Author Topic: GSF600 Shock work? (Read 3091 times)

uber · « **on:** September 05, 2005, 09:49:44 AM »

Hi all

With all this talk of replacing the rear shock on their B4's Im jumping on the bandwagon and thinking about doing it myself.

Spoke to my mechanic today and mentioned about putting a B12 shock on but he didn't recommend it?! I have read about others doing it with no probs. so I know it DOES work but he suggested that I look into a B6 shock instead - what are they like on the B4, anyone know?

Basically Im looking for a shock thats easy to fit and offers better adjustability than my current 12 year old stock one has. I carry a pillion relatively frequently so its for their benefit aswell!

I was going to install progressive springs on the front as the same time as doing the rear, so any lift in the tail should be helped by the stiffer springs right?

Cheers folks.

Red01 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 05, 2005, 06:04:41 PM »

Since the B12 shock will also fit a B6, I suppose it would work, but the B6 shock is pretty weak. When Bobcat had his B6, the stock shock was crap and he replaced it with a B12 shock for a marked improvement. Unless the B4 is substantially lighter than a B6, I'd stick with something that's known to work.

uber · « **Reply #2 on:** September 05, 2005, 08:09:30 PM »

Thanks for the reply Red01

I was thinking of trying a B12 shock as Ive read about others success here on the boards. I mentioned this to the mechanic but he thought it would be too big as the B12 is a much heavier bike (only 51kg though!).

Do you think a B12 rear shock would be my best bet? Cant seem to find any GSXR shocks I also keep reading about.

Red01 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 05, 2005, 09:39:06 PM »

I don't know if it's the "best" - but it is an improvement over what you've got and you can probably find one cheap right here on this site.

You meant 5.1kg, didn't you?

Thief400 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 05, 2005, 11:35:25 PM »

EBAY my friend ebay

uber · « **Reply #5 on:** September 06, 2005, 08:31:40 AM »

Thats fair enough, I think the B12 is what im gonna go for as I cant find a GSXR750 shock anywhere. I did mean 51kg, dry weight difference between a B4 and a B12 (roughly) - not sure if its applicable but I'm just proving my mechanic wrong!

Quote from: "Thief400"

EBAY my friend ebay

Yep

theres a couple of B12 shocks on there at the moment - what year should I be looking at? Its going to jack up the back a bit isnt it? Will fitting stiffer front springs help out?

Thanks again all.

PitterB4 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 06, 2005, 08:58:34 AM »

Sorry - busy long holiday weekend for me (yesterday was Labor Day here in the US...)...

I have a B12 shock (Paul/Red01's, actually). I don't have tons and tons of experience on a bunch of different bikes to compare it to but I feel it is a huge improvement over the stock B4 pogo stick It is a compromise, though. ~75% of the riding I do is weekend ripping through whatever twisties we can find. For that kind of riding, I LOVE it. I rode to work today and was reminded that it is pretty stiff. There are a couple places the interstate has buckled a little (and has been that way for years!). Those were very jarring. The bike stayed composed - more so than with the stock - but it hurt my back pretty good. The other place I noticed somewhat of a problem was on the track. At Pocono there is a nice high-speed left hander. I could take it faster if I got my ass way off the seat but there was a bit of a bump mid-turn. If I had too much weight off the seat, I could not keep the suspension compressed through the turn and the back would get squirrly. I would never push that hard through a turn on the street so it never really becomes a problem on my typical weekends.

It might be interesting for someone to try a B6 shock. It's crap on the B6 but the B6 weighs nearly as much as the 12, right? Maybe it would be an improvement without some of the harshness I'm feeling with the 12. Just a thought.

As for which to use and how much it will raise the tail, check out the FAQ post about it. The measurements and everything are in there. It did raise my tail. I'm not sure by how much. I also went to a 60 series tire at the same time so the measurements would have been off a little anyway.

Yes - it seems like it would be a good idea to match the stiffer, better-performing rear with an upgrade up front too.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Red01 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 06, 2005, 05:53:28 PM »

If you go into the FAQ's they list what the lengths are. If you don't find it in the 400/250 FAQ, look in the 1200/600 FAQ. The 1G B12 shock is shorter than the 2G Rob has.

If ebay doesn't pan out, I may know of a 2G shock that could probably be had cheap.

todius · « **Reply #8 on:** September 06, 2005, 06:48:46 PM »

I'll try swapping my shocks between my B6 and B4 and report back. My B6 is a 2ndGen completely stock. The B4 has an unknown shock, but it is very stiff (maybe a B12 shock).

Who knows, maybe it will work out and both bikes will be upgraded?