[aln]

Was looking into what is the 'best' way of lowering a motorcycle. I stumbled on below site that replaces the link arm to lower the rear and to keep geometry setup lower the front forks.

http://www.lustracin...ering-kits.html

NOW, this is something a specialist shop should do I think to keep the same geo setup for the bike, who would be able to do such a job and guarantee that it's not messing up the geo? (and cost to do such a thing)

I'm guessing you can also get a "coilover" rear suspension to be able to play with ride height? I'm thinking that using a 'dogbone' as they call in on that site will make the suspension a bit stiffer and you need to adjust the damper accordingly. Or is it more to it and this is a no go?

Cheers for any input.

[FJReally]

had a look at that website, for lowering kits
man they are lush, love the black finish

I've bought from this lad off ebay.co.uk, twice
CJACCESSORIES, stuffs good and cheap
construction is thicker than OEM parts and the finish higher

what you don't realise is, if you lower or 'jack-up' the bike, it changes a few things
The rear brake line(s) will have more/less free play.
You will feel more "on top" of the handle bars or feel slightly laid back.
The steering changes, The rebound changes, Braking thru the front changes,

you have to adjust your settings or just get used to it

when changing the dog bones, use it as a time to grease up your linkage
and for a few quid, buy new "nuts" so you don't 'round out' the old ones
taking em off and then on again

[aln]

So who is the wiz when it comes to that type of work? Cheers for the link, if at all possible I would want to keep the same geo as standard just lower. Obviously not as quick turnin but thats ok.

[FJReally]

no offence, but i thought you were going to do the work yourself
i know it might seem like a process, but really its not
you just got to think these things thru and you'll learn alot from it

[Pagan]

Ive had a couple of bikes lowered..CBR600 and GSXR600 and both times they were done by a friend by puttin in different dog bones..I only watched once and that time the bike rear end was suspended from the ceiling, old bones removed, new ones put in..it didnt seem to be a big job, was done in less than an hour. It didnt effect the handling of the bikes that I noticed but then agian I wouldnt be driving like a lunatic with pegs scraping either..

What kind of bike ya lowering?

[aln]

Its an r6 later year model. I would do it myself if I did not care about the geo, but I am. Not sure I would like to upset driving performance.

[Pagan]

Forgive my ignorance but what do you mean by geo?

[aln]

Geometric. Like keeping the same height front and rear (lower both the same) and keep the rebound and dampening settings.

[The Mex]

Lower the seat?

[aln]

lowering seat would be last resort I think...

[evoblade]

Lowering the seat would be the top of the list if you want to keep the geometry,If you are in Dublin near Crumlin drop me a PM and I can take a look for you,if you put dogbones in you do have to correct the changes with adjustments to fork height etc if you are very particular about your bikes handling but most would not notice a difference.You could get a cheap secondhand seat off a breaker or ebay and use it as the lowered one,cheap and easy solution

[Darkcloud]

Sure why would you want to lower a bike ?







A lower seat is deffo first stage on the road..

I used Duffy Trim in D9 last week to sculpt my vstrom seat..great job, very cheap and lovely guys to deal with....

I've also did the whole 'lowering links' thing on my Fazer with no apparent effects on handing

[jamesobrady]

Push it over on it's side

Lowering isnt a big deal, you put in longer dogbones, and drop the front end a small bit-like 5-10 mm depending on initial rake.
That keeps the geometry as much the same as it was but reduces your ground clearance a tad.
Then, you play with the front height to dial in your steering rate "feel" if you have any.
Best to start lower(turns slower), and increase the drop to increase the rate of turn for a given input. Too much will make the front more prone to being flighty and tank-slappery.
Too little will mean it takes more effort to turn-in.

Make sure if buying dogbones you dont buy cheap Ebay ones, they have snapped on a couple of the SV owners in the Uk.
There are perfectly good ones available on Ebay, but do your research.

There are very nice adjustable dogbones available if you can afford them. That way you can get it exactly how you want it.

Fwiw any bike shop will do it for you.

evoblade, on 07 February 2012 - 11:30 AM, said:

Lowering the seat would be the top of the list if you want to keep the geometry,If you are in Dublin near Crumlin drop me a PM and I can take a look for you,if you put dogbones in you do have to correct the changes with adjustments to fork height etc if you are very particular about your bikes handling but most would not notice a difference.You could get a cheap secondhand seat off a breaker or ebay and use it as the lowered one,cheap and easy solution

I'd agree, getting your seat redone, or getting a lower seat on ebay etc would be the easiest option.

The major benefit of dogbones change, compared to seat, is it keeps the distances between your arse, pegs and handlebars the same as all the changes are "off" that triangle relationship.
If the bike "fits" you well on leg height and arm length, and the only problem is the distance to the ground, then dogbones are your solution. If changing the distance to the pegs/bars isnt an issue, go with the seat.

This post has been edited by jamesobrady: 07 February 2012 - 08:06 PM