The Suzuki GSX650F Thread

[RCTech]

Originally Posted by skalding

You might find a picture through a google search - a lot of Bandit riders do the same thing. Here's a good thread on it. http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23649 (I'd recommend reading it - some guys use Buell pegs on the bandit, and the bandit is, well, basically our bike sans fairings.) In fact the whole site has some awesome ideas which are completely applicable for our bikes.

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If the link does not work for you: basically, the foot peg itself is allen-bolted onto the aluminum "peg mount" and the "peg peg mount" has three allen bolts that hold it onto the frame.

To flip them, undo the actual peg by unscrewing the allen bolt that holds it to the peg mount. You'll see once the peg is off that it has a notch in it that sits in the peg mount and prevents the peg from rotating. (Otherwise if the allen bolt ever loosened, you could spin the peg like a bicycle pedal - obviously not good!) You then "flip" the pegs, so that when you put them back, the notch is 180 degrees from where it was. This lowers the pegs and moves them forward.

It's kind of a pain to explain, but if you unbolt one of the pegs you'll see what I'm talking about.

A lot of people find it easier to unbolt the entire mount to get at the single allen bolt holding the peg on. If you have the right tools for it, you could probably just unbolt the peg without touching the peg mount.

Some guys had a foot clearance issue and moved them back. I have small feet and the mod worked just fine for me.

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As a side note, I was thinking it's amazing how much motorcycle design could benefit from looking at bicycle ergonomics. To get the riding ergonomics right on a motorcycle, motorcyclists have to do a lot of individual mods; and some motorcyclists don't have the time/patience/knowledge to do them - so they ride uncomfortable bikes.

With bicycles there is an optimum ergonomic configuration between your feet, ass, and hands (depending on your individual riding style and body type). When you fit a bicycle, you can't really adjust the pedal placement all that much. Everything flows from where your feet are; you adjust the seat and handlebars accordingly. The seats and handlebars are designed to move up and down, backwards and forwards, to account for long legged short torso folk and vice versa. A lot of bicycle shops make sales because they custom fit the bike to you, and when you sit on it, there's just an amazing feeling of "rightness" to your evenly distributed and balanced weight. Of course if you have weak arms or a bad back, your "optimal" configuration might not look like the next guy's, even if you have similar body types - but each of you actually have an optimal configuration.

What's kind of weird to me is that motorcycle companies don't really seem to take that into account. It wouldn't be all that hard to make an adjustable motorcycle seat. It also wouldn't be hard to come up with a kind of standardized riser that allowed the handlebars to rotate somewhat. I bet a lot of people would be interested in buying motorcycles that had some hope of a customized fit, right from the shop, without aftermarket modification.

One of the really nice things about the peg flip mod, if your feet can accommodate it, is that it gives you Two starting points (feet) in relationship to the rest of the foot-ass-hands triangle. Since mucking around with the seat and handlebars can be time consuming and there's only a finite amount of adjustment you can do, having two footpeg positions can make a real difference in being able to find your optimal configuration.

I don't know about everyone, but having my hands an inch further in or an inch further out can make the difference between going 5 hours with discomfort and 14 hours with no discomfort at all. Frankly, to me, that kind of difference is huge, and the value I place on it is significant. I mean, if someone sold you a product that magically transformed your 5 hour bike to a 14 hour bike, how much would you pay for it?

Anyway, here endeth the ramble.

I'm glad the thread is getting some activity. I love these bikes!

Thanks! I might poke around at that a bit this weekend. I'm hardly what you could call tall, but after a few hours my knees can get a little cramped up on the GSX, something I never had a problem with on my KLR.

[Bikehigh]

Originally Posted by RCTech

Thanks! I might poke around at that a bit this weekend. I'm hardly what you could call tall, but after a few hours my knees can get a little cramped up on the GSX, something I never had a problem with on my KLR.

Why I've taken to riding with a bead rider or sheepskin, even though I'm using a Bandit 1250 seat in the high position. That extra half inch makes a lot of difference in comfort.

[RCTech]

Just got the bike cover in from Rasthomas and got some pics! Thanks again man!







And since I had them handy, why not a few older pics I had before the tank cover and bar risers were on:

[Bigolechalupa]

Lookin' good RC.........ahhhhh...she looks just like the one I have sitting in storage right now!

[RCTech]

Originally Posted by Bigolechalupa

Lookin' good RC.........ahhhhh...she looks just like the one I have sitting in storage right now!

I guess I shouldn't mention that it's still in the 80's here in Florida, huh...

[Cortez]

Originally Posted by RCTech

I guess I shouldn't mention that it's still in the 80's here in Florida, huh...

[Bigolechalupa]

Yes. Yes he does....

Actually, what pisses me off even more, is that I winterized my SuziF, a few weeks ago, just as the snow was beginning to fall......then we've had an odd last few weeks of warm/rainy weather, with sunny days in between. There's bikes all over the road nowadays! Grrr

[RCTech]

Originally Posted by Bigolechalupa

Yes. Yes he does....

Actually, what pisses me off even more, is that I winterized my SuziF, a few weeks ago, just as the snow was beginning to fall......then we've had an odd last few weeks of warm/rainy weather, with sunny days in between. There's bikes all over the road nowadays! Grrr

Ahhhh you'll get me back during hurricane season when we have multiple weeks of non-stop rain. Having a bike as your only form of transportation can be somewhat annoying then!

[ThomasVolomitz]

Looks good RC!!! Makes me miss my GSX. I am heading your way, know you are busy, but I will drop you a line and maybe we can go for a spin. It is cold up here!

[RCTech]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

Looks good RC!!! Makes me miss my GSX. I am heading your way, know you are busy, but I will drop you a line and maybe we can go for a spin. It is cold up here!

Hope you find Florida warm and hospitable! I may or may not be around in the next few weeks, got holiday travel coming along with a new job and a new semester - but there's always a chance I'll be free!

[Bigolechalupa]

Hey all you SuziF lovers! This thread's been really quiet. It's been a long winter, and I'm missing my bike like crazy. I don't even have her near me to peek at.....she's settled in for the winter in a friends garage far away
Anyhow, I'm ready to order my 1upand1back risers, and am considering ordering the Sargent seat. It's a bit steep, and on a budget, I have to weigh butt comfort vs. getting a better helmet.... My question is, for the people that have the seat: What do your passengers think of sitting on it? Do they find it much more comfortable than the stock seat?

Cheers and beers,
Steve

[Bigolechalupa]

Happy spring fellow GSXF lovers! Got her out of storage last week, and now I notice that I'm having some issues with trying to find neutral, when starting her up. I turn the key on, pop it into neutral...and the green light won't come on.
Then I have to mount the bike- bring the kickstand up- and then the green light comes on, and I can start it up. Then I can put the kickstand back down and get off......
When I'm out riding around, and I need to get off.....I put it into neutral and again the green light wont come on. I put the kickstand down, and she shuts off...... which is what one would expect only if it was in gear, not neutral. Becoming a bit frustrated for sure....
Cheers all..
Steve

[Bikehigh]

That's typical of what happens when the when the gear position sensor fails, BOC. It's been talked about at least a few times over on the other forum.

[ThomasVolomitz]

I really miss my GSX650F. Walked into the dealer where I had traded it in on the XC. There it sat all clean and still only 2050 miles. I may buy it back.

[Bigolechalupa]

Originally Posted by Bikehigh

That's typical of what happens when the when the gear position sensor fails, BOC. It's been talked about at least a few times over on the other forum.

Thanks BikeHigh.......what does BOC mean? Do you know if it's a cheap fix?