front suspension for '78 gs750

[mattjr]

Hi guys, my virgin post here after just becoming the proud owner of a 1978 gs750 so go easy on me

Probably my first in several technical questions on this machine..

The staunchions on the front forks have small spots of rust toward the tops. I understand this will cause premature wear to the seals.

The two obvious solutions would seem to be to either find some second hand forks and rebuild with those or to have the current ones resurfaced which I know little about.

Now, for some reason one of the previous owners decided to fit some good quality aftermarket rear shocks, which now gives a much firmer ride at the back.. even at the softest setting. This feels like it is transferring more of the load forward onto the front factory standard suspension throwing the whole balance of the handling a little out of whack.

If I am looking to repair the front suspension anyway, sholud I use this opportunity to upgrade to something that may match the rear suspension? What are my options?? .. I heard from someone you can fit the whole front end off of a later model gsx on these bikes?

I will greatly appreciate anyone's advice on the matter,

Matt

[DustoffDave]

Matt,
First, let me say welcome, I too recently picked up a 78 GS750 as a project and it will get much attention as soon as I am no longer deployed to Iraq. If you use the search feature for the forum you will find many good postings by knowledgeable folks about removing rust from front fork tubes. There are a lot of different methods (vinegar, electrolysis, chemical rust removers, etc) and you can find info about the pros and cons of each. Also, there are front spring upgrades out there. I went with Progressive springs to stiffen up the front end of mine a little. If you aren't ready to drop $90 on front springs, you can always go with a heavier weight front fork oil to add a little more stiffness as well. The other option you have is to send those stiffer rear shocks to me and I will happily "dispose" of them for you. Again, welcome, there is a wealth of knowledge on here and a lot of good people to impart it -- hope you enjoy your new bike!

[salty_monk]

Progressive springs & fresh oil is the standard upgrade.... You can often get the springs for $65 if you search around.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. mattjr,

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Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

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Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Larry D]

Welcome !!

Yep, progressive fork springs up front with some fresh fork oil. You may want to go ahead and replace the fork seals while you have them apart. Rear shocks can be had about anywhere, I found a nice set on ebay....just make sure they are the correct length for your bike.

[NoH2Oh]

Bought and installed Progressive fork springs and shocks for my 78 GS750C just last week.

Springs were part number 11-1108 and were 71.00 from Z1. Also used 15w fork oil and it has really firmed up my front end. I will be replacing fork seals and drain plugs after the season or later in the summer as they both could use freshening. No major weeping from the seals, but hey, they are 32 years old...the old fork oil was green by the way. Huh, what?

The shocks are part number 1204B and I had 105/150 springs (I weigh 200+ geared up) installed along with some snazzy chrome tops by Z1 as well. 266.00 to my door. Yes, you can go cheaper on the shocks but I had the $$ allocated to the bike and did not want to go cheap. Hagon is another solution and a bit cheaper, but they were a projected 5 week wait.

So far I run the rear on the third setting and while it is a bit too firm number two is not enough. Will see if she softens up a bit with some miles. I like a firm ride, almost to the point of being an old Duc so this is not really an issue. The handling (and as a side benefit the braking) of Gracie has really improved, but I am not at all illusioned that she will ever be a track star and if I remember that all is well. I came off of a Buell XB9R and that bike could pull some serious lean and corner speed (when she was not in the shop...).