lowering a bike?

[Adrenalinechic]

Hey y'all....


so i was thinking about lowering my bike (2004 suzuki gs500f). Basically I know that it makes turning more difficult, but if im not on a completely flat surface, i can't pray to touch the ground even with my boots.

So does lowering the bike make THAT big of a difference? If so, are there any other alternatives to allowing me to touch the ground??

Thanks :-)

*A

[Jenni]

i don't think you'd notice it unless you're at the track. honestly, the only time you really need to be concerned with touching ground is when you're at a stop. just keep the left foot planted and the other on the brake. i'm 5'2 (if i'm lucky)... still on the tip of my toes when the bike is upright but i'm comfortable & still have no desire to lower it.

alternative (if you really want) would be to shave your seat.

[mzdagrl]

honestly, you have been riding a while, why are you considering lowering now?

if it will make you more comfortable, then do it. You can relearn the rest as you go, but you have had this bike for a while now, and I am confused as to why now it is too tall?

[The Snowman]

Why bother, you never ride it anyway.

[Doc]

Lower the rear, Lower the front... then the geometry stays the same...

[gmdboston]

Lower the rear, Lower the front... then the geometry stays the same...

No it doesn't.

[union]

can you shave the seat down at all?...i would think there would be at least an inch or two you could hack off then get re covered

+1 try that first. If you have already been riding it then try to avoid lowering it. If you do your first time on it the bike will feel really weird. Same if you raise it.

I know youre pain of not being able to touch the ground. I know we have met before at one of the drunk-a-thons and if I remember correctly like everyone else in this world youre taller then me. I cant touch on any of my bikes. On the street Ill leave my right foot on the peg so I have the brake covered. On the track when I have to try and launch my bike off the line which Im not good at I leave my left foot on the peg so I can shift faster and just kind of hang off the bike until I get moving.

[schmuhl]

My bike was lowered and I love it. I am 5'8'' and work-out however between the "standard height" and the weight of the bike, I was not pleased with how it felt. My shop did an outstanding job and it has placed me in better control.

[union]

can you shave the seat down at all?...i would think there would be at least an inch or two you could hack off then get re covered

My bike was lowered and I love it. I am 5'8'' and work-out however between the "standard height" and the weight of the bike, I was not pleased with how it felt. My shop did an outstanding job and it has placed me in better control.

What do you mean in better control? How often are you stopped. Im willing to bet youre moving more then stopped. Im sure youre fine for just cruising around but if you ever come up to try a track day or start to push it a bit on the street youll find the limits of it faster and will actually be in less control. Typically the lower you go the slower the bike will transition and turn. At 5'8 I wouldnt think you would have much of a problem reaching. You have a full 2 inches on me and I cant flat foot but I can get both toes down.

[schmuhl]

What do you mean in better control? How often are you stopped. Im willing to bet youre moving more then stopped. Im sure youre fine for just cruising around but if you ever come up to try a track day or start to push it a bit on the street youll find the limits of it faster and will actually be in less control. Typically the lower you go the slower the bike will transition and turn. At 5'8 I wouldnt think you would have much of a problem reaching. You have a full 2 inches on me and I cant flat foot but I can get both toes down.

I use this bike to commute as well as cruise the Seacoast, so stopping and starting is a real part of my world. Just as I would adjust the car seat position to have better control, I felt this was a responsible 'adjustment.' In addition, chances are, you have a noticeable amount more upper-body-strength than I do.

While I have started to push it on the street successfully, I will certainly refer to your experience that this change in the bike's 'center' will have an impact racing -- however this is a Speed Four that will not see track time (with me on it), so that's mute.

[Adrenalinechic]

honestly, you have been riding a while, why are you considering lowering now?

if it will make you more comfortable, then do it. You can relearn the rest as you go, but you have had this bike for a while now, and I am confused as to why now it is too tall?

I keep dropping it when I'm stopped on a hill. I could just be retarded but that verdict hasnt come in yet because I do know many women shorter than that dont have a problem.

I do most my riding by myself so if i drop it im pretty screwed.

Why bother, you never ride it anyway.

sshhhh it died this season and i was too scared to ride it alone in case it happened again!!

[union]

I keep dropping it when I'm stopped on a hill. I could just be retarded but that verdict hasnt come in yet because I do know many women shorter than that dont have a problem.

I do most my riding by myself so if i drop it im pretty screwed.



sshhhh it died this season and i was too scared to ride it alone in case it happened again!!

How exactly are you dropping it? Just stopping and falling over? Is the bike rolling backwards before you drop it? Is it some weird hill thats more like a banked corner and youre putting your downhill foot down? Id be willing to give you a hand out on the road but you are like 2 hours from me and I have had a few none bike issues this year so my street time has been very limited.

Maybe a good thing for you to try is a trackday. You go to Tonys for the first time and its not really about riding fast. Its about improving your skills. I guarantee that you will improve. There is also a ton of great instruction up there and advice from people that really know bikes.

[idratherberidin]

I really love this question because you get the same answers from the same people; shave the seat, don't do it you won't be able to turn. I bought my bike lowered 3". I learned to ride with it that way. I rode with it lowered for a year. I had absolutely no problems with it like that. As I became more comfortable I decided to raise it back up to near stock height. It was like getting on a new bike. It corners faster and overall response of the bike is quicker. However when I stop I have to pay attention to where my feet are going to go.
The point of this jumbled story is do what you want. A lowered bike isn't going to take all the fun out of your riding. Either way I still have or had a lot of fun on my bike.

[union]

I really love this question because you get the same answers from the same people; shave the seat, don't do it you won't be able to turn. I bought my bike lowered 3". I learned to ride with it that way. I rode with it lowered for a year. I had absolutely no problems with it like that. As I became more comfortable I decided to raise it back up to near stock height. It was like getting on a new bike. It corners faster and overall response of the bike is quicker. However when I stop I have to pay attention to where my feet are going to go.
The point of this jumbled story is do what you want. A lowered bike isn't going to take all the fun out of your riding. Either way I still have or had a lot of fun on my bike.

You get the same answers because its the same question.

Will lowering a bike take the fun out of riding? No but it makes the bike handle like a 18 wheeler.

[Paul_E_D]

I'm thinking of lowering my street motard. I have a 29" inseam and it has a 35" seat height. To say I can't touch is an understatement. I'm comfy with tall dirtbikes in the dirt, but swinging my leg over this thing 4 times a day is awkward, not to mention stop and go traffic... there aren't any rocks or berms to take advantage of on the street.

With 11" of travel, I don't think I'll lose too much performance by lowering it 1.5", but I'll be researching this before I do it.

[union]

I'm thinking of lowering my street motard. I have a 29" inseam and it has a 35" seat height. To say I can't touch is an understatement. I'm comfy with tall dirtbikes in the dirt, but swinging my leg over this thing 4 times a day is awkward, not to mention stop and go traffic... there aren't any rocks or berms to take advantage of on the street.

With 11" of travel, I don't think I'll lose too much performance by lowering it 1.5", but I'll be researching this before I do it.

Paul youre in a bit of a different situation. First off youre a very experienced rider. Second 11 inches of travel is a bit more then most street bikes have So lowering it a inch or so isnt going to make a huge difference. Are we going to be seeing this bike at the shop soon?

[MissTwisties]

Andrea...I have offered you to go on rides with you way more than once. You never called. Have I been with you at the time you dropped your bike, I could have help you put it back up. Plus, you would have no reason to be "scared to go ride alone".

[TTD]

The "trick" is to always remain balanced... and to plan properly.

Whenever possible, stop in such a manner that your left foot is higher than your wheels. (or whichever foot you prefer to put down).

But, always keep the bike balanced. You learn balance by VERY SLOWLY riding around a parking lot with lots of turns and stopping and going... all without ever putting a foot down.

A competent rider should be able to stop their bike for a full second or two, on any incline, without putting a foot down. To do that, you must be balanced on the bike and the bike must be balanced to the terrain.

If you're constantly pulling up to stop signs and feeling like you're just barely getting your foot down in time to keep the bike from falling over... you need to practice more.

NOTE: This is not just directed at you. I see it in many riders that have many more miles under their belt. Once again, riding dirt bikes is a great way to learn slow speed balance... and the penalties while learning are minimal.

[Doc]

No it doesn't.

I stand corrected.

After I typed that I was thinking... the bike would be lower to the ground, losing ground clearance, changing the fork angle... Oh christ I hope Pete chimes in.

[jmh992003]

No it doesn't.

this post cracked me up. You could probbaly write at least a full page on why it doesnt, and all the intircate details of the geometry that someone like me would NEVER understand. It just made me chuckle.

[jmh992003]

The "trick" is to always remain balanced... and to plan properly.

Whenever possible, stop in such a manner that your left foot is higher than your wheels. (or whichever foot you prefer to put down).

Planning is an awesome point. Im 5'8" barely, I ride a gsxr 1000 which actually has a lower seat height than my triumph daytona i had before. one of the things I do, is simply I dont stop. If I see a light is red ahead or yelow, I hang back from the car in front of me so I can slowly crawl without ever stopping. I do lean the bike a little left and keep my right on the rear brake when I have to stop. If you practice slow manuvers, stopping turning etc... youll get more comfortable balancing your bike when on the road.

[Kham]

I stand corrected.

After I typed that I was thinking... the bike would be lower to the ground, losing ground clearance, changing the fork angle... Oh christ I hope Pete chimes in.

center gravity would be lower.,, not a problem for poser. hey it rhym

[Cowboyrider]

I am still trying to figure out why I fell over stopped the other day....

I think parking is my greatest fear so far and putting myself in a position where I can get out with ease.

It was a slow speed fall and I was starting to go forward but the bars were cranked left from being parked and they wouldn't go straight once I was trying to move slowly forward.

When I took the MSF class I loved doing the slow stuff, I want to practice again but don't want to dump my bike again! Oh the worries....

I say if you want to lower it do it, especially if it will give you more confidence to ride more, which in turn will give you more confidence back to ride. that make sense?

The "trick" is to always remain balanced... and to plan properly.

Whenever possible, stop in such a manner that your left foot is higher than your wheels. (or whichever foot you prefer to put down).

But, always keep the bike balanced. You learn balance by VERY SLOWLY riding around a parking lot with lots of turns and stopping and going... all without ever putting a foot down.

A competent rider should be able to stop their bike for a full second or two, on any incline, without putting a foot down. To do that, you must be balanced on the bike and the bike must be balanced to the terrain.

If you're constantly pulling up to stop signs and feeling like you're just barely getting your foot down in time to keep the bike from falling over... you need to practice more.

NOTE: This is not just directed at you. I see it in many riders that have many more miles under their belt. Once again, riding dirt bikes is a great way to learn slow speed balance... and the penalties while learning are minimal.

[OreoGaborio]

Lower the rear, Lower the front... then the geometry stays the same...

nope.


EDIT: damnit, PK... NESR is the one place I'm capable of being faster than you

[gmdboston]

nope.


EDIT: damnit, PK... NESR is the one place I'm capable of being faster than you

Apparently not here either.......