Topic: 750 short rear shocks

[jgary]

Hi.  I was at a rally this weekend, and talked to a guy who modified his 1973 CB750.  He had a different shock setup on the rear to lower the bike.  My kids started having a contest to see who could get more ice cream on who, and I didn't get a chance to ask him where he got the shocks from.  I'm working on a 72 CB750 chopper wanna-be, and would love to have that back end a bit lower so I could touch the ground flat-footed, not just on my tippie toes.  Special shocks?  Different mounts?  Thanks.

John.

[SteveD CB500F]

There are some links to shorty shocks in the "Online resources" FAQs

[Jonesy]

It can be a combination. There are 3 ways to accomplish a lower ride on the 750:

1) Short shocks. I've only seen these offered through cycleXchange (on FAQ page), and they are out of them at the moment. They told me to try back in a few weeks. I wanted to get some for my wife's bike.

2) A lowering kit. These are available from a few different online retailers. JC Whitney comes to mind...

3) Harley-type rear wheel. There are kits available to put a fat 16-inch rim tire on a stock 750 rear hub. It comes with the rim and short spokes. You have to buy the tire, tube and rim strip separately.

Hope this helps.

[Hop on a Honda]

Lowering the beast.
Gravity always wins but the 16"rim is the ONLY way to go.
The length of the travel on the Koni's 1296s and the Showa's is reasonable but the rim is the GO.It may readjust the Front end geometry and slack up the steering but get used to it.
Instant lowering

Dave

[dusterdude]

i bought a set off ebay for a yamaha or suzuki i cant remember which.they are 11 inches long,you have to press out the steel bushing on the top(no problem)it came out easy using a vise and either make a spacer for the bottom or compress the clevis together when you tighten the lower bolt(which is what i did).the shocks were about a 100.00 us.good luck.if i remember who i bought them from ill post it here.

[chippyfive50]

If you want the LOWEST ride, you can modify the original shocks into "rigid" struts. I did it on my 500,  it is a blast to ride....

[bryanj]

500 four are a bit shorter than 750

[mrbreeze]

I also got a set of the short shocks and overall I like them.I can now put both feet flat on the ground.The only problem is ground clearance with my 4 to 1 exhaust. On the bottom where the pipes collect is pretty low to the ground....Beware of speed bumps in parking lots.I also got mine on ebay for $1oo. I like the look and feel better though. One more thing....I had to shave off the lower part of the sidestand and bike still sits too straight up. I will have to do some fabricating to make it sit more angled.

[CHUNG]

I think the stockers are 13 inches. The later 5spd CB450 shocks were 11. For a "quickie"  just disassemble the stockers and lop a coil or two off and put them back on. They suck anyway so cutting the springs doesn't hurt much. But I like to cut the fork springs to match because the steering is already a bit on the lazy side. Put some 20-30 weight oil in them and they will not bottom out. (I forget the exact weight but I think 20w works good on these bikes) Ground clearance becomes a problem if you go much more than an inch with most pipes.