lowering
Thread Starter
|
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 25
From:
lowering
i am about to buy myself a new zx10. my girlfriend says if i sell my 01 zx6 she will leave me. she wants it. it has been crashed 2 times, but still looks good. not bad crashes. anyhow, she is only 5'2 and can't reach the ground good. barely touches with tip toes. i already have lowering links on the back in the middle position, but they were alreadey there. how would i go about lowering this thing almost all the way for her to ride? i got the idea on the back, but how about the front?
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
From:
RE: lowering
You really sacrifice the feel and handling of the bike when you lower it. Besides, it just looks good all bowed up. Tell her that her feet won't need to touch the ground when she is riding and to slide her *** to one side when at a stop. It's kewl that she rides though. Keep her interested and you will always have the latest bike out there. WAHOOO!!!!
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 116
RE: lowering
I am a girl and I lowered my bike 1 inch. I'm 5'6"...if she is only 5'2", I can't imagine being able to ride at all at stock height. I didn't feel comfortable backing the bike up at stock height. I feel a lot more confident riding it now rather than when it was stock height. I also lowered it about 1/4 of an inch in the front. I live in FL...not many twisties so it was a no brainer for me to lower it. Hope this helps!!!
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
From:
RE: lowering
I'm 5'7 and I never back my back up more than a couple of feet when I'm on it. I have some decent boots with thick soles and heel that helps me reach the ground comfortably at a stop. I still have to slide over a bit. To compromise the true ride of the bike is in my opinion a mistake. You wouldn't cut the legs off a horse to ride it or lower your 4wd truck so it was easier to get in it so why change the bike's stance. The engineering on the motorcycle is for a specific reasons. If you read the detailed explanations on the specs you find there is a reason for everything. For truely advanced riders they may understand and have a real feel for changing the bike's stance but for most of us the bike is where it needs to be. There are sport bikes on the market that sit lower than in super sport class. Maybe that would be a better chioce than changing what should be left alone. Hey, just one guy's opinion. Bottom line is if you enjoy riding your bike it really doesn't matter what you have done or not. Be safe..... 
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,044
From: So Cal
RE: lowering
To lower the front end just loosen your triple clamps top and bottom and let your forks move up through the clamps. I would recommend doing this on a level surface and with a fork stand if you have one. Also removing your fairings and placing a jack under your header to support the bikes weight while adjusting is helpful.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,044
From: So Cal
RE: lowering
ORIGINAL: Donatello
I'm 5'7 and I never back my back up more than a couple of feet when I'm on it. I have some decent boots with thick soles and heel that helps me reach the ground comfortably at a stop. I still have to slide over a bit. To compromise the true ride of the bike is in my opinion a mistake. You wouldn't cut the legs off a horse to ride it or lower your 4wd truck so it was easier to get in it so why change the bike's stance. The engineering on the motorcycle is for a specific reasons. If you read the detailed explanations on the specs you find there is a reason for everything. For truely advanced riders they may understand and have a real feel for changing the bike's stance but for most of us the bike is where it needs to be. There are sport bikes on the market that sit lower than in super sport class. Maybe that would be a better chioce than changing what should be left alone. Hey, just one guy's opinion. Bottom line is if you enjoy riding your bike it really doesn't matter what you have done or not. Be safe.....
I'm 5'7 and I never back my back up more than a couple of feet when I'm on it. I have some decent boots with thick soles and heel that helps me reach the ground comfortably at a stop. I still have to slide over a bit. To compromise the true ride of the bike is in my opinion a mistake. You wouldn't cut the legs off a horse to ride it or lower your 4wd truck so it was easier to get in it so why change the bike's stance. The engineering on the motorcycle is for a specific reasons. If you read the detailed explanations on the specs you find there is a reason for everything. For truely advanced riders they may understand and have a real feel for changing the bike's stance but for most of us the bike is where it needs to be. There are sport bikes on the market that sit lower than in super sport class. Maybe that would be a better chioce than changing what should be left alone. Hey, just one guy's opinion. Bottom line is if you enjoy riding your bike it really doesn't matter what you have done or not. Be safe.....
Racers and avid track riders will raise and lower bikes for different reasons and for different track conditions. If this gal can’t touch the ground on her bike it needs to be lowered, she also needs to understand that when she does this it will decrease the amount of lean angle, the bike starts dragging hard parts with less lean angle then it used to before lowering it. This should not be to much of a problem unless she is going to be doing a lot of track and canyon riding and hitting it hard. For normal ridding around town and basic riding, she should not have any problems.
JMO of course.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,044
From: So Cal
RE: lowering
Sorry if it came off harsh bro, after I left I realized that my reply could easily be looked at as an attack . If so sorry, it was not my intension at all. Just learned advice being passed along.
Take it easy, Mike
Take it easy, Mike
