gt 550 is very bouncy

[WULFSTAN]

Hiya ive just bought a old 1990 gt 550 now the fella I got it off said it had new rear shocks on and tbh they do look new but when you hit any sort of bump you bounce about like mad any ideas thanks
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[P.]

Adjust them?

[WULFSTAN]

[_Iain_]

A lot of pattern shocks make bikes ride very very strangely.

We've experimented on ER-5's - my favourite is the one with the hagon's on it, although everyone else reckons it's too firm. All the shocks are designed for the ER-5, but no two manufacturers feel the same.
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[map]

Are they the original shocks?
If so might be worn.

IIRC on the originals you can turn the top bits to a higher number. Higher is more firm.
The originals also have air. There should be a tube connecting both sides.
There's a nipple on the side covered by a screw cap.

Also IIRC adding air can be tricky, they're not a high psi anyhow.
If you google gt550 owners club (or shaft drive kawasaki owners club) I seem to remember there was some info on a web page there.

If not originals then refer to the maker of the shocks for adjustment advice.

I would say hope this helps but on re-reading I haven't actually given you a solution
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[temeluchus]

cheap aftermarket shocks are probably not up to the job, the GT550 is a fairly heavy bike to begin with!

Hagons or Shock Factory if you want a quality ride.
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[lofimaster]

you can try to adjust it turning the top of the rear shocks.. there are some numbers there.. 1 to 4.. 4 is the harder, damping force harder, heavy load..

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Take it to a suspension guru?
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[Nobby the Bastard]

It's a GT550. What exactly were you expecting?
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[Pie-Roe]

Just deal with the worn out bounciness:

https://img196.imageshack.us/img196/2078/36192402492992954625447.jpg
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[Vincent]

It sounds like the dampers aren't working correctly. Any signs of any oil leaks?
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[Pie-Roe]

On a serious note, mine were pretty fucked, I just added air until it worked better. like 2 pumps on a double footpump made the forks ridiculously hard though, so be careful. It's like adjustable suspension on the cheap.
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[WULFSTAN]

[Hetzer]

Don't confuse him. Damping is rebound, compression is...compression, preload is the physical spring.

Turn the preload up until the bike doesn't go down more than about 30mm when you sit on it. I doubt you have rebound and compression, but if you do turn the rebound up to about three quarters and the compression up about one tenth. Then avoid potholes, unless you want your fillings out.
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