I've got 13.25" Konis on BlueBoy. It made a huge difference. On Pinky I have 12.5" Hagons. That helped, but not as much. To use shocks over 12.5", you'll have to change your pipes. The axle nuts drag the pipes when you jack it up.
Lane
If you stroke it more than twice; you're playing with it.
Too many bikes, too much time, ENOUGH SPACE, FINALLY! Never enough money.........
Stock 11.625" 295mm
Pinky 12.50" 318mm
Blue boy 13.25" 336mm
The shocks I was looking at were 320mm or about 12.6" which sounds like it will work but may not look quite as dramatic as Blue Boy. But at least it's an extra inch and I think I need it.
I'm planning a couple of modifications including pipes but I'd like to at least try the stock pipes on the dyno for comparison.
But it sounds like Blue Boy handles better with the longer shocks, but is that a stock swingarm or a GS and if it's GS is the shock mount in exactly the same place as a GT swingarm?
Lane, going on your recommendation, I got a pair of remote reservoir aka piggyback shocks from Mike's XS. They are 320mm center to center and the only issue has been changing the sleeves in the eye bushes.
The top is a pressed in metalastic type and has to be carefully drilled out to 12.2mm ( I used a 1/2 inch drill bit). The lower is much easier. I pressed out the new ones and pressed out a pair from my stock shocks which turned out to be in good condition and the right size. pressed them in and the shocks slipped straight on and look great.
The only bad news so far is that they are only adjustable for pre-load, not damping, but at $189 a pair, that's a heck of a lot cheaper than anything else that looks that good.
Time will tell how well they work, but I suspect they have to better than stock!
Without any load (even the engine is out) with the longer shocks and with front forks slid up about 25mm through the triples, rake is now 25.0 degrees so it should be easy to flick in.
tz375 wrote:Without any load (even the engine is out) with the longer shocks and with front forks slid up about 25mm through the triples, rake is now 25.0 degrees so it should be easy to flick in.
Will you post some pictures of your bike with the new shocks and upgraded forks? Love to see how it looks with the new stance.
The bike in my avatar, is similar; 13.25 shocks, and forks up through the clamps by 1 inch (nearly touching the bars). I bought some cartridge emulators for mine, but haven't installed them yet!
Lane
If you stroke it more than twice; you're playing with it.
Too many bikes, too much time, ENOUGH SPACE, FINALLY! Never enough money.........
rngdng wrote:The bike in my avatar, is similar; 13.25 shocks, and forks up through the clamps by 1 inch (nearly touching the bars). I bought some cartridge emulators for mine, but haven't installed them yet!
Lane
My two bits worth for today:
When riding my M model years back, I noticed that the forks flexed more than they absorbed road imperfections. That got me thinking about their basic design, which is a fork tube that makes contact with the leg along its entire internal length, making for lots of resistance to easy movement. When I upgraded the suspension on my former hotrod to Hagons on the back, I looked around at the salvage yard for suitable forks that may work better with little fuss. What I found was the forks for an 82 GS 650 Suzz, that were basically the same length and were 35mm tubes, so they slid right into the stock trees. They have a piston on the tube and a slip ring at the top of the leg, and they are the only contact points, and are teflon coated. These forks move with every provocation, and improve the road manners of the bike immensely, because they absorb the road irregularities instead of transmitting them to the frame through the all too resistant stock legs. The only misgiving is you have to use the GS brake calipers and rotors, but they interchange with no fuss, and are noticeably lighter. The handling improved dramatically. And with Lane's choice of shocks that are a full 1 1/4 in. longer, the lean angle clearance would be improved as well. Oh, and BTW, the stock wheel and axle bolted into the GS forks with no mods. It was all well worth the effort. Cheers.
Fred
Fred,
I really like the idea of upgrading to a set of GS650 forks. What model GS did you use? The E model forks seem to be set up like the GT's while the G & L forks have the axle trailing (ie. offset on the bottom of the fork). Just curious to see what you used.
Take care,
Bryan
2STROKECAFE wrote:Fred,
I really like the idea of upgrading to a set of GS650 forks. What model GS did you use? The E model forks seem to be set up like the GT's while the G & L forks have the axle trailing (ie. offset on the bottom of the fork). Just curious to see what you used.
Take care,
Bryan
Bryan.
The forks I used were indeed from an E model 650. The spring rate was very close, and with the air assist on them, you can dial in any compression resistance you like. The handling improvements were so dramatic, that it was almost unrecognizable as the same machine. Because of the caliper mounts on the GS fork legs, you will have to use their calipers and rotors to simplify the installation, or fabricate some mounts to use the originals. Whatever you choose is limited only by your imagination, but I guarantee that you will be impressed with the results. Here's hoping you can find some GS goodies for fair money. Cheers.
Fred
Could you use the GS uppers and the GT lowers together? That way you could use the stock brake setup. Looks like the retaining bolt is the same for both models.
The GT lower leg will not mate with the GS tube. Totally different internal dimensions. Unfortunately, its originality, or better function you get. Not both. If you ride your bike a fair bit, it's worth the change. Only a buffalo knowledgeable person will see the difference anyway. Cheers.
Fred
