Lowering the rear end.

[FZ1inNH]

I ment give it time for companies to make after market parts for it. Then they will be easy to find. I know a girl who has been tippy toes for 2 years on her R1 and does just fine.

Ahhhh.... ok! In the case of the FZ6R, there isn't a lot a company can do with the rear outside of what thepod bought. Because of the solid mount on top of the crossbar, there isn't any way to mount something lower without modifying the swingarm, thus the only way is to shorten the rear shock.

I've been eyeballing it and there may be something that can be done at the top mount though with almost an inch of play. Giving that some thought but I need to tear it all down and get some pics of the area and the clearances.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Well good luck, sounds like you have some good fabrication skills. Let us know how it turns out in the end.

 

[thepod]

Thank you for the excellent write up as well as being our forum pioneer in the spring kit lowering. My wife cannot flatfoot the bike. She is on the balls of her feet with her thicker soled boots. I think that we will send her seat to Spencer first to see what he can do for lowering without compromising the seat. If that isn't enough, then I now know I have an avenue to pursue. Again, thanks!

I will be installing myself thus saving half the cost. Do you know what weight oil they sent with it?

If I recall correctly it was SAE 15W. Good luck, let me know how it works out.

 

[xplodnstar]

Thank you, thepod, for the write up on these. I've been interested in finding something that does more for lowering the bike since I first saw the articles and Yamaha info last year. I did get my seat shaved a couple months ago and it has helped, but I still want more stability in case I have to stop in gravelly areas. It sounds like a more expensive upgrade, but I can save for a couple months and it will give me more confidence when coming to a stop.

Smoothpapa, in answer to your question, the whole lowering process is so that we can stop worring about where we have to put our feet down. I avoid certain roads and intersections that would be better for traffic or just shorter distances because I'm afraid that if I put my foot down somewhere, I will fall over. I only have 1/2 inch of contact on either side with my feet. The 2.5 inch lowering will give at least 1.5 inches more of contact, probably more. Your R1 friend has chosen to stick with her limitation, but how many drops did she endure when just starting out? I don't want to take that chance with my pretty, pretty bike. More power to her, though, it's a tough decision to make.

 

[stryken]

xplodnstar, I say do what makes you comfortable on your bike moving or stopped. I am a short guy and though I am perfectly comfy on my FZ moving though any type of paved road I too wanted to be comfortable stopped as well. I bought the rear lowering springs and would defiantly do it again. I also shaved my seat a little and love it, now I can set my feet down at the intersections without having to worry. There is enough going on when on the bike watching what others are doing without having to worry about how I am going to position my foot on the ground and lean the bike to balance it. Some cautioned me about lowering and losing ground clearance in the twisties but Its not really an issue. I am down to only 1/8" strips remaining on my tires and the only thing I have scraped on the road is the toe of my boot. Hope you are able to get parts for your "R" soon, your gonna love the extra feeling of control! :thumbup:

 

[xplodnstar]

Thanks, stryken. For the most part I am comfortable on the bike, but with a 29" inseam and 475 lbs of bike to hold up, I wouldn't mind the extra leverage.

Since I have 3/4 - 1" strips, I still have some way to go before I scrape anything. Of course, once I do, I'll have to do some laundry.

I do LOVE this bike, though! :thumbup:

Oh, and always know where your towel is!

 

[msgirle]

I am trying to lower the rear end on my new fz6r. I can't find ANYTHING on what I need to do it. The only advice I got from the dealer is to soften the spring rate in the rear end. I will ABSOLUTELY not do that! I like a stiff ride.

What do you think about shaving down the seat some and removing the black plastic that separates the seat from the battery? I did that and I feel pretty comfortable with mine! :thumbup: I would do this before lowering the bike because I've heard that changes the ride and feel of the bike. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps!

 

[thepod]

Already added these as an external link, but I'll add them as pics too.
First three are stock springs. After that it's the hyperpro setup.

The last pic shows the lean angle of the bike on the kickstand with the lowered springs.

 

[99vengeur]

Looks great!! :thumbup:

 

[xplodnstar]

How much of her foot was in contact with the ground before? How much now?

The bike itself looks great. :thumbup:

 

[thepod]

How much of her foot was in contact with the ground before? How much now?

The bike itself looks great. :thumbup:

She was on the balls of her feet, but not tiptoes before hand. This is what is seen in the first three pics (black pants). She was just shy of flat footed (jeans) after the new shocks. Probably a drop of about an inch exactly

 

[xplodnstar]

Gosh that sounds great!!!! I may have to ask for this for my birthday. It'll make a BIG difference for me.

 

[thepod]

Yes, she is very happy with the setup now.

 

[stroke]

What do you think about shaving down the seat some and removing the black plastic that separates the seat from the battery? I did that and I feel pretty comfortable with mine! :thumbup: I would do this before lowering the bike because I've heard that changes the ride and feel of the bike. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps!

how much did the removal of the plastic height adjuster thing change?

 

[msgirle]

how much did the removal of the plastic height adjuster thing change?

It was about a half an inch...sorry for the late reply. I'm thinking of ordering the shocks too just because I rode nearly 200 miles yesterday and in some areas it sucked...especially on gravel...was nervous about dropping my bike but thank goodness I didn't! I'm gonna see if there are lowering links on ebay before I spend the money on the shocks...that's almost the cost of the 2 brothers exhaust!! LOL! We'll see!

 

[FZ1inNH]

So, tonight, I went out and took apart her stock seat. The bracket in the rear of the rider area? I took all three rubber plugs and the bracket off. I reversed the two gray rubber stoppers on the tabs and reversed the black center plug and metal piece. After reversing and mounting these and then putting the seat back in place, I had my wife try it. She gained nearly 1/2" and can now push the bike backwards on her own! Thanks msgirle! She likes the swap!

I have a stock seat coming that we intend to send out to Spencer for lowering and the LD pad added. I'll also reverse the mounting on that seat as well!

 

[msgirle]

You're welcome FZinNH! Glad it helped someone else out! 1/2 an inch makes a difference but I need more than that...did the seat modification already but not enough for me to back up my bike comfortably! Sucks! Gonna check with the dealer about lowering it and see what they have to say.

 

[FZ1inNH]

You're welcome FZinNH! Glad it helped someone else out! 1/2 an inch makes a difference but I need more than that...did the seat modification already but not enough for me to back up my bike comfortably! Sucks! Gonna check with the dealer about lowering it and see what they have to say.

:thumbup: I think if the seat makes enough difference, we might be done with her lowering issues. If not, then it will be the $330 spring kit that thepod did for his wife and I know that will be the final fix.

What is your inseam? My wife is a little less than 30" but she also wears a boot that gives her another inch.

 

[msgirle]

30"! I too wear boots that give me about an inch but its still not enough!!! Sucks!!! Gonna have to splurge on the springs!!! Wud rather spend it on TBR exhaust tho!!! LOL! Oh well mabe Yoshi will come out with one for r bikes!!!

 

[FZ1inNH]

30"! I too wear boots that give me about an inch but its still not enough!!! Sucks!!! Gonna have to splurge on the springs!!! Wud rather spend it on TBR exhaust tho!!! LOL! Oh well mabe Yoshi will come out with one for r bikes!!!

You're right to concentrate on the important stuff first and worry about the aesthetic mods later. Once the ride height is optimal, then grab the cools stuff!

If you buy only the rear spring and do the work yourself, then drop the front in the triples, you can get away cheap and achieve the same goal for little money.