So I'm new to whole cafe racer/custom bike build scene. But I figured I would just jump into it since I lover turning wrenches. I have a 1980 GS1000G that my dad gave under the pretense of just get riding again. That was in 2009. Since then I have put all of 500 miles on the bike. Family, military and normal life just got in the way. A buddy bought a new ninja 600 last week and so decided to put the pressure on for me to ride with him. Here is the bike before tear down.
GS1000G shafty
- Thread starter RickBost
- Start date
You dove right into that. I'll follow along to see what you do with it.. I also have an 80' GS1000G sitting in my barn.
New parts started to show up today. Got the gauges, gasket set, and primer/ rust converter. Already on the the bike are Mac 4 into 1 exhaust, dynatech electronic ignition, dynojet stage 3 carb kit, and k&n pod filters. Still coming are headlight, turn signals, wiring, handlebarsb ect..
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Maritime
Over 10,000 Posts
Longer shocks can help, just make sure you measure the travel of the shock and the distance to the tire and you want travel<tire to bar measurement or a big bump will cause you some grief. Nice parts haul. another way to do it is to remove the spring from a shock, mount it and let it compress, if the shock hits its bump stop before the tire hits the bar you're good. Or if the shocks are hard to remove the springs, put one shock on and ratchet strap it until fully compressed.
RickBost said:
It may help but how much longer than stock? Too much can have a negative effect on handling.
Maritime
Over 10,000 Posts
Here, I found this:
GS1000G rake was 28 degrees, trail, 4.4 inches
This article explains it and you can pick your shocks to get the desired handling you want.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/05/22/cycle-world-tips-and-tricks-understanding-motorcycle-rake-and-trail
Also I think there is a calculator that you put your current rake and trail then how much you are thinking of raising the rear which decreases both so lets say you needed 2" longer shocks to clear the tire as long as your rake doesn't change to less than around 26 Deg and your trail stays around 3" you'll be fine. I just couldn't find that calculator but I think a member made one.
GS1000G rake was 28 degrees, trail, 4.4 inches
This article explains it and you can pick your shocks to get the desired handling you want.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/05/22/cycle-world-tips-and-tricks-understanding-motorcycle-rake-and-trail
Also I think there is a calculator that you put your current rake and trail then how much you are thinking of raising the rear which decreases both so lets say you needed 2" longer shocks to clear the tire as long as your rake doesn't change to less than around 26 Deg and your trail stays around 3" you'll be fine. I just couldn't find that calculator but I think a member made one.
More work done yesterday. I decided to go from 13" shocks with a 3" stroke to 14.15" shocks with a 2.5" strike. Started painting the engine, sealed/primed the frame, and got more parts in.
