ask me how I know 

ok .. i'll bite ... how do you know .... there better be an entertaining video too!! 

[adidasguy]

Park your bike on the edge of a 2 story buiding.

Just a word to the wise, do not breathe while performing this step. Ask me how I know 

ok .. i'll bite ... how do you know .... there better be an entertaining video too!! 

[carn]

Thanks for all the constructive comments!

I'll try the suggestions, and lift the bike even further, to see if it fits. And post some pictures.

[carn]

Tried again this morning, put the centerstand on a piece of wood, to make sure it was lifted properly, but still no luck.
The shock hits the swingarm before the holes can align, and the wheel clears the ground with about 2cms to spare.

I'm starting to suspect the previous owner has modded more that just fitting new dogbones. Maybe a different shock or something?

I took a collection of pictures, showing how the shock touches the swingarm, how the wheel clears the ground, showing the holes not aligning, comparing the lowering bones with the raising bones.

The collection can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87497880@N08/

Sorry for being a bit of a pest, but I just cant figure it out

[burnchassis]

What part of the world are you in?
-CS

[carn]

I'm in scandinavia. The bike has been built in spain as far as I can see.

[dry_humor]

that looks like the stock shock. maybe they have a different shock knuckle on there?

if you have a jack perhaps you can try to get the shock to compress some by putting pressure on the knuckle from underneath, since it looks like the shock may be extending a little too far. maybe that will help the geometry a little bit and allow you to sneak the bolt in.

[BockinBboy]

If the front has been lowered too, its possible that the angle of the shock is slightly different, and just enough to keep you from getting that bolt back into stock position.  Check the fork position in the upper triple clamp, just beneath your handlebars.  You may need to raise the front before the back.

I noticed when I lowered the rear first on my bike, that I couldn't adjust the preload on the shock with the tool, because the angle of the shock had changed... Once I lowered the front, I could adjust it with the tool again.

- Bboy

[gsJack]

Just looked at the pics you linked and am wondering what is that deeply cracked surface on the swingarm where the shock is touching it?  Is that something that can be scraped off for more clearance to allow the swingarm to drop lower to get the links on?



As mentioned in my post above those new links of yours look more like 1 1/2" raise links than the 1" (25mm) you were wanting.  Another of your pics showing the rear tire looks like it's a 150/70 (a bit hard to read actually) so that would be 1/2" taller than stock and give you about 2" higher than stock seat height and make the rake about 2* steeper with your new links.  I put a 130/90 rear tire on my 1st GS years ago which raised the rear about 1" and the steering was really quickened so am wondering if you really want the rear raised 2" above stock, could be a bit twitchy handling.  Maybe you could get some links that would raise it only the 25 mm your seeking and would fit on easier. 

My lowering links with dimensions that might be helpful:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/LinkDims.jpg

[adidasguy]

Knuckle looks normal.
All that "cracked surface" appears to be dirt and crud next to that little lower mud flap on the swing arm.

Seems all you need to do is out a little more under the center stand to raise the bike a little more, then have someone lift the rear wheel up and down a little until things align. Everything hangs free. Lifting the rear wheel up or down will get things aligned.

You do not compress the shock.

[gsJack]

The wheel is off the ground now as shown in his pics and further downward movement of the swingarm is stopped when the shock hits the swingarm in the area I questioned.  Further raising of the bike won't do it but more clearance between the shock and swingarm might.