GS550ES GSRX rear shock conversion ?

[doug g]

for those of you who have done the GSXR shock conversion. How much did it raise the rear ride height? I need to know because I will be installing one on my 550 along with a Katana front end and rear wheel and I will modify the shock for the proper ride height.

 

[LeeGS550E]

I don't recall exactly, but I believe my conversion ended up lowering the rear height. Rather than modify the shock, I recommend you modify the connection arm between the swing arm and the rocker that compresses the shock. I added 3/4" to mine. Its mild steel, so it can be chopped and extra material welded in easily. I'll see if I can snap a picture of the modified piece tonight.

 

[p_s]

If I had to guess, I'd say it raised the seat 1.5" when I did it. Maybe all the GSXR shocks aren't the same? The top of the shock just pushes into the airbox as well when it's fully extended, but not enough to cause any problems for me in 12k miles.

 

[LeeGS550E]

If I had to guess, I'd say it raised the seat 1.5" when I did it. Maybe all the GSXR shocks aren't the same? The top of the shock just pushes into the airbox as well when it's fully extended, but not enough to cause any problems for me in 12k miles.

Do you have a picture of your setup?

 

[doug g]

Now were talking some confusion.
One person says it lowered it the other says it raised it. Are you both using a similar year shock. I'm sure that would be the main cause for a difference.
I was planning on using a 2000 and up rear shock with the piggy back resevior.

 

[p_s]

I'll take some pics tonight. I have a 2000 GSX-R 600/750 shock.

 

[p_s]

This is the bottom:

 

[p_s]

From the side:

 

[p_s]

And the top.
Sorry the photos aren't so great.
Basically I used the stock linkage and put the GSXR shock in upside down and back to front, with some washers as spacers for where the swingarm mounts to the shock. It took a bit of muscle to get the last bolt in since the shock is slightly longer than the stock one.

Oh, I did grind down the top a bit so it wouldn't poke into the airbox as much. (I didn't grind into the linkage, which is all that is touching the airbox, even though it doesn't look like that in the pic.)

I set the preload almost as high as it goes and it's a nice, plush ride, since a GS550ES weighs a lot more than a GSXR. For track use it might be too soft. Without a doubt it is much better than the worn-out shock it replaced and it was cheap.

 

[LeeGS550E]

Now were talking some confusion.
One person says it lowered it the other says it raised it. Are you both using a similar year shock. I'm sure that would be the main cause for a difference.
I was planning on using a 2000 and up rear shock with the piggy back resevior.

OOOPS - Once I got home and did some more thinking, I realized it wasn't the shock that lowered my bike, but the katana wheels that I put on. So never mind! I believe P_S is correct in that it raises the rear a bit.

I would suggest that before you modify the shock, you do a little riding with the rear raised. It may quicken your steering by a nice amount. YMMV.

Good luck, and thanks for posting pics, P_S.

 

[jwhelan65]

pics

pics

Pics please...

 

[doug g]

I will be doing a Kat wheels front and rear and Kat forks and a GSXR shock. I will post pics when I actually get some more progress done.

 

[LeeGS550E]

I will be doing a Kat wheels front and rear and Kat forks and a GSXR shock. I will post pics when I actually get some more progress done.

What kind of exhaust?

Here's my 550 after those mods:

Definately some good upgrades.

 

[doug g]

Lee
that is great. I am looking for a pipe. Now I have a stock system that is in great shape. I would love a Kerker or Yosh. They seem pretty hard to locate.
i see you have regular handlebars. how did you modify the top clamp? that also looks like a stock 550 front fender. Is it? Did it mount roght up to the Kat forks?
have you ridden it much? Is it really that much better?

 

[skreemer]

If you grab the whole front end off a katana it should swap right on IIRC. Same thing with a bandit 600 from the UK as well if I remember all the conversations.

On my rear shock replacement I threw out all the linkages and just went straight "eye to eye"... though it looks very similar to P_S's setup...

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

What kind of exhaust?

Here's my 550 after those mods:

Definately some good upgrades.

What header is this? or where did you get it was it application specific and is it still in production or availble?

the airbox is modded apparently? how so

 

[LeeGS550E]

On my rear shock replacement I threw out all the linkages and just went straight "eye to eye"... though it looks very similar to P_S's setup...

SWEET! I finally find someone that's done it! I was wondering how that would work. The issue I'm finding with GSXR shocks is that the linkage from our older 550's compresses the shock with less force (but more compression distance) than the GSXR linkage, thereby the shock is too stiff. How does it feel direct eye to eye? Is it too 'bouncy'?

 

[LeeGS550E]

Lee
that is great. I am looking for a pipe. Now I have a stock system that is in great shape. I would love a Kerker or Yosh. They seem pretty hard to locate.
i see you have regular handlebars. how did you modify the top clamp? that also looks like a stock 550 front fender. Is it? Did it mount roght up to the Kat forks?
have you ridden it much? Is it really that much better?

Doug,
This is a Kerker header and can, but I made the midpipe so I could route it around the gixxer shock and get the can up at a steeper angle.

The top clamp is a set of risers from what I believe is a Virago. Several models of cruisers have risers that are a single bolt that threads into the top of the tripple tree. I just had to run the threads the rest of the way up the riser's bolt, so that the riser would thread all the way down into the bolt holes in the top tripple that are intended for the stock katana clip-ons. I can get you a picture of the risers if you need it. I ended up going to a cycle salvage yard that had a huge box of risers, and I just picked through until I found two with the right size bolt for the katana tripple tree.

It is the gsx550 fender, just bolted under the stock steel plate 'fork brace' that comes on the katana front end. I used some small (probably 4 mm) bolts to hold it on.

I put about 500 miles on this setup with the 550 engine. It really was better, but I never got the GSXR shock figured out. It always seemed too stiff (but I only weigh about 150). Then I pulled the whole thing off the road and wedged in a gsx700 engine because the 550 would pop out of gear in 2nd.

If you can get the damping on the katana forks dialed in with the GSXR shock on the rear, you will be very happy with it. I would suggest, if you are leaving the katana front end stock, that you leave the stock rear shock on until you get the front end how you like it, and then you try the GSXR shock out back. Changing more than one or two variables at once makes it tough to get it dialed.

Take it from me - I've changed so damn much on my 550, I can't even remember what it was like when I first got it. (Now its a 550 with a 700 engine, katana front end, GSXR shock, Katana wheels, ninja rearsets, superbike bars....I think that makes it a GSX550700 Kataninja?)

 

[LeeGS550E]

What header is this? or where did you get it was it application specific and is it still in production or availble?

the airbox is modded apparently? how so

I modified the airbox by splitting it appart at the halves that are glued together, then epoxied on a flat plastic plate (to eliminate the second half of the box) and used a bent aluminum strap to hold on a K&N oval/flat air filter. I wanted to be able to remove the airbox from the frame. It worked just fine for me - I didn't want to lose all of the effect of the airbox, and the correct K&N cone filters are expensive for those goofy BSW-32 carbs.

 

[doug g]

Can you please post pics of the top clamp. I like the idea of running superbike bars.
How difficult was the 700 engine swap? that sounds like a blast.

Doug,
This is a Kerker header and can, but I made the midpipe so I could route it around the gixxer shock and get the can up at a steeper angle.

The top clamp is a set of risers from what I believe is a Virago. Several models of cruisers have risers that are a single bolt that threads into the top of the tripple tree. I just had to run the threads the rest of the way up the riser's bolt, so that the riser would thread all the way down into the bolt holes in the top tripple that are intended for the stock katana clip-ons. I can get you a picture of the risers if you need it. I ended up going to a cycle salvage yard that had a huge box of risers, and I just picked through until I found two with the right size bolt for the katana tripple tree.

It is the gsx550 fender, just bolted under the stock steel plate 'fork brace' that comes on the katana front end. I used some small (probably 4 mm) bolts to hold it on.

I put about 500 miles on this setup with the 550 engine. It really was better, but I never got the GSXR shock figured out. It always seemed too stiff (but I only weigh about 150). Then I pulled the whole thing off the road and wedged in a gsx700 engine because the 550 would pop out of gear in 2nd.

If you can get the damping on the katana forks dialed in with the GSXR shock on the rear, you will be very happy with it. I would suggest, if you are leaving the katana front end stock, that you leave the stock rear shock on until you get the front end how you like it, and then you try the GSXR shock out back. Changing more than one or two variables at once makes it tough to get it dialed.

Take it from me - I've changed so damn much on my 550, I can't even remember what it was like when I first got it. (Now its a 550 with a 700 engine, katana front end, GSXR shock, Katana wheels, ninja rearsets, superbike bars....I think that makes it a GSX550700 Kataninja?)