Just wondering cuz the front suspentions has a bit... ok, way to much give/movement for what im looking for. Are the progressive springs worth the work and money to do?
Any first hand experiances or tips?
Thanks
I used to bottom out the stock springs on my 04 every now and then (04 springs are tiny bit better than pre 04: longer and thicker)
Then I installed progressives cause they're cheaper than straight rate and I don't race. They're also very nice for regular street riding and commuting cause they are initially soft and become harder as they compress. So overall your ride is smooth, yet they're hard and long enough to prevent bottoming out.
check these pic for comparison of stock 04 springs with progressives:
(http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/kmlkrk/Picture002.jpg)
So in my opinion they're worth the money, and installation is easy too.
(I just put them in without changing the fork oil; the fork oil was about 1500 miles old ;) so it was clean and fresh)
cheers
Kamil
Definitely worth it, doesn't even feel like the same bike -
I wouldn't say it's EASY, but if you have a decent work area and take your time and have wrenched before then it's well worth it.
I put Progressive springs in my 97 forks at about 40k miles and ran them for another 40k miles and then put the same ones in my 02 replacement GS and have put another 60k miles on them. They were a bit stiff at first but are just right for me now with 100k miles on them. :laugh:
I just bought a katana shock for my gs and was wondering the same about the progressive springs. Do you think that when I replace the rear with a stiffer spring, it'll be more important to put stiffer fronts in?
I'm thinking of going the same route. I've just installed the SV shock and now would like to stiffen the front. What's the difference between progressive and sonic-springs? Price? Or totally different all-together? :dunno_white:
Dan
Sonic's are straight rate, linear. Progressive springs are not linear and softer initially and get stiffer the more they are compressed. I went with Sonic due to being a heavier person and wanting a heavier spring, roughly 265lbs went with 95KM/MM springs. The progressives only come in 1 size if you will, dual rate and I think the upper end was like 80KM/MM. I went to look it up but couldn't find the specs for them, they are much cheaper at around $55 before shipping though.
Before the spring change I would bottom out all the time and braking sucked. Its a different bike now, handles and brakes soo much better. Any spring upgrade is better than the stock springs IMHO.
Ok then, progressive springs it is!
Ill be sure to post up once installed and tryed out.
:icon_mrgreen:
Quote from: Asym on October 12, 2008, 04:39:57 PM
Sonic's are straight rate, linear. Progressive springs are not linear and softer initially and get stiffer the more they are compressed. I went with Sonic due to being a heavier person and wanting a heavier spring, roughly 265lbs went with 95KM/MM springs. The progressives only come in 1 size if you will, dual rate and I think the upper end was like 80KM/MM. I went to look it up but couldn't find the specs for them, they are much cheaper at around $55 before shipping though.
Before the spring change I would bottom out all the time and braking sucked. Its a different bike now, handles and brakes soo much better. Any spring upgrade is better than the stock springs IMHO.
Thanks for the update. I'm on the 230lb edge and was thinking of going with .90 Sonics... I feel the same issues, I bottom out at least once a day the front feels bouncy on the highway at times and when I brake hard I feel like the nose dives waaaayy too deep in the front.
I guess I'll be sending 80 bucks to Sonic in a few days, lol.
Dan
Im 190lbish and i have Racetech .85 straight rate springs. Got them 2 years ago for $80 and they are way better than stock. I prefer straight rate so they have a more predictable feel. Even riding two up now has no probs with compression, well worth the money IMHO! But get whatever you can afford and prefer.. either way your better off than stock springs, it was the first mod i did!
I weigh 230 and the progressive fronts and katana rear has been a godsend for me. :thumb:
I've been wondering if I should bother getting the progressives and/or a upgrade for the rear shock myself. I'm 5'11" and weigh 125...
Any suggestions for me?
Quote from: Darkmyst on October 13, 2008, 08:01:39 PM
I've been wondering if I should bother getting the progressives and/or a upgrade for the rear shock myself. I'm 5'11" and weigh 125...
Any suggestions for me?
Sonic Springs .80 or .85 rear shock, Katana... It'll improve your ride all across the board.
But, people do all sorts of mods to suspension. It's all about what you want in your ride. I personally run an SV shock in the rear which gives my bike about 2 inches of lift in the ass end and a much stiffer feel with virtually no sag. The next upgrade is .90 Sonics for the front to try and eliminate bottoming out and over-all braking response.
If you're happy with your ride.. then leave it alone. The GS500 is perfect for a 125lb rider. You may be best off adjusting your rear spring pre-load to 6 or 7 and doing the .80 Sonics in the front.
But... if you're not bottoming out the front end you should be fine.
Dan
For your weight I'd say .80 Sonics up front or even the cheaper Progressives which you might actually like better, but stock just plain sucks. Maybe stiffen up the setting on your stock shock and leave it stock, it will have more cush. I have.85 Sonics and they are pretty stiff for me at 150lbs with gear, but that makes for an extremely predictable and solid front end, esp with the aluminum billet fork brace I have installed. If I did it again I'd go with the .80s. My Katana 600 shock is stiff too, it will pop me off the seat in a big bump, so there are some spots of rough road where I have to slow down more than I'd like. Again, it makes the bike solid and predictable in the canyon corners.
Sounds like the answer is yes so I'll add it to my list of things to do when I have some spare cash and time. Although they are probably the cheapest of the spare cash/time options. What with the rest of them being heated grips, exhaust, intake, rejet, and gauges. *sigh*
Thanks for the input!
Anyone have any experience with stock springs + spacers vs progressive springs?
Just get the progressives and don't look back.
My forks were blown and with stock springs when I first got the bike.
New Seals, Oil, and Progressives, and it is purrfect!
The back could be a bit more stiffer but its not too bad I could adjust it or get a Kat shock.
I'm about 180.
I put in 3/4" longer spacers on my stock springs a few days ago, and also slid my fork down 5/8" and it handles soo much better
Quote from: Danny500 on October 13, 2008, 10:50:10 PMThe GS500 is perfect for a 125lb rider.
I think you made a typo here. I'm sure you meant 25lb rider. Because that's about what the front springs are good for. I'm 120lbs and I changed mine out for progressives - what a HUGE difference! Still soft and smooth over small bumps but becomes much more predictable under braking. I was always worried about bottoming the front under even moderate braking - not anymore...
Yep, upgrading those teeny stock springs was a definate handling improvement, and adding a Katana shock afterward made it perfect. :thumb:
I am stunting my gs and I ride pretty aggresivly will the straight springs be better for me.... anyone?
I put Hagon progressives in my 2005 gs500f about two weeks ago and was amazed at the difference that they made. Not only is the bike more stable in braking with less dive but is also more stable under hard acceleration. Take your time and remove forkls drain and refill to correct level you will be glad you did.This was the best £65 i ever spent. took me and my brother a morning to complete.
I have progresssives in front and I initially put the .75" spacer in and was happier but tried a few different length spacers and settled on a 1.25" spacer. I am 225 and it IS a night and day difference. Very happy with the result. Now to get the Kat shock in and I'll be set.
Great another thing I have to convince my gf that I should spend money on :) First is to get rid of my weather checked front tire.
Quote from: wiltse on February 03, 2009, 12:40:00 PM
I am stunting my gs and I ride pretty aggresivly will the straight springs be better for me.... anyone?
I guess the initial softness of the progressives would be welcomed when stunting.
A more willing bike to nosedive when going for endos, and a softer touchdown from a whellie (I dont know if that is a good thing though)
:dunno_white:
I use the softness of the stock springs to teach me to be smooth on the brakes.* Too abrupt on the brakes can upset the bike and overload the front tire. Plus, you'll want softer springs if you ride in the rain (it is better for the suspension to give, than the tire to give (or rather slide)).
This link will help in the rest of the setup:
www.peterverdonedesigns.com/introduction.htm
*oh yeah, I'm 125lbs.
A front spring upgrade is the first mod I'd recommend to any GS500 owner.
Be it progrssive or straigh rate, the stock springs are just too damn soft.
I went with 0.85 kg/mm straight rate Sonic Springs and it completely transformed the bike.
Bumping an old thread, got a question.
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Suspension-Fork-Spring-11-1128/dp/B000WK3PFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1303491473&sr=8-1
Is that the same kit?
I'm going to buy them and I'm curious as to why they are 30 bucks cheaper than on Progressives website.
http://www.progressivesuspension.com/prodSearchResults.aspx?yearID=2002&makeID=45&modelID=617
If they are the same a $30 savings is awesome!
Springs up front and a Kat / R6 shock in the back is the first thing I'd do to any GS500. In fact, I'd done the front and rear end on my bike before I'd even ridden it.
Quote from: burning1 on April 22, 2011, 11:14:09 AM
Springs up front and a Kat / R6 shock in the back is the first thing I'd do to any GS500. In fact, I'd done the front and rear end on my bike before I'd even ridden it.
Yea thats my plan right now. Do you think that kit above is the same?
If so, I'll have my suspension upgraded by next week. Getting brake lines done as well.
Quote from: NickyNumbers on April 22, 2011, 10:08:25 AM
Is that the same kit?
I'm going to buy them and I'm curious as to why they are 30 bucks cheaper than on Progressives website.
Yes, it's the same kit; 111128. Shop harder and you might even find it for $2.50 or so less. Your free hint is mawonline, though it's always possible that someone else is even cheaper than they are this week. Just a happy customer back when they were $3 cheaper than they are now. Keep an eye on shipping cost for your total cost, but that's no bargain from the Amazon link.
Why is it cheaper than Progressive's own site? Standard business practices. Unless Progressive wants to only do direct sales, they will be wholesaling the things for (typically) half the suggested retail price, and they will be selling at the full retail price so they are not seen as undercutting their own MSRP. Doing THAT makes for unhappy wholesale buyers, and wholesale buyers buy a lot more springs than you and I do. What any individual company that buys them wholesale cares to sell them for retail is up to that company, though with some products there may be a minimum advertised retail price set as part of the agreement to sell things wholesale.
As for "should I do it" type questions - unquestionably, yes. Whether you choose the Progressive Suspension or the Sonic or some other real spring, getting the stock springs out of the forks is the very first modification you should do on a GS500 unless it's already been done before you got the bike. The stock springs are pathetic (on a 1990, even more pathetic than the pictures posted of newer ones.) I'm no lightweight and the progressives totally cured bottoming over railroad crossings, etc. so I fail to be convinced by the "must have Sonics due to weight" arguments I see here - you should buy Sonics because you prefer Sonics and don't mind paying the extra scratch for them. Plenty of people do. I bought Progressives because I've been happy with them for 20+ years in other bikes, but then, I've never tried Sonics (or other straight-rate replacement springs), so I don't have anything bad to say about them - I've just never felt a need to replace my Progressives.
See my signature BTW. I'm selling the complete front and rear end from my GS500 race bike. Premium parts, and all the installation work is done for you (saving at least an hour of time, or $120 in shop work.)
Absolutely!
Racetech straight springs ive found to be much better, much more predictable. Stiff yet compliant. Im 125 lbs and i use .85kg/mm.
Did you measure how much suspension travel you were using? What oil weight? Those springs seem like they should be way too stiff for you.
Single best upgrade ever. This is a decent price;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PROGRESSIVE-FORK-SPRINGS-PAIR-30-45-111128-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem35b17915c3QQitemZ230610769347QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
Quote from: burning1 on April 25, 2011, 02:08:23 PM
Did you measure how much suspension travel you were using? What oil weight? Those springs seem like they should be way too stiff for you.
How would one do that? I'm mechanically inclined but I haven't seen a procedure for determining weight and oil. Unless its on the wiki.
TIA
The oil weight is whatever you put in the forks when you installed the springs, assuming that you changed the oil - just like you put 10w40 into your engine, you typically install 15 or 20 weight oil in your forks.
Suspension travel can be measured by wrapping a ziptie around one of the forks legs. Ride the bike, and measure how far the ziptie is pushed up the fork. Do this with the front wheel off the ground, for the most accurate measurement. IIRC, the GS500 has about 103mm of travel.
Quote from: burning1 on April 25, 2011, 03:33:40 PM
The oil weight is whatever you put in the forks when you installed the springs, assuming that you changed the oil - just like you put 10w40 into your engine, you typically install 15 or 20 weight oil in your forks.
Suspension travel can be measured by wrapping a ziptie around one of the forks legs. Ride the bike, and measure how far the ziptie is pushed up the fork. Do this with the front wheel off the ground, for the most accurate measurement. IIRC, the GS500 has about 103mm of travel.
The springs haven't gotten to me yet but I will change the oil/seals when I do get it. Once I determine the travel, I guess I'd pick a spring with a constant close to my weight. Any suggestions for a rider who is 5'9 weighing about 160.
I currently use 15wt with my progressives. It's probably time for fresh fluid anyway so what diff if any will I notice with 20wt?
Sorry for bumping an old thread. but if i get progressives do i need different length spacers? or do they come in the kit? Thanks :thumb:
Kits come with (usually) plastic spacer tube that you cut to proper length. Instructions included with the springs.