shorter shocks, boosting starting voltage....

Hello, gearheads: I joined up here because a young friend, new to bikes, bought this low miles/gorgeous 82 xj650 Seca- its the red one in the pic section.
Even w/ the cut down LaPera seat, shes on tiptoes. So- its got the stock, trash shocks on it now. Checking sources like Kirk & local bike shops only gets me 12.5 in shocks. Im lookin for 11.5 inchers, or 11's.
I emailed Progressive Suspension a while back but havent as yet gotten a response.
Any ideas on a direct swap? question A. Question B- since I gotta replace the steering head bngs, ill have the front end apart. My Haynes manual hasnt arrived yet- drat!- and Im wondering if I can shorten the stanchions by an inch, & have the internal threads run up (or down) an inch, & so lower the front end (if indeed thats how the stanchions are designed: where IS that Haynes!?) If, as I suspect, the top is tapered, Ill remove from the botrtom.....or is the top straight, so I can just raise them in the trees?
My background is w/ old Brit & American bikes, but Im coming to like the older Japanese machines...

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

I don't recommend messing around with the suspension if you aren't an experienced motorcycle chassis engineer. If you lower the rear you have to lower the front an equal amount to keep the chassis level or it will cause problems like severe wobble at speed that can cause a crash.
It might be easier to teach her to ride a tall bike.
On the other hand you can get shorter shocks at Harley dealers. They have tons of good used ones they sell for around $50.00. If you also raise the front fork tubes in the clamps an inch it might work but then she will be hitting speed bumps all the time.

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

And even keeping it level changes the length of the bike... and the steering geometry...

You *can* do it but there are other places to get height first... shaved seat for example, and the raiser boots.

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

well, the bike already has a La Pera shaved custom seat, so lowering the seat more isnt a possibility. The ground clearance now is 5.5 inches. Since both the shocks & the forks are raked, an inch shorter shocks & lowering the trees on the tubes dosnt equal an inch lower on ground clearance, just the dif, maybe, of being on tippytoes & being on her toes & maybe the front of the balls of her feet. If this was going on in a rural area, i wouldnt worry about it, but she needs to stop & go a lot before she gets out of town, so Im trying to help out here. Guys are more happy throwing themselves head first into new, potentially dangerous stuff, women more tentative & timid. Not ALL, of course. .
As HD's wiegh 2-3x what this bike wieghs, HD shocks would be like making the rear suspension rigid, not a good idea.
You can , reasonably, raise or lower a machine some w/o needing a engineers degree.
Anyway, im off to a vast bike junkyard up North a ways to confer with its encyclopediac Master, a walking parts interchange book.
Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it. Im on a couple of Bike lists & Im alqways impressed by the generosity w/ hard won knowledge bikers have. mutt

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

Actually an 883 Sportster weights about the same as an XJ, 555 lbs vs. 500 lbs.

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

!! Didnt think of Sportsters! Thx fer that idea.......that lil bike wieghs 500 lbs!??
Well be in Az this weekend, at a hoodlum convention called the Florence Prison Run....

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

If you are only looking for a little bit - then you'll probably be ok. Just note that if you get too radical that you could create a very unstable machine. I think the maxim is pretty tame and probably will be fine - but just be aware of the possible handling changes.

a cross post:

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

Thx for that. The bike is a Seca, I guess they made them only a couple years, or shipped them to the States, anyway.
It sat in a garage 15 yrs, never been dropped I can see. Nice kit.
It came w/ a shaved down LaPera seat (previous/only owner a short gal) & my friend got some three point case guards on the way.
Whatever I do about this lowering business, Ill wring the bejabbers out of it before I turn it over to her....

If you are only looking for a little bit - then you'll probably be ok. Just note that if you get too radical that you could create a very unstable machine. I think the maxim is pretty tame and probably will be fine - but just be aware of the possible handling changes.

a

 

Re: 11.5 in shocks.....

Interchange Maxim with Seca - very simular geometery in the early years...

Did you ever see those boots with 3/4" soles? They're designed for mc's and shorter people... they're hidden raisers so people won't even know you're cheating a bit.


http://www.helimot.com/catalog/boots/bo ... data.shtml
http://www.bluepoof.com/motorcycles/gea ... tar_boots/

Not cheap sure - but they might help - plus they'll be with her for the rest of her career on bikes - no matter what she's riding.

 

a while back I was on the List here looking for shorter shocks- a lady friend got an 81 Seca & it was too tall, even w/ a cut down LePera seat. I finally found 11 & 11.5 in shocks at Mikes XS 650 website. 11.5 in shocks & dropping the triple trees an inch made all the difference for her, & some high sppeeed runs showed stability wasnt affected.
I note that the starter circuit dosnt cut out the "auto on" headlight- therefore when you are cranking the engine, you are having the minimal ignition competeing w/ both headlight 940 watts, at least) & starter draws.
The simplest way to provide a on/off switch for the headlamp is to switch the headlight ground wire, with a off/on switch on the headlight bucket. I will report back as to how this goes...mutt