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New shocks to lower the Bike (GS550L)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ironralli
  • Start date Start date
I

Ironralli

Guest
Hello all,

I have a 1982 GS550L, that is a little on the tall side for me. I am 5 feet and 6 inches tall and am inseamly challenged. I am able to get the balls of my feet down but not flat foot the bike. I was wondering if anybody has tried replacing the shocks with a shorter set to bring down the seat height. Please give me any details you have. Also does anybody know the shock length on the OEM shocks for the GS550?

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed, I was not able to find it in my search. Feel free to point me in that direction if it has. :D
 
I'm 5'3" with a 28" cycling inseam, so I know all about not being able to flat-foot a bike and the "oh crap!" moments that can result. My suggestion would be to start with the seat and not touch the suspension unless it's absolutely necessary. You can carefully remove the stock seat cover, trim off the seat foam as required and put the cover back on so it looks factory.
 
The stock shocks on my 78 750 are 13". I put on 11" shocks so I could reach the ground better and to give the bike a posture I like more. You should know that any time you drop the rear end, you increase the steering angle out front(Think chopper vs. sport bike for an extreme example) which makes the steering slower.
 
The only time I can flatfoot my bike is if I have boots on with a heel. I'm so used to it that it would seem weird to suddenly be able to flat foot the bike. I have new shocks on the way and I stayed with the 13" factory length.
 
Do like the others say and trim the seat first. But in reality, you won't have to worry about it as long as the balls of your feet touch.
 
Actually, when you trim the seat, just shave the SIDES at the front. :-k

Having a slightly narrower nose will let you put your legs down straighter, without having to splay them sideways to get around the seat.
Yeah, you may have to slide forward a bit when you come to a stop, but it will leave all the cushioning possible for comfortable riding.
Well, at least as comfortable as a 550L can be.
icon_shrug.gif


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Thanks Guys for all the info, I will start with hardline_42 and Steve's suggestion on the seat after that I will look at the Shocks.

Thanks Grease for the shock info. 13" on the shocks on a 750. Does anybody know if this is the same as the 550L?:cool:
 
I shaved the seat down quite a bit and I still and standing on the balls of my feet. I'm 5'7". Ill have to check if my front end is too high.

I personally like the way the seat looks now.
 
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