I am not the tallest of guys (5-11), but I would like to raise my gs500e a few inches. Any tips about how that can be done? Will adjusting the setting on the rear shock raise the bike? I believe my rear shock is set to setting 4. Any help is much appreciated. 

Cheers,

Budd

You will need to find shorter bog dones. Look up motorcycle dog bones and that will help you understand what is required. The process is simple and easy to manage, you will need a jack and some scrap lumber to hold up the rear end etc.

I think under the wiki page that could help.

Good luck

Adjusting preload changes your shock's sag, and also the amount it will compress with you on it under load. So in some respects increasing the (preload) setting will keep the bike a little higher, but what you really want is the correct sag in the first place, then look at ways to increase rear ride height.

Keep in mind that raising the rear ride height through different ~ in this case, shorter ~ length suspension linkage (dogbones) you are changing the front geometry of the bike making it steer a little quicker while losing a little bit of high speed stability. As long as your changes are small you may or may not notice any difference, and there is likely no danger in doing so.

Lastly, a shorter linkage will reduce the rising rate of the rear suspension, making it a little 'softer'. Again, a change that you may or may not notice depending on how much you alter things. 

Best way to raise the rear, is with a katana shock. Yes it will quicken up your steering a bit.

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on June 26, 2012, 07:45:55 PM
Best way to raise the rear, is with a katana shock. Yes it will quicken up your steering a bit.

Ultra new rider here: Why will changing your seat shock change your steering? Is quicker better?

Changing the height of the rear of the bike changes the rake (angle) of the front end. Raising the rear move the forks more vertical causing faster turning. Lowering it has the opposite effect.

Are you sure you want to change the dynamics of the bike? ... Maybe try different pegs that sit lower instead? There are some out there that are the same lower level as stock pegs, but are an inch lower on top (without all the rubber).
Check out this thread below.  I'm sure there are more out there like this if you don't like the particular look.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58750.msg673382#msg673382

- Bboy

The GS is not a super speed liter bike that has an aggressive attack angle designed for high speed knee dragging full lean turns. Raising or lowering the rear end will have zero noticeable effect. I did this to all of my bikes, other than my GSXR, the difference was negligible at best. The turn is a little quicker but not so much that it is unsettling or dangerous.

In the case of my wife, it was more dangerous not to be able to touch the ground flat footed. That is perilous.

The GS was not designed for knee dragging. Shifting the rear end up or down through the proper method (dog bone linkages) will not have an adverse effect on the bike. We are talking an inch or two max. The rake will be effected but not dramatically.

Do it right, get the linkages, buy a couple of different sizes- they are cheap- and find what fits. It will take you ten min or less to learn how the change effected the bike; that is if you can notice it. If you really want to over come the rake effect raise lower the front tubes into the triple clamp. Problem solved.

If you are not a knee dragger; you will notice 0 change

Good luck

Quote from: merlinq21 on June 26, 2012, 03:53:07 PM
You will need to find shorter bog dones. Look up motorcycle dog bones and that will help you understand what is required. The process is simple and easy to manage, you will need a jack and some scrap lumber to hold up the rear end etc.

I think under the wiki page that could help.

Good luck

I changed dogbones on my 02 GS with the bike on the centerstand, didn't even take the rear wheel off.  No jacks (except me:-) or blocks required.

The 'scrap lumber' is to hold the rear wheel at the right height while the rest of the bike is on its centrestand, so you can get the bolts for the shock linkage in/out. You can do it by trying to hold the wheel/swingarm in the proper position while you are trying to line up bolt holes, but it makes the task more difficult.

Thanks guys!