Raising and stabilising the back end.

[Krav]

Hello!

Raising the back
I just bought my gs500e, and i would like to raise the backend. What are the possibility's? I saw that the my std. shock is adjustable, but that doesnt raise the bike up does it?

Stabilising the back end.
When i try to whobble my bike for a bit, it feels very much like my backwheel comes out of line, and moves freely a tiny bit. However, when i put it on centerstand and try move the backwheel from side to side, it does not seem to want to move. What is it that i feel then :0 and how can i fix it?!

Thanks in advance!

[Janx101]

Raising ... Depends on your weight and riding style and handling needs .. If the stock shock is ok for your weight range then maybe change dogbone length.. Shorter I think? .. If the stock shock is too soft for you (happens to many) .. Then you can put either a R6 shock in (for medium to heavy weight) or a katana shock in (for heavy to very heavy) ...

Other options as well with more expensive suspension - ohlins etc... But most are happy with the relatively cheap katana/R6 units ... But also the FRONT end suspension is probably just as critical if you are going to upgrade the rear, lots of people upgrade the front end first! ... Search suspension upgrade on the forum for LOTS of posts/threads on both ends of bike.

The wobble thing...,you sure it's the rear of bike... Maybe the steering stem bearings or front end? ..but if you sure it's back end...then possibles I can think of are ....

Loose seat mounts?
Swing arm bushes?
Slack adjusters bent/wonky/loose?
Tyre wall movement?
Shock bolts need looking at?
Your legs are bumping the side of rear fairing , giving sensation of something moving? Especially if it's loose somewhere?


Just thinking out loud on these though...much better heads on the forum to help you diagnose the issue.... Keep it simple to start with though...Start with a milk crate beside the bike , sit on the crate with some spare time available .. And just peer around/wiggle things a bit to make sure everything seems ok... You might find what you are looking for... Might find other things you hadn't noticed too... Which then adds to your list of things to do... Lol 

[Krav]

Well, raising the backend isnt really because it rides uncomfortably, but i just like the sexy look of a nice, uplifted ass. I'm childish like that :p

Thanks for the list for the whobbly thing im going to take my time (i think tonight works) to check your list against my bike

[Cerberus73]

I have a early yellow SV650 shock on the rear of one of mines and it really does lift up the ride height.. much comfier for me compared to the standard GS rear shocker that fitted to my main hack ride. as stated shorter dog bones will also lift up the rear, but does not really change the seat height to foot peg ratio.. i guess modifying the foot pegs to be a little lower. and/or getting seat recontoured to be thicker (I'm going this route as i want to add some memory foam to the seat to give more comfort for long distance rides only about 1.5" in the main seat area) all of these little mods can add up to make the bike far comfier for you on longer rides if you have long legs like me.

[Krav]

Im quite a big guy myself. 1,95m. For me its all about the looks to lift the rear.

What are dogbones? Where can i find them?

[Krav]

I found a place where i can buy myself a sv650 rear shock. by the photo in the wiki i can see it raises the back end quite a lot. Far enough for what i want!
I also read on bikechatforum.com that this apparently does miracles for your handling. Can someone confirm that? that might solve the whobbly feeling.


This i can live with

[BockinBboy]

You do need to be mindful that raising the rear changes the front end geometry.  A steeper angle makes a much quicker turn-in.  It may do miracles for handling on heavier bikes that have less of an angle, or have more angle to play with... But there is certainly a limit to how much you can do this and it can make a bike very unstable if overdone (doesn't take much to do this either!), and it varies on a per bike basis... In addition, the GS is truly one of the best handling bikes out there once the suspension is upgraded - mainly the front springs.  I personally wouldn't want to steepin the angle of a GS, much more than from say a taller rear tire... Yes, you can see others have raised the GS rear, but I couldn't tell you if that's safe or not - and I would recommend against it to friends and family for sure.



- Bboy

[Krav]

A fair point.

I read great stories about the shock of an gsx 600 or 750. Supposed to only raise you a little, but better for the ride.
So i might do that, in hope that it helps my rear end not wobble so much

[Cerberus73]

The SV shock on mines don't affect the handling in a disastrous fashion, sure it makes turn in a little quicker. but along with progressive springs in the front end, and heavier fork oil, it transforms the handling. i also added renthal bars to the front end instead of the clip ons.

[gsJack]

Raising the rear end will steepen the rake and tend to make the bike less stable if anything.  When you raised the bike on the stand to check the wheel for looseness did you run it?  If not put it back up, start the engine, put it in gear, and let out the clutch and see if the wheel/tire wobbles while turning.  Could be a tire not seated properly on the rim.

Early on I put a couple of 130/90 touring tires on my 1st GS like I had used on my previous Hondas and they raised the rear about 1" and quickened the steering and I liked it that way.  There was no hint of instability, it was a 97 with the 25.5* rake.  But the little GS wanted to go around corners faster than those touring tires did so I gave up on using them for their high tire mileage.

Later on I ran a couple of 140/80 sport touring radials on my 02 GS which raised the rear about .8" and that along with the 02 GS's already slightly quicker 25.0* rake resulted in an even quicker steering feel and was quite nice handling.  But I don't think I'd go much further than that in raising the GS rear.

Later on yet I put lowering links on to lower the rear about 1 1/4" (I shrunk about 4" in height over the past few years) and noticed they resulted in a change in the geometry of the rear suspension making it a bit stiffer and with the Progressive front springs already being stiffer the bike felt better balanced front to rear.  Again no hint of instability.

Only once when I had a 140/80 sport touring rear tire on the 97 GS and put a BT010 supersport on the front did I feel a hint of instability in 15 years and 180k miles of GS riding.  The bike had a bit of a wandering feel of instability at moderate straight ahead speeds but still felt completely stable at higher speeds and in cornering as a GS generally does.

[HPP8140]

I assume you are referring to the look of a sportbike tail. It's not that the rear is raised, it is the rear subframe design. You won't get that with the GS, unless you chop and weld.

[Krav]

Yes, exactly! the sportsbike look. that seems to be a lot of work i dont know a lot about :p

Well, at least i can try to improve the handling. I heared that the gsx600 spring barely raises the bike's back, but improves stability a lot. So ill do that, and hope that it solves the whobbly bit. Still going through al before mentioned tests though.

Right now i have a more urgent problem, but ill make a different topic for that.