Struts?

What are you guys using for struts in place of shocks? I want to give it a try so at first I want some cheap and cheezy to see how much my back yells at me. I think I could handle it and throw the shocks back on when the wife rides with me (which isnt often). Just for the beginning experiement I was just thinking of some angle iron and if I can handle it for my daily ride (9 miles on fairly decent streets) I would find someone to make me a better set (my neighbor is a 3rd shift tech at a machine shop, and says he is usually bored at work)

Thanks

have the neighbor carve you some struts out of some aluminum bar stock,i used to make them out of 6061 i think it was.round off the ends and mill the centers down a little to look like the rear brake beam that keeps the caliper from spinning on a kz 1000.lower the front of the bike first then take both shocks off and level rear of bike this is the lengh of struts you need!stock up on preperation-h and soft pillows to sit on ,struts will beat your backside into submission,your handling and braking on bumpy rodes will also suck!id reccomend a set of shorter shocks set on the softest setting that does not bottem your tire into you fender,check fender to tire clearance.stay away from those lowering blocks for shocks,they change the geometry of the shock/swingarm and put the shock in a bind instead of compressing it!goodluck,happy wrenching!

Struts are for drag racing only. First big pothole might cost you some coin in dental work. Never understood hardtails for the street. Careful when cornering at speed a small bump will kick you right sideways.

I have struts and have never really had a problem with them. I have a FZR front and rear end with 17in wheels so that might make a difference. I can ride fro hours and really not notice it too bad. I also have clip ons so I ride more foward and on the bars then relaxed on the seat. The front forks help take away most of the bumps. My wife hates them though. To bouncy for her sitting on the back. I would say give them a shot. It also helps to have the rear tire aired down a few lbs less than normal. My favorite thing about the struts is when I get on the throttle hard. The bike stays dead level. No squat in the rear, no hopping at all. All the power feels like it goes right to the road. Let me know if need some good pics or measurments.

i live in nyc mahattan my daily rider is a lowered+lenthen z1, this bike i run with strut's every day and let me say thiers alot of potholes in nyc. i run 25-29lbs of air pressure in the rear tire bike feels great does not hurt my back,jump or bounce in turns/hard cornering i agree with kawtoy the bike feels great when gettin on the throttle hard!,i like the way struts really clean up the rear of my bikes i like the way you can feel the road . im not saying struts are for everyone but if your thinking about them why not make a cheap set and try them out.make sure your chain/sprockets are in good shape.

(fastest z1) just how fast is the fastest z1 in ny,and where does one line up for a shot at the title?

9 flat in the quarter with the boost bumped up a bit.
or if you you think the turbo is a little unfair i have a orient express built 900 with 125rwhp,either way it will cost you sum $$ . im on the upper westside if your in nyc this summer with a few buks to lose hit me up.

1428 turbo being canabalized for improved more streetable(if you can call it that ,ha-ha)1197turbo still in the head scratching stages,i want to build a blow-through turbo and fuel injection system for this one hope it will be more reliable .post pictures pretty soon!

9.0? Is that with bars? Either way I'm impressed!

yes with the bar's .