How uncomfortable are struts?

Does anyone know how hard the ride would be on my 82 spectre if I were to put struts on it? I would love to lower the rear a few more inches, but don't want to sacrifice the ride too much. I have about 2" of new foam on my seat, and my wife rides with me sometimes...

Is it worth it? And if so, can anyone here make me a set?

I have only ridden short distances with them and didn't care for it too much. I have to admit though that I am reconsidering going with the struts because of how much cheaper a solid mount extended swingarm is than one with bearings. It would probably be OK for short distances. I am curious to hear the opinions of some of the other members on this one. There are a lot of riders here that use struts and don't seem to mind them.

I have a stretched, lowered KZ900 with struts. The ride is much harsher. There is no way around that. If you are wanting to ride the bike long distance or have your ol' lady on the back, I would not recommend them.

I committed to giving my bike the drag look and never went back. It is simpler, cheaper, etc, etc. But.....the ride is brutal to say the least!

Also, if you lower the back, you will want to lower the front as well. Naturally, this will stiffen the front too! There is an old post in the archives titled, "Baddest KZ's I've seen". Mine is the green one in front of the rock wall in the first post. I love it to death but it makes my butt sore! :evil:

From a pillion point of view...

smooth roads aren't bad. speed bumps, pot holes, pebbles, things like that reak havoc on your back, well, at least my back...

The Triumph was rigid. I didn't enjoy the ride. Mellvis loved it though. It was a kidney beater after a couple hours.

You'd probably have no trouble for short periods, but don't expect to be able to get on your bike and ride from say Dayton to Daytona, unless of course you are the hard core, ass made of titanium type.

It all comes down to It's your bike, you do whatever you like best. Ultimately you're the one who needs to be happy with it. Best of luck to you and be sure to take lots of pics and let us know how it goes.

Take care,
Abbie

Just curious... why on earth would you want to give up your rear suspension?

Thanks all for the advice...As to why I would give up the rear suspension, There is no other way to get teh bike as low as I would like. With my lower shocks, I am still not able to flat foot at a stop light, and I would like to be able to do so...

As it stands, I might try to make a set of struts this winter just to try it out, but I imagine I will put the shocks back on...

I ran struts on my kz650 for about one week on the street. Lets just say its like riding a bucking bronco. It was so scary on turns that had uneven surfaces that it was no longer fun to ride. I would really rethink the struts for street riding.

If i havent convinced you yet think about it this way there is about 3/4" of rubber separating you from the road. Now imagine when that rubber no longer contacts the road because it is skiping in the turns becuase of bumps. Very Very scary. I have experienced this.

Post edited by: galaxian, at: 2005/11/03 09:09

I am new to struts as well. I'll tell you, if the road is smooth, no problems. Even the places where the road is uneven arent bad. The nightmare with struts begins at intersections that are rippled. Imagine applying your rear brake and having your rear tire bounce like a basketball 2 - 3 inch rapid bounces. Even worse to slow down and make a turn while this happening. You definately worry more about your rear tire ,than enjoying the ride. My swingarm was made from a stock KZ900 pivot and axle adjusters using square tubing 8" over. Im going to weld 3 shock mounts just ahead of where I run the struts, this way I can raise my bike with shocks for a smoother ride or drop it for short runs with struts. I had problems touching the ground as well before the struts, but with the 8 over I'll be able to touch with struts or shocks.

Just thinking...

Rather than struts, have you thought about lowering blocks, or do you still need the bike lower? Could you perhaps try a 16 inch wheel with 650 shocks? Or a combination of all three? Also you can lower the front end by loosening the triple tree and sliding the forks up. Mellvis is of small stature and I've seen him do these things many times to make his bikes more comfortable for him.

Just trying to save your butt a little bit is all...

Take care,
Abbie

If you make a custom seat pan, you can lower the seat by almost 3 inches, and straighten the distance your legs travel to the ground at the same time, by making the seat cushion narrower where it needs to be when you stop. This mod will not decrease your ground clearance, and will lower your CG for a startling handling improvement. U2U me if you want to give it a go, and I'll dig up the threads About it, and pass on any tips I learned by doing it.

I thought about both ideas. I would love to slide the forks up, but they hit my bars, and with the air shocks, I am not sure how far I can slide them. I know you can put blocks in the forks to lower them, but that is beyond my mechanical ability.

As far as a new seat, I was thinking of doing that very thing this winter. I am going to make a new pan that fits on the centers of the tubes instead of the outside of them. Couple that with some narrower side covers and I think it might do the trick.

If anyone out there has any advice on any of the above procedures, or lives near Indiana and wants some work, please let me know...

Thanks for the great posts!

they look neat,but first try adjusting your shocks to their softest setting in the rear,if that doesnt do it try shorter shocks while youre lowering the rear try sliding your front fork legs up into the triple trees as far as you can the lower you get it the lower your center of gravity will be your bike will handle like a slot car.with struts your bike will handle like a pogo stick everytime you hit a bump,not to mention what it will do to your lower back.Hope this helps,good luck