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GSX650F Shock Spring...

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mminob

mminob

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My 2008 GSX650F rear shock spring seems too stiff...no rider sag...zero...I just bought a 10.000 mile 650f and the shock spring set at the lowest no.1 preload position gives me 0 mm bike only sag and 0mm rider sag...I weigh 160 lbs. and if I bounce up and down on the seat it moves very little...the rebound is backed out a little from stock and the linkage is smooth...can anybody recommend a cheap idea to swap out a softer spring or even a different shock from another model ? Great bike ...:rider:
 

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At the softest setting (1), the bike should move when you sit on it. Seems to me that 160 lbs is plenty of weight to get the bike to "bounce". I'd try moving the setting back to 3 (factory preset) and see if there is any difference. I realize this is going the "other way", but something is wrong if you get no sag at all at 1.
 
Keith said:
At the softest setting (1), the bike should move when you sit on it. Seems to me that 160 lbs is plenty of weight to get the bike to "bounce". I'd try moving the setting back to 3 (factory preset) and see if there is any difference. I realize this is going the "other way", but something is wrong if you get no sag at all at 1.
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Yeah thanks , thats a good idea...maybe the preload collar is not right? I'll spray the adjuster with some wd-40 lube and work the ramps on the collar up and down... it's a knuckle scraper and tight area to get it done...cheers...:rider:
 
0mm rider sag? something is binding...the default setting should just about be perfect for you...suzuki doesn't tend to set up their bikes for the giant american rider...
 
Sorry. deleted post.

Thought you were talking about the front forks. Pic would be nice though. Those dont have the stiffest shocks on them factory. Are you sure it hasnt had the shock swapped out?
 
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Check and see if the bike's seat height is the same as a stock bikes. There's always a possibility the bike has been lowered using a smaller shock. That might account for the extra stiffness as well.

We put a Hagon shock on our 650R to lower it 50mm. It's a performance shock as well, so we had to tell them the rider's weight and the number of pounds of gear they rode with. If the shock on yours is aftermarket, then it might be for a much larger rider or shortened to lower seat height.
 
Hey Guys , Thanks for all the great tips...well I now have 20mm sag when sitting on the bike vs. fully extended...here's what I did...I lubed the preload adjuster and went up to full hard then full soft...then took the shock linkage pivot bearings off and regreased them...not much grease was in them...the chain was set a little loose so it was not binding...backed the rebound out a little and presto...better than it was...still a little stiff but I can live with this...now on to front springs and fork oil change..cheers and thanks for all the great advice :clap:
 
mminob said:
Hey Guys , Thanks for all the great tips...well I now have 20mm sag when sitting on the bike vs. fully extended...here's what I did...I lubed the preload adjuster and went up to full hard then full soft...then took the shock linkage pivot bearings off and regreased them...not much grease was in them...the chain was set a little loose so it was not binding...backed the rebound out a little and presto...better than it was...still a little stiff but I can live with this...now on to front springs and fork oil change..cheers and thanks for all the great advice :clap:
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Glad your getting some sag now, but just to let you know adjusting the rebound has no effect on the amount of sag you get for a given spring prealod setting. ;-)
 
MetrickMetal said:
Glad your getting some sag now, but just to let you know adjusting the rebound has no effect on the amount of sag you get for a given spring prealod setting. ;-)
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Yes , the rebound setting is not related to travel...however...I was seeing if it was a possible problem like cranked full hard from the previous owner so all is good at the moment...the used gsxr shocks on e-bay might be fun to try make work...around $100 ...fully adjustable comp and rebound...stay tuned...cheers:trust:
 
mminob said:
Hey Guys , Thanks for all the great tips...well I now have 20mm sag when sitting on the bike vs. fully extended...here's what I did...I lubed the preload adjuster and went up to full hard then full soft...then took the shock linkage pivot bearings off and regreased them...not much grease was in them...the chain was set a little loose so it was not binding...backed the rebound out a little and presto...better than it was...still a little stiff but I can live with this...now on to front springs and fork oil change..cheers and thanks for all the great advice :clap:
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Might have a look at the swing arm bearings (and steering head and wheel bearings while you're at it) if you're having trouble with bearings...
 
If i remember right you are supposed to take the weight completely off the back wheel before doing any suspension adjustments. Ive had bikes come in with jammed/broken adjusters, etc because they tried to do it with the bike on the ground. Just remembered this or i would have mentioned it earlier.
 
Diderich said:
Might have a look at the swing arm bearings (and steering head and wheel bearings while you're at it) if you're having trouble with bearings...
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I inspected my stem bearings, swing arm pivot and shock linkage bearings on my 1250 at 18k, and they all didn't have much grease in them, but were still serviceable, and I'm going to clean, inspect, and service all of these bearings again this winter, and replace any that don't look up to snuff.
 
Seems like some of my older bikes , mostly dirt bikes , came with Zerk fittings on the swing arm and linkage to make greasing the bearings easy...I have seen some people drill and tap the bearing housing to install Zerks...hmmm ...some cars have them too...some don't. My grease gun would take a couple pumps and the grease would squish out the seal area and bingo...:clap:
 

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I did my linkage also a few years back. Also turned the centerstand bolt around. Was with grease on all parts , but, was all cleaned and regreased. Thinking it was in the 20K mile range I did this. As say above, I'll probably do it again in the next year.
 
achesley said:
I did my linkage also a few years back. Also turned the centerstand bolt around. Was with grease on all parts , but, was all cleaned and regreased. Thinking it was in the 20K mile range I did this. As say above, I'll probably do it again in the next year.
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Ya, along with checking your valves, installing the PAIR block off plates and changing your coolant. :lol2:
 
MetrickMetal said:
Ya, along with checking your valves, installing the PAIR block off plates and changing your coolant. :lol2:
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:clap:Hey, I did change my coolent FINALLY.:lol2: Chain came in yesterday so installing it today. New tires, New chain and sprockets, FRESH COOLENT. Ready to leave on trip in next few days. Dang chain from Bike Bandit came all the way from a California warehouse. DID X ring pro. :rider:
 
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