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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: shaunm1 on October 28, 2003, 12:19:04 PM

Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on October 28, 2003, 12:19:04 PM
hello

i have had my gs for about 6 months but only had it running for about 1 month

the engine needed work and i had to save up for spares :(

i took the gs to track day, which was great fun except the back of the bike kept bouncing around

cutting a long story short my back shock has no damping at all

a replacement shock is going to cost me a third of what i paid for the bike, does anyone know if the back shock is repairable?

like i said spares here are very expensive so if you know of any way to repair the shock please let me know

thanks in advance
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Lars on October 28, 2003, 12:22:35 PM
As far as I know, the shock is not rebuildable... sorry.

Maybe you can get a 2nd hand item from a crashed GS or early GSX-F.
Title: Rear shock isn't repairable...
Post by: The Buddha on October 28, 2003, 12:32:50 PM
Rear shock isn't repairable...
Put a Katana shock in it. Sold some for $20 USD last year, but dont have anymore. Ebay etc have some that go for $15-25-30... Maybe you could get someone in US to buy for you and send it.
Or I have a GS stock shock you can have free, probably not worth the 30-40 it will cost to send it over... and I dont know if its any better than yours, cos its been lying horizontal for a few years...
Cool.
srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on October 28, 2003, 10:59:37 PM
thanks srinath,

anyone willing to ship a shock over for me?

i was quoted about R4 000 for a new gs shock

i cant get a hold of a katana shock (used) cos they werent imported till very recently and have not proved to be popular

even if i get a katana shock for 30 dollars its 30*8 (dollar is 1 : R 7.something) = R240 mmmm sounds much better than 4000
even if shipping costs 10 dollars it would be worth my while

is the katana shock rebuildable? in case i get one which is leaking

please can somebody contact me if they are willing to help out? just reply to the post

thanks again
Title: Kat shock...
Post by: The Buddha on October 29, 2003, 07:57:20 AM
A kat shock is not rebuildable either... and BTW I dont think rebuilding is going to be cheaper either. Cos in US they pretty much can rebuild most GSXR shocks and all aftermarket ones but each is a custom job... and pretty $$$. Maybe if the shock was a $900 ohlins, the 250 to rebuild it seems reasonable. Anyway I'd buy a good Kat shock and not think of rebuilding a bad one... cos its not too $$$ as is. Shipping will be damn well more than $10 USD though... I believe its going to be ~$30-50 USD cos it cost $10 to ship one coast to coast inside US. So you can imagine 1/2 way round the world what it will be. So I'd plan on $75-100 for the total of shock+shipping. Now the Kat shock has the added advantage of being built for a bigger, heavier, more powerful bike...so I guess on a GS you wont stress it so much that it blows the hydraulics. The GS shock is overwhelmed at ~175 lbs pay load. So a Kat shock also is a improvement in the ride. I can try to find you one so you dont have the guessing game of where ebay takes you... but I am leaving the country for 2 weeks starting this weekend... so I'll try in mid nov at the soonest. Or get someone to check and buy on ebay for you and send it out if you want it earlier.
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on October 29, 2003, 08:07:33 AM
i looked on ebay today

saw a few for sale but i am hesitant to buy (i am not a very trusting person) and the people who advertise there dont seem too keen to send the stuff overseas

i can wait, guess i will have to

can i let you kow when you get back?

guess i got the cost of shipping wrong

still if the shock and shipping costs me $100 in total i will still only pay about R800, which is still a quarter the price of a new gs shock, and cheaper than 'rebuilding' it.
a dealer here suggested that they could rebiuld the shock, but i see it is welded together hence the topic of this thread (thanks for the info)

i am going to find out prices on secondhand shock but they seem to be rare so i think my mind will be made up for me.

thanks for your help,
customer service isnt a requirement with south african motorcycle stores
Title: OK...
Post by: The Buddha on October 29, 2003, 08:38:31 AM
OK ... I'll come back by 15th nov, I'll send out my minions to dig through various mystery piles... Heck I'll send you a stock GS shock free along with it if you like... prolly wont raise shipping by more than a few bucks... (maybe I'll get the one from Gino bike and send it... cos it was on his bike till a few weeks ago... and wasn't blown, mine has been in a crate for years and his likely to be better) and you have 2 shocks for the price of... well 2 but shipping will be free... Whatever... And send me $$ via paypal or something. Btw can you send me a pic/poster of Shaun Pollock... I need it for a gag I gotta pull on someone... Was going to try to get it from India, but if I dont find it ....
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on October 29, 2003, 08:48:39 AM
i will have to have a look for a poster for you

there is  a flag shop nearby, and i will ask around

if you can send a second shock itd be great!! i have a little project that i am working on and it needs a rear shock so it will def come in handy :thumb:

do you want a poster or just a digital pic (cos u can get those off the net)

i am assuming a poster, but dont know how i will ship it.

i saw some other stuff on ebay, spares are real cheap there by you
bugger

we have good wheather and very relaxed laws haha so i guess i shouldnt complain
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Juanfer on October 29, 2003, 08:54:01 AM
Title: Yea...
Post by: The Buddha on October 29, 2003, 10:29:09 AM
Quote from: shaunm1i will have to have a look for a poster for you

there is  a flag shop nearby, and i will ask around

if you can send a second shock itd be great!! i have a little project that i am working on and it needs a rear shock so it will def come in handy :thumb:

do you want a poster or just a digital pic (cos u can get those off the net)

i am assuming a poster, but dont know how i will ship it.

i saw some other stuff on ebay, spares are real cheap there by you
bugger

we have good wheather and very relaxed laws haha so i guess i shouldnt complain

Yea and cricket...
Never mind the Shaun Pollock poster... I have actually searched the net high and low... I am looking for Pollock ~1998/1999 and in some angles/poses only... Else the gag wont work... Yea in 1999 I didn't have the rest of the components to do the gag with... Aka The victim wasn't known to me then... But now Pollock looks different, and I cant find pics taken ~1999... And then again you wont know which angle even if you found a 1999 poster. So my gag will have to remain in my head till its complete...
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Juanfer on October 29, 2003, 11:19:03 AM
SORRY BUT I HAVE TO ASK....WHO THE HELL IS Shaun Pollock?
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on October 29, 2003, 12:14:54 PM
looked at the site

wish i could have that done looks really good, except its upside down isnt it?

do you know how they did that, just for interests sake

shaun pollock south african ex cricket captain
still plays

my sister boyfriend has the nickname polly cos he has fair skin and looks very similar to shaun pollock

thanks again
Title: That's close...
Post by: The Buddha on October 29, 2003, 12:17:26 PM
Oooooo that's close, close enough to be my prank... except this one is a girl that looks like a younger SMP...
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Juanfer on October 29, 2003, 12:24:09 PM
nop, its not upside down,  I wanted preload  on the top and height graduation on the bottom....
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on December 14, 2004, 01:34:36 AM
Iiiiaaam back

been quite a while

sorry to drag this up again

Srinath I would like to know if you could get me shocks please

I need four shocks from a Suzuki Katana 600/750 please all from the same model, please.

If anyone else can help out it would be appreciated

greetings from sunny (and damn hot!) South Africa
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: MarkusN on December 14, 2004, 01:39:05 AM
If that's any help: In Europe GS shocks are often replaced with shocks from the Bandit 600. It's a drop-in replacement and brigs the tail a bit higher, which makes for a more agile bike.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Dom on December 14, 2004, 01:50:00 AM
Why don't you just use GSXR shock?  They are better for racing anyway and  must be fairly available, seeing that the GSXR is Suzuki's flagship bike.  Read
about the mod here: www.bikepower.net under suspension modifications... it might make your bike lean a little far on the kick stand(50mm lift) but just have your kickstand extended by a welder... they could do it in a 1/2 hour.

BTW, with minor modification many different shocks will fit on the GS; Hondas, Kawasaki's, etc.  Just pull your shock and compare the size with different shocks... I don't know if there are any motorcycle salvage yards in S.A. but don't get locked into the notion that only a Katana shock will work...  
SV650 shocks work with little modification as well....
Title: Oh wowee...
Post by: The Buddha on December 14, 2004, 12:04:45 PM
Quote from: shaunm1Iiiiaaam back

been quite a while

sorry to drag this up again

Srinath I would like to know if you could get me shocks please

I need four shocks from a Suzuki Katana 600/750 please all from the same model, please.

If anyone else can help out it would be appreciated

greetings from sunny (and damn hot!) South Africa

Wowee you found a 1 year old thread ... and ok you kidding right ... you want 4 all identical Kat shocks  .... even we in US who sometimes see piles of bike parts 20 feet high ... dont see 4 identical ones.
I probably can get you a Kat 6 one, and I have a GSXR one, and the rest is all near impossible ... you dont mean Ebay I presume...
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: Kat shock 9.99 buy now...
Post by: The Buddha on December 14, 2004, 04:43:09 PM
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35592&item=4512008490&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

OK this is buy now at 9.99 ... cool deal if you want to try it ... now You could have it sent to me and I'll send it out to you ... if he wont send it to you ...
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on December 15, 2004, 07:43:02 AM
Yep the thread is over a year old

NO I am not kidding

Its not for a bike, it is for a car

go here   http://www.daxcars.co.uk/rush/index.htm , I am building something like that

bought it incomplete off another guy for 2800 rand

new shocks = 2500 rand a set of two

means 5000 rand for shocks
thats double what i payed for the car which includes the engine, gearbox, diff etc. etc.

if I can get two sets of shocks i will be happy.
so even if all 4 dont match i still need two matching pairs

i figured that last time evryone here was helpful so i would give you a try again

incidentally i sold the gs to a friend whos still using it, sad i sold it but will grab the next one at the right price!!

the shocks are available here but it would probably be cheaper to buy them new than second hand

2nd hand parts are very very expensive!!  (theres a business oppurtunity in here i am sure!)

cheers again
Title: Last year
Post by: The Buddha on December 15, 2004, 08:41:49 AM
OK there were 4 on ebay but no 2 were alike ... I dont know what to tell ya ... you can use a GS shock ??? if so maybe some of us can send you theirs ... I alone can send you 2 or 3 ... or evenmore but I have a nasty habit of slicing them, or modifing them to use on other bikes ... destroyed 3-4 that way easy...
Cool.
Srinath.
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on December 17, 2004, 02:46:46 AM
right now i will take anything!

maybe i am wasting my time but i just want a  starting point.

i heard that shocks from an xr 200 work well but i figured that maybe i could get some help from you friendly bunch (nudge nudge wink wink ;)  )

if anyone could organise me two or four shocks i will shout from the rooftops how wonderful they are!!!

just please let me know the costs beforehand

right now anythings worth a try!


thanks for giving your time to this already!
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Mat on December 17, 2004, 03:28:56 AM
here are a couple that i think will work

89-97 kat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35592&item=4512440966&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)
89-97 kat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35592&item=4512440668&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)
98-03 kat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35592&item=4512022318&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)
91 gsxr (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35592&item=4511691691&rd=1)


will someone else confirm

i know the gsxr will fit but i don't know about the kats
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: Mat on December 17, 2004, 03:32:12 AM
i also have a stock shock
with less than 2000 miles on it
Title: back shock repairable?
Post by: shaunm1 on December 22, 2004, 07:34:47 AM
bad news,

i cant buy anything on ebay cos south africans cant get paypal accounts.

seems like none of this is going to work

bugger :(
Title: Send out
Post by: The Buddha on December 22, 2004, 11:02:08 AM
Well see who has what on this site and pay them a USD check ... Ebay is not that reliable especially if you're not in the country ...
Cool.
Srinath.