Shocks suggestions for 81 Suzuki GS550L

[Suzuki_Girl]

Hey everyone! I'm interested in lowering my bike, and I was curious as to what shocks people use on this forum. Ideally, I would like to replace the shocks so my feet can touch flat. Looks like I need about two more inches in order for this to occur. Thanks in advance!

 

[Ton1959]

I would try to achieve this with the seat. Have the seat lowered. You can't just change the shocks as you will need top change the stand on the bike too.

 

[tkent02]

Touch felt?

Both feet?

Really?

I'd try a 300L.

 

[Suzuki_Girl]

I can touch...just not fully, and it's throwing off my balance.
Someone from this site suggested adjusting the front forks ...as well as the rear shocks. I just need additional information on how I would go about this...

A little too late for the 300L, I already sank the money into the damn 550L.

 

[A-train]

Touch felt?

Both feet?

Really?

I'd try a 300L.

Tom,

Did I just hear you recommend an L?

 

[tkent02]

Sure, she's a lady. That's what L's are for.

 

[Weeksz]

Try some high heels. I hear that's what this guy uses ^

 

[A-train]

Sure, she's a lady. That's what L's are for.

Wow. That hurts. A little.

 

[Crankthat]

Always good to have some things that never change!
2 inches sounds like a lot.
There are bolts that compress the triple tree to the front forks.
I do not know if you could adjust them for a two inch difference in back.
You would adjust them to where you would be comfortable in the handling of the bike from in all its aspects from leaning into and out of a turn, breaking while in a turn, Breaking in a straight line, how much faster or slower is the handling, and anything else you can think of.
Your personal comfort is really important with the bike.
The safety in handling is more important first though.
I do not know of a formula as that would entail drivers weight and stance also into it.
You would need to trial and error.
Before loosening bolts on triple tree, make sure the bike is supported in the front with something you can raise or lower as needed.
If the front is not already supported when loosening, the tops of the forks can slam the bars above them.
Sometimes the forks stick and need to be bumped with a rubber mallet.

Another possibility without much cost would be a different, smaller rim.
The same handling rules would apply as it should change with a smaller rim.

For more money and more wrenching experience you could change the entire front end and install a different swingarm in back.

Possibility that you could find shorter forks that are the same diam as the OEM parts only shorter and with more modern internals, brakes and rims.
Many on this forum have done similar with the bigger bikes and I have seen a few on the 550 also, usually the E versions though.

No matter what you decide make sure the bike handles well first.

 

[Crankthat]

Here is a list of matching diameter for your front forks.
You would have to find the lengths.
Not sure on how old (up to date) it is.
Someone posted this a while back and I copied.


35 Honda CR-80R (87-95)
35 Honda CR-125M "Elsinore" (76)
35 Honda CR-125M "Elsinore" (77-78)
35 Honda NX-125 (88-90)
35 Honda XR-200R (81-83)
35 Honda CL72 "Scrambler 250"
35 Honda CR-250M/M1 "Elsinore" (73, 75-76)
35 Honda MR-250 "Elsinore" (76)
35 Honda VTR-250 "Interceptor VTR" (88-90)
35 Honda XL-250 "Motosport 250" (72, 74-76)
35 Honda XL-250S (78-80 To 5204066)
35 Honda XL-250S (80 From 5204067 - 81)
35 Honda XR-250 (79-80)
35 Honda CL77 "Scrambler 305"
35 Honda SL-350 "Motosport 350" (72)
35 Honda XL-350 (74-78)
35 Honda CL-450 "Scrambler" (69-72)
35 Honda CB-450 (70-74)
35 Honda CB-500 "500 Four" (71-73)
35 Honda CX-500C "Custom" (81-82)
35 Honda GB-500 (89-90)
35 Honda GL-500/I (81-82)
35 Honda XL-500S (79-80 To 5104835)
35 Honda XL-500S (80- 81)
35 Honda CB-550 "550 Four K" (74-78)
35 Honda CB-650 (79-80)
35 Honda CB-650 (81-82)
35 Honda CB-650C (80 To 2009951)
35 Honda CB-750K (69)
35 Honda CB-750 "750 Four" (70, 72)
35 Honda CB-750A "750 Hondamatic" (76-78)
35 Honda CB-750C "Custom" (80-82)
35 Honda CB-750F "Super Sport" (75-78)
35 Honda CB-750F (79-80)
35 Honda CBX (79-80)
35 Kawasaki KX-80 G1/G2 (86-87)
35 Kawasaki KX-80 L1-L3/N1-N3 (88-90)
35 Kawasaki KE-175D1-D4 (80-83)
35 Kawasaki EX-250E1/E2 "Ninja" (86-87)
35 Kawasaki KE-250B1-B3 (77-79)
35 Kawasaki KZ-550H1/H2 "GP" (82-83)
35 Kawasaki ZX-550A1-A3 "GPz" (84-86)
35 Suzuki RM-80 K/L/M/N/P (89-93)
35 Suzuki RM-80 R/S/T/V/W/X/Y/K1 (94-01)
35 Suzuki RM-100 N/T/X (79-81)
35 Suzuki DR-125 G/H/J (86-88)
35 Suzuki DR-125 SER/SES/SET (94-96)
35 Suzuki RM-125 M/A (75-76)
35 Suzuki SP-125 G/H/J (86-88)
35 Suzuki DR-200 G/H/J (86-88)
35 Suzuki DR-200 SET/SEV/SEW/SEX/SEY/SEK1/SEK2/SK3 (96-03)
35 Suzuki RL-250 L/M "Exacta" (74-75)
35 Suzuki SP-250 Z/D/F (82-83, 85)
35 Suzuki TS-250 1 "Savage" (69)
35 Suzuki TS-250 B/C/N (77-79)
35 Suzuki GN-400 T/XT/XX/TX/TZ (80-82)
35 Suzuki TM-400 K/L/M "Cyclone" (73-75)
35 Suzuki GS-450 LD (83)
35 Suzuki GS-450 LF/LG/LH/LJ (85-88)
35 Suzuki GT-500 A/B "Titan" (76-77)
35 Suzuki RE-5M, A
35 Suzuki GS-550 LX/ LZ (81-82)
35 Suzuki GS-550 B/C/EC (77-78)
35 Suzuki GS-550 LN/LT (79-80)
35 Suzuki GS-550 LG (86)
35 Suzuki GT-550 J/K "Indy" (72-73)
35 Suzuki GT-550 K (KAYABA)/ L (73-74)
35 Suzuki GR-650 D/XD "Tempter" (83)
35 Suzuki GS-650 EX/EZ(81-82)
35 Suzuki GS-650 GLX/GLZ/GLD(81-83)
35 Suzuki GS-750 B/C/EC (77-78)
35 Suzuki GS-750 EX/EZ (81-82)
35 Suzuki GS-750 LT/LX (80-81)
35 Suzuki GS-750 TZ/TD (82-83)
35 Suzuki GT-750 J/K/L/M/A/B "Lemans" (72-77)
35 Yamaha YZ-100 G/H (80-81)
35 Yamaha IT-125 H (81)
35 Yamaha RT-180A/B/C (90-93)
35 Yamaha XT-200 J/K/KC (82-83)
35 Yamaha XT-250 G/H/J/K/KC (80-83)
35 Yamaha TZ-250 C/D/E (76-78)
35 Yamaha TZ-250 F (79)
35 Yamaha RZ-350 L/N/NC/NCII (84-85)
35 Yamaha TZ-350 /C/D/E (72-78)
35 Yamaha XS-400 J/K "Maxim" (82-83)
35 Yamaha SR-500 E/F/G/H (78-81)
35 Yamaha XS-500 C/D/E (76-78)
35 Yamaha XJ-550 RH/RJ/RK "Seca" (81-83)
35 Yamaha XZ-550 RJ/RK "Vision" (82-83)
35 Yamaha XS-650 D/E/F/2F (77-79)
35 Yamaha XS-650 SE/SF/SG/SH/SJ (78-82)
35 Yamaha TX-750/A (73-74)
35 Yamaha XS-750 D (77)

Another thing to keep in mind is that the rim on your L model can be fitted with another brake disk.
There is a plate hiding the holes.
The forks are set up for 1 disk.

 

[Allie]

Crankthat has been really helpful, and Professor Kent has been his usual snark nosed self.

Hopefully you can get what you need with shaving the seat/lowering at the forks. The forks are really easy and actually help handling on an L in my experience/opinion. I'd like to suggest that you do all the easy/low cost stuff first and even if you can't fully flat foot just give it a chance and see if you get used to it. You might find that 'almost' flat footing it is good enough, or in other words being able to easily hold the bike up with a flat foot on one side. I don't have much experience in that area since I can flat foot the 750] standing with my butt off the seat, but I'm hoping you don't have to go through a lot to get what you want. Good luck!

 

[Allie]

Wow. That hurts. A little.

Yoo got something agin teh ladies?? :-k

I used to call my 550L 'Laverne' because her 'L' looked like the one on Laverne Defazio's sweater.

 

[tkent02]

Crankthat has been really helpful, and Professor Kent has been his usual snark nosed self.

No snarkage. Well, not much.

I just never understood people buying bikes too big for them and then altering the bike to make it work, rather than buying a bike that fits in the first place.

It makes no sense to me.

Never understood the need to get both heels down, either. A tiptoe on one side is plenty if you have any sense of balance. A tiptoe on both sides must be enough even if you don't.

 

[Old guy]

Loosen the bolts on the trees the front forks are mounted in and you can slide them up. It will lower the bike some. That's the quickest and easiest way to lower a bike.

 

[Allie]

No snarkage. Well, not much.

I just never understood people buying bikes too big for them and then altering the bike to make it work, rather than buying a bike that fits in the first place.

It makes no sense to me.

Never understood the need to get both heels down, either. A tiptoe on one side is plenty if you have any sense of balance. A tiptoe on both sides must be enough even if you don't.

People do all kinds of things that might not make sense on the surface. You can try to help, you can shut your mouth, or you can be a turd. You seem to like rockin' the turd look for whatever reason.

 

[GSX1000E]

No snarkage. Well, not much.

I just never understood people buying bikes too big for them and then altering the bike to make it work, rather than buying a bike that fits in the first place.

It makes no sense to me.

Never understood the need to get both heels down, either. A tiptoe on one side is plenty if you have any sense of balance. A tiptoe on both sides must be enough even if you don't.

"Common sense" is now so far out of fashion that is has become politically incorrect.
Would you buy shoes that are too big and cut them down to fit?

 

[Allie]

"Common sense" is now so far out of fashion that is has become politically incorrect.
Would you buy shoes that are too big and cut them down to fit?

Now she has no common sense? You don't know how or why she came across that bike, or what influenced her to buy it. She would not be the first person to buy a bike that doesn't fit well, without realizing it first. She won't be the first person to sell it and find one that does if it comes to that.

Honestly folks, if you're not helping then the 'shut your pie hole and move on' option is best. Really it is.

 

[Griffin]

The seat on the 550L really splays the rider's legs out when straddling the bike. If you remove the seat cover, shave the outer edges off the driver's part of the seat so that the corners are more rounded, and recover, you'll probably get half of the reduction that you want right there.

Does your bike have a drum rear brake or a disc? I have a lowering kit for the rear shocks on an L that is supposed to lower the seat height by 1/2". I bought it for an '80 550L that I picked up years ago, but it didn't fit because that one had a disc rear brake. it was designed for the 550L models (later ones, I believe) that had a rear drum brake.

If it will work on your bike, I'll try to dig it out and send it to you.

Between shaving the seat and the lowering kit (if applicable), you might get where you need to be on seat height.

 

[tkent02]

She won't be the first person to sell it and find one that does if it comes to that.

Honestly folks, if you're not helping then the 'shut your pie hole and move on' option is best. Really it is.

This would certainly be the most sensible option, or maybe ride enough to realize that both feet flat on the ground isn't necessary, or even desirable.


I am merely trying to be helpful.

 

[Allie]

This would certainly be the most sensible option, or maybe ride enough to realize that both feet flat on the ground isn't necessary, or even desirable.


I am merely trying to be helpful.

Fair enough Kent... for now...:hand:

To OP, These ARE both viable outcomes. Selling your bike to find a better fit is sometimes the most cost effective course of action. Be aware also that there are many very good riders out there that handle their bikes with ease without being able to get both feet all the way down. One of our MSF instructors was a real Shorty McFly, he tippie toed his three hundred kajillion ton Goldwing but boy could he ride it.

Tip toeing can mean many things, if you can get the balls of your feet planted I bet with patience you can build the confidence to ride it without worry and never look back. If the very tips of your tootsies just skim the ground then maybe you want to look elsewhere, I probably would.

As for shoes, I've bought ones that were too tight and had to stretch them out... cause that's what was available. Call me silly I guess.