I did the following things this weekend:

- Katana Rear Shock
- Progressive Springs
- New 15W Fork Oil
- 15T Front Sprocket
- New Chain (the chain was always old and stretched on my previous bikes)
- Katana rear wheel w/ a 150 tire

This is how the bike should come from the factory!  It has a much more solid overall feel.

Regarding the 15T sprocket - While it does feel like it pulls harder, it's not an incredible difference.  You're not going to suddenly be able to keep up with liter bikes in the straights.  But it does feel like there is more torque and you don't need to downshift as much (if you don't want to that is).

Having a wider rear tire is very nice!  There's a lot more stability and the extra effort to turn is minimal.  It's still a light bike.  Plus, as I understand it there are more choices in 150 performance tires than 130.

The suspension stuff is what really impressed me.  I could tell the difference the moment I sat down on the bike.  The rear shock barely moved!  The ride is noticeably bumpier on bad roads, but not to the point that it's jarring.  It's like going from an Oldsmobile to a sporty car.  It looks like the rear of the bike is slightly higher than before, but I didn't bother with measurements. 

And I'm sure everyone's seen the reviews of the progressive springs.  Braking is great now.  There is hardly any front end dive.  The only bad thing about it is how awful the used fork oil smelled haha.

Again, the best way to describe the bike is that it's much more "solid" now.  I definitely recommend these modifications!!


Some extra info:

I'm about 200 lbs w/ gear
Fork Oil Level was about 5.25"
I used a 3/4" spacer for each fork
I have the rear shock set at 5.  I might change it to 4 and see how that is after a week or so.

For the rear shock are you talking about preload or dampening? If its preload try 1 or 2. I weigh about 190 with gear and started out with it on 4. It was bumpy like you say but I thought that would be okay. Just for kicks I tried the lowest setting and like it much much more.

Quote from: VSG on April 27, 2009, 07:19:17 AM
I did the following things this weekend:

- Katana Rear Shock
- Progressive Springs
- New 15W Fork Oil
- 15T Front Sprocket
- New Chain (the chain was always old and stretched on my previous bikes)
- Katana rear wheel w/ a 150 tire

This is how the bike should come from the factory!  It has a much more solid overall feel.

Regarding the 15T sprocket - While it does feel like it pulls harder, it's not an incredible difference.  You're not going to suddenly be able to keep up with liter bikes in the straights.  But it does feel like there is more torque and you don't need to downshift as much (if you don't want to that is).

Having a wider rear tire is very nice!  There's a lot more stability and the extra effort to turn is minimal.  It's still a light bike.  Plus, as I understand it there are more choices in 150 performance tires than 130.

The suspension stuff is what really impressed me.  I could tell the difference the moment I sat down on the bike.  The rear shock barely moved!  The ride is noticeably bumpier on bad roads, but not to the point that it's jarring.  It's like going from an Oldsmobile to a sporty car.  It looks like the rear of the bike is slightly higher than before, but I didn't bother with measurements. 

And I'm sure everyone's seen the reviews of the progressive springs.  Braking is great now.  There is hardly any front end dive.  The only bad thing about it is how awful the used fork oil smelled haha.

Again, the best way to describe the bike is that it's much more "solid" now.  I definitely recommend these modifications!!


Some extra info:

I'm about 200 lbs w/ gear
Fork Oil Level was about 5.25"
I used a 3/4" spacer for each fork
I have the rear shock set at 5.  I might change it to 4 and see how that is after a week or so.

I have pretty much the same setup.  Sunstar 15t, Kat shock, Progressive Springs 15w oil, Bandit 400 rear wheel with 160/60 tire.  It rides waaay better than stock.  In comparison I rode my other GS with totally stock suspension and it's uncomfortable.  Feels like I'm riding an old horse with a sagging back.   

Thanks for the info, had been trying find out how the bigger rear tyre rides although I have a Koni rear shock that leaves the bike at the standard height so maybe I will have a slight difference in steering then you, I would suspect a little heavier.

Quote from: Bluesmudge on April 27, 2009, 01:08:03 PM
For the rear shock are you talking about preload or dampening? If its preload try 1 or 2. I weigh about 190 with gear and started out with it on 4. It was bumpy like you say but I thought that would be okay. Just for kicks I tried the lowest setting and like it much much more.

I finally got around to adjusting the preload yesterday.  I was going to set it at 3, but gave up at 2.  It's too much of a pain haha.

But 2 is about perfect.  It still is a much stiffer feel than the stock shock, but it's at least a good amount more comfortable now.

Do both of those wheels bolt right up, and keep a decent chainline(Katana and bandit400)?

I've never really thought about switching that wheel out, but if it fit right in I wouldn't mine the change someday. i guess i should go check out the wiki on that one.

The upgrades sound good. I remember how nice the new fork springs felt, and I've got an SV650 shock waiting to go in, although I have a feeling I'll probably have to track down some lowering links for it after I put it on so Heather can still fit on it.

I don't know about the bandit, but here's the link for fitting a Katana Wheel:

  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0

My bike has a 150, not a 160 for the tire.  So my chain guard did not need to be shaved.  And the sprocket did not need to be shimmed out.