LOWERING MY 2000 GZ250

[bonehead]

I really don't know if that would mess up the physics of the bike. I'd consult with a prof. about that.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by sharon_koontz

I've had bicycles all my life and still enjoy riding. I had a little Suzuki 50 a number of years ago. I ran it around town but mostly on the mountain trails with my dad. I haven't driven a motorcycle for years but recently decided that it is something I really want to do again. I wanted something bigger than a 50 but I didn't think I would find something that would suit my size. I found this one on Craig's list for a good price so I figured it was as good as any. We lowered the front about an inch and that helped a lot but my feet still don't touch flat on the ground. I ordered boots and they will probably help but I wanted to balance it out by lowering the back also. I am going to go to a bike shop with my tape measure and start looking around. If I can't find a smaller size shock I'm thinking of having a part fabricated to just move the shocks back as far as possible. Do you think that would be a problem?

moving the brackets may work, but i don't know if that would throw something off either. can you at least touch both feet on the ground even if it's on your tip toes. on my new bike i usually have one foot flat on the ground and one foot that i cant quite put flat on the ground. on flat ground i can put both feet flat but when i get out on the road i cant always do that, you know how there is usually curved and higher in the center so watter will drain off to the side. but if i put on my work boots i can almost always flat foot the ground. either way i'm comfortable on the bike even if i cant quite flast

look is there a place that builds custom bikes around you. the kind of place that you can take your bike in and they turn it in to a chopper or something along the lines of that. if you cant find any shocks to fit i bet a place like that would be able to figure something out.

even tho the gz will get up to 70+ mph i never ran mine over 60mph for any extended period of time. at 55 it cruses great, at 60 the rpm's start to get up there a little bit. so its really a 55 or 60 mph cruzing bike. a lot of guys cruz it at 70 for long periods of time but i would not. don't want to abuse the bike.

you know one of those chopper shops might even have some kind of shocks in stock that would work, that is if your really lucky. but ti wold be wort a try.

[music man]

You could probably surf the net for an hour and come up with two or three places that makes custom shocks and such, and don't give up, I have seen women that were 5'2" and 100 pounds on a good day, riding Harley's that probably weigh three times as much as the GZ. We will help you all we can.

If I can remember, tonight when I have more time I will do some research on the shorter shock thing for ya and see what I can come up with. Anything for a fellow biker :2tup: .

[dannylightning]

hey i got a idea, start working out, get some of those stretchy resistance tubes and a few light dumbbells and look up a good work out on you tube or something.. just a suggestion. it might help out big time.

if you spend about 20-40 minutes working out 3 days a week on say monday, wensday and friday you might be able to start handling that bike better in no time. here are my stretchy band work out, i use those and i have a total gym, i hardley ever get on a real weight bench any more and i can bench press about 265 lbs when ever i get on a real weight bench. here is a link of me benching a bunch of weight
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=61073472 just goes to show you you don't constantly halve to lift heavy to get really strong. work outs like this can make you really strong. like i said i do these work outs and use that total gym and that's really about it besides pushups..

[youtube:1damu0s2]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b-dHcurcO4[/youtube:1damu0s2] [youtube:1damu0s2]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6pRWvWI7qw[/youtube:1damu0s2]

[Dupo]

There is such a thing as "lowering kits" for some bikes (not the GZ currently). I know for most shadow models there are 1.5 and 2" lowering kits available. If you know someone who can fab .... it can be made. They move the shocks toward the rear a few inches, hence lowering the bike.

This is what they look like:

[diffluere]

Have you sat on the Honda Rebel? To me, it feels like a smaller bike. I think the seat may be skinnier, which makes it seem smaller? My friend rides one and she's only about 5ft tall and maybe 115 pounds. The stock seat height is only 26.6" which is a little bit lower.

I know you already bought the gz but maybe it's just not right for you. I'm 5'2 and I can ride it with no problem. During the MSF course they had me on the Kawasaki Eliminator 125 which felt like a toy. Maybe that bike would be better for you too?

At first I thought the gz was kinda heavy, and I kept having to correct myself when coming to a stop, like putting my foot down to keep it from falling over because I had the wheel turned slightly. Now that I concentrate hard and make sure I keep the wheel straight, the bike stops nice and easy and I can even pause for a few seconds before placing my feet on the ground. The bike is really great to handle once you get used to it and pay attention to what you're doing.

Good luck finding a bike that you love and enjoy. I love my little gz!

[sharon_koontz]

I have taken bits of advice from several of the riders on this site and I am very pleased with the results. I took my tape measure to bike shops and found that the Kowasaki 125 had the same type of shocks but only 10.5 inches compared to my 12 in. ones. I am waiting for them to come in. We lowered the front slightly and will be able to do more after the shocks are installed. I got some sturdy boots with a bit more tread. I have also been lifting waits and that has been a really big help. Thanks dannylightning! I practiced swerving yesterday and was down to a cone at each parking space. This was a challenge because I'm not a big person but I put some muscle into it and it was actually fun. I really love this bike. I tried sitting on the Rebel but it seemed higher. The 125 was about the same height too so I figured I'd stick to my "beefy" 250. I'm taking the safety course this weekend and they told me I can bring my own bike. Good thing. Mine was scratched up when I got it and I've dumped it 3 times. They all looked new at the course. I couldn't bring myself to take padding out of the seat. I don't have much of "my own" so that's a last resort. I should be flat footed with my boots on once we install the shocks. I am much more confident about riding this bike. Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions. It has helped me so much! When I'm all done and able to ride safely I want to re-paint it. I'll take any ideas you folks have. Can I do this myself or should I have it done professionally?

[Water Warrior 2]

WOW ! Awesome to hear you found shorter shocks Sharon. Now just wait till you have the training under your belt. The GZ will feel even better after some professional help and instruction.
After the new shocks are on the bike it will no doubt stand much more upright on the side stand. To get the proper lean back to the bike while on the side stand a little grinding is a must. Just grind back the side stand stop bracket on the bike so the stand swings forward a bit more and you are done. Love to see a pic or two of the bike lowered and with you aboard of course. A lo-rider GZ sounds neat.

[sharon_koontz]

Thanks again for your advice and instructions. I think it will look neat too after it's done. It came with saddle bags and I added a little fringe. Also had a nice windshield but I made quick work of that along with the brake lever. I can't wait to get it painted up nice but that might be a while. I'll post some pics after the lowering is done.

[Dupo]

If you want to save yourself $$ painting your bike by doing it yourself, Alsa Corp makes awesome paint in a rattle can for automotive applications.

http://www.alsacorp.com/killercans.htm

Or Duplicolor has a refurbished line of rattle can paints available as well.

Most important thing is to finish your paint job off with a 2 part (hardener) clear. That way gasoline spills wont peel the paint off.