hey everyone,
I bought my GS second hand as many of us do and knew that a problem was the soft suspension.
it looks like the person that owned it before me made some mods and the first thing i noticed is that the suspension is hard. I mean the large bumps on the road feel like a kick in the testicles hard. What do you think I can do? Thanks.
Go to the thinnest fork oil, and maybe remove any spacers from the forks. The rear, if adjustable, move it to the softest settings, and start here: www.peterverdonedesigns.com/introduction.htm
Just to clarify. the thinnest fork oil is.....10W?
2w - like water (don't use water, though).
Stock is 10w, it might be best to start with that.
Correction: it would be best to start with that. As per Mr. Verdone, it affects all the other aspects of the suspension action.
Wait wait wait wait wait...
I am confused.
This person wants SOFTER suspension on the GS?
MY MIND HAS BEEN BLOWN!
So did I.
He might be lighter than the previous owner.
the spacers/ oil level could have been done incorrectly. It's best to open them up & do it yourself like scratch suggested.
is it the rear shock too? what do you have for a rear shock?
Hmmm I'll trade you my Softer Partss for your Harder parts. :laugh: :laugh:
Wow, I just spent 2 hours reading Verdone's site... very informative stuff, AND he's into the hobbies I am! haha :icon_razz:
Quote from: SuperSanka on February 02, 2007, 03:10:17 PM
hey everyone,
I bought my GS second hand as many of us do and knew that a problem was the soft suspension.
it looks like the person that owned it before me made some mods and the first thing i noticed is that the suspension is hard. I mean the large bumps on the road feel like a kick in the testicles hard. What do you think I can do? Thanks.
Question: Are you sure it isn't bottoming that's causing this? I have racing setup for my weight and it would never even approach that kind of punishment even on a sub 100lb rider. But when I had stock and it bottomed it was worse than anything... And I mean ANYTHING.
I don't believe that previous owner overdid it in spring department, to make your testicles worry. I guess he put some 20w oil. You can try to push down front end. If the bike sinks but slowly, the oil is too thick. If the bike sinks quickly but very little, the spring is too hard.
And yes suspension can be too hard, try setting damping setting on katana shock on the hardest setting and ride over some bumps :) its like replacing the shock with straight pipe. Hammered my butt a lot.
Anyways if you want to have it right, i suggest you take out the springs to see what you got in there. If you cant identify, post some pictures, people here will know. Then read some posts and decide if the springs are ok and what weight oil you need to use, to suit your weight and riding style.
Quote from: domas on February 03, 2007, 02:26:25 AM
I don't believe that previous owner overdid it in ... your testicles, ... with straight pipe. Hammered my butt a lot.
...If you cant identify, post some pictures, people here will know. ...
Hahahahahaha... sorry.. and off to the farm I go...
Quote from: SuperSanka on February 02, 2007, 03:10:17 PMI mean the large bumps on the road feel like a kick in the testicles hard. What do you think I can do?
When I think a bike is riding hard the first thing I do is check the air pressure in the tires. Your bike sounds like a GS500 with 40 psi front and rear. You must have checked that already?
Hey thanks for the replies. I will try and post pics when I can.
I dont think i can be lighter than the last owner. I am 6'1 203 lbs.
The front end sinks quickly but very little. It never bottoms. I am unsure of if the rearshock is stock or not.
Hmmm.... I will try checking the PSI, but i just recently had the tires replaced at a local shop. I would assume they did it correctly but i can check anyway.
Not to throw bad news at you but the forks might be bent---thus causing them to bind and be really really stiff
You can check out the pictures on the rear suspension page of the wiki if you aren't sure about the rear shock http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Upgrades/RearShock . That page will also show you how to adjust the preload if you need to.
Quote from: SuperSanka on February 03, 2007, 11:24:14 AM
Hmmm...I will try checking the PSI, but i just recently had the tires replaced at a local shop. I would assume they did it correctly but i can check anyway.
Always check the tire pressures when you get new tires. The guys at the shop have no idea what your ideal tire pressure set-up is. You may not even run stock tire pressures.
And, you want to change your tire pressures according to temperature. As an example: During the winter, I run 1-2psi more in the front tire.
check to see what the rear shock collar is adjusted too :thumb: :cheers:
You might want to look into getting progressive fork springs, I believe they are about $40 new from http://mawonline.com/ (http://mawonline.com/). This way you will know you have something good, something that doesn't bottom out, and something you know has been done right.
When I picked up my 2002 my front forks were bottoming out all the time. I picked up a new pair of progressive springs and had my mechanic throw them in for me. (yes, i paid some other guy to do it :icon_rolleyes: ) I still find from time to time on the bigger bumps they will bottom out. Any ideas?
They may bottom out on really big bumps or ruts in the road thats normal. However most of the stuff you meet you should cope with fine. Did you get the correct ones for your weight etc... also you could try thicker oil.
I just ordered progressive springs for a 2002 GS500. They didn't ask any more questions. Basically they most commonly bottom out when I am going into driveways that have a curb and an upward grade from the street. Normal bumps in the road don't seem to have an appreciable effect. I get around it by going over the curb VERY SLOWLY.
i installed mine (myself, very easy to do) I didn't change the oil or anything, and it was a huge improvement over stock. never bottomed out again.
I'm just really curious, I want to know what is causing this.
It sounds like bottoming, or bent/binding something. (Even though you say it isn't bottoming the words "Kick in the nads" make me think it is.)
Ok I ride on racing weight springs with 15w oil. And I can nail anything and I don't get even a decent whack out of it.
Oh BTW, stock GS springs are ideal FOR A 55LB RIDER. So you might be bottoming...
Do I have the wrong definition of bottoming? For those of a stock GS, when you see a large unavoidalble bump on the highway, when you hit it do you feel as if you will almost lose control of the bike??
I thought I understood bottoming to be diving so far that you lose traction.
Please explain. Thanks!
Bottoming is when you hit the hard stop of your suspension travel. Or, you coil bind the springs. Bottoming out your suspension also means you're using up all of your suspension travel.
This is why setting sag is so important.
What is your current sag on the front forks? Measure from the top of the dust seal, on the fork leg (slider), to the bottom of the lower triple clamp. And, then measure the same with the front wheel off the ground.
Then have someone else measure with you on the bike (with the front wheel back on the ground).
Give us the numbers
Ok but how do i get the front wheel off the ground?
did you open up the forks yet?
my guess is that you're on stock springs & no spacers
If he's on stock springs with no spacers, not even stock spacers, then yes, I can see the ride being kinda harsh (the bike would be on the stops all the time).
Super - 13 and a half inch 2x4 block of wood. See here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=27361.0
or you can buy a stand... http://www.pit-bull.com/ (http://www.pit-bull.com/)
Just to update- you were all right, Stock suspension. My balls still hurt but I am buying progressive springs. Thanks for the help.