Rear shocks length?

[Jimcg]

Hi!

Has someone measured and remember the height (eye to center of hole in clevis) of the stock rear shocks on a 1982 CB650Z? For now I can only measure mine with the weight of bike on them and I assume it's the unloaded measurement you compare.

/Jim

[GeorgeSweety]

Hi Jim, how's the seat coming along? My CB650Z is still buried at the back of my garage but I can measure some shocks from either a CB650A? (wire wheel, single disc front brake) which I think were the same length or I can measure some from a Nighthawk, which I would presume to be the same length, if that would help, neither of the shocks are on the bikes. This would have to be in the morning because its dark in my shed right now.

[Jimcg]

Hi George!

My seat is finished, I'll update my other thread about that with pictures. If you use glasses normally I recommend you take them off before you have a look - then you might think I made it!

It's very kind of you, but you don't have to measure if they are not the same model. I am really not in a hurry - I don't plan to run the bike until april. Further on during this winter I'll take the wheels off anyway to put new tires on and if nothing turned up here I can measure mine then. But you know - once a thought has started in the head (and it did when I saw an ad with used ones from a bigger Honda) it's so tempting to act on in asap even though it's not necessary at the moment...

The shocks on mine are 335 mm eye to eye as it is standing on the floor with preload at hardest setting. I'm thinking about buing new ones or used from another Honda just to be able to raise the rear end a little but I don't want to gamble and buy something I cannot use. So a measurement from another model won't help.

/Jim

[Volker_P]

I was not really happy with the original rear shocks, too.
I found that I could live with this solution: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2743&start=2

[Jimcg]

I was not really happy with the original rear shocks, too.
I found that I could live with this solution: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2743&start=2

I have looked at your smart solution, Volker_P, and thought of a way to bolt something on with the same effect as yours. Found these, which might work: https://www.ruland.com/shaft-collars.html

But as far as I understand that solution doesn't raise the rear - it just makes the bike capable of carryiyng more load, since there is a limit of how far sthe shock can extend, am I correct?

/Jim

[Volker_P]

The solution more or less means two more spring preload steps.
In other words you will always have 7.5mm longer shocks with the same load on your springs compared to the situation without the spacer.
But it will not rise the rear without any load of course. Which implies that you will not loose reasonable main/center stand functionality.
Side stand became an issue for me however.

[Jimcg]

The solution more or less means two more spring preload steps.
In other words you will always have 7.5mm longer shocks with the same load on your springs compared to the situation without the spacer.
But it will not rise the rear without any load of course. Which implies that you will not loose reasonable main/center stand functionality.
Side stand became an issue for me however.

Thanks for clarifying!

This is one of the great things about a forum like this, to get help to think of possible side effects I didn't think of myself.

/Jim

[Jimcg]

Hi!

Has someone measured and remember the height (eye to center of hole in clevis) of the stock rear shocks on a 1982 CB650Z? For now I can only measure mine with the weight of bike on them and I assume it's the unloaded measurement you compare.

/Jim

I can answer my own question now. My shocks are 335 mm eye to center of hole in the clevis when they are adjusted to maximum preload (even when I measure them off the bike). I assume they are stock.

I'm almost finished with my rebuild but haven't driven it yet so I don't know if I still want to replace them with slightly longer ones.

/Jim