Lowering the rear end.
- Thread starter AfDevin86
- Start date
Fz1inNH...If I only knew how and had the proper tools I'd do it myself but heck, I have no idea what the "triples" are! LOL! I'd rather spend the money and do it right then do a half ass job and screw my bike up! Gonna go to the dealer sometime this week and talk to them about dropping it down n see what they recommend! I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks for the feedback...so tell me what the triples are and what they do on the bike! I just RIDE! LOL!
Ok so I took my bike to the dealer and they are doing and saying everything to keep me from lowering it cuz they said it changes the dynamics of the ride and I should just deal with it cuz it wont corner as well as it does now and that I'll be changin the geometry of the bike so what's a girl to do???? I'm so confused...HELP PLEASE!!!
If I remember correctly, FZ1inNH said it didn't ride any different.
I guess you have to ask yourself what's more important. Do you want to flick the bike through twistie corners and drop it at stop lights? or Do you want to be able to handle the bike while sitting still and still be able to have fun in the twisties but without scraping pegs?
I really don't think you would notice any difference on the street. Now, if you got into a professional racing circuit and were blazing around a track, then maybe lowering the bike would affect its abilities. IMHO, I think being comfortable in the saddle far outweighs the potential loss in flickability or lean in corners. If you aren't comfortable, bad things can happen.
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Thanks Robert! I should be picking the bike up either today or tomorrow and they said they were going to work with me with adjustments before having to spend $$ on springs...still looking for lowering links but haven't found any yet...cousin said he'd make me some cuz he did that for his Honda CBR and it worked fine but I'm just not to sure about that!
Don't be confused msgirle. The ride geometry will NOT, repeat, NOT change if you do the front and rear at the same time. My wife has over 1000 miles on the new springs and the bike handles BETTER. The new springs are progressively wound, they are improved springs compared to the stocks. The bike will handle better and be 1 inch lower. You will not be disappointed and it will not cause you corner worse. If anything, it will help with the cornering and as a bonus you'll be able to put your feet on the ground
Keep in mind, if you changed just the front or the back, but not both you would change the geometry and affect handling. If you change them both it does decrease the wheelbase slightly, but no differently than if you compress the suspension as going through a turn. If you look at other bikes such as Buells and BMWs that offer lowered bikes, this is the way they do it.
check it out here.
http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/street/XB12Scg/features.asp#
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Thanks you guys for giving me all this great feedback! I am thankful for this forum!!! They put the stock spring down to 1 for me to see if it makes a difference so we'll see...the weather has been too hot...over 100 degrees here so I haven't take her out for a couple of days but I'm going to ride tomorrow to get a feel and see if it changed anything for me.
I clicked on the link but all it takes me to is the buell website...is there where you meant to direct me "thepod?"
I clicked on the link but all it takes me to is the buell website...is there where you meant to direct me "thepod?"
Yes, it was just to show the lowered version of the buell lightning. they lower it by using shorter springs...just trying to point out that lowered springs are OK, and won't mess with your steering geometry if done front/back.
They took your stock spring down to one??
That's going to make the ride very bouncy. That's the softest setting for the rear shock. I imagine that will actually affect your handling, especially in hard corners.Mine was set to 3 from the factory. In hard corners, the bike felt loose and slippery. I increased the rear spring to 5 and that made a world of difference. The bike feels tighter and way firmer in the twisties.
Just be careful when you go out to ride it. I am almost certain that you will feel the bike handle differently. The change from 3 to 5 was very noticeable.
Ok...cool! I'm going to talk to my mechanic and ask him about lowering it with the Hyperpro shocks...see what he says and go from there. I'll probably do it regardless of what he says but I'll keep u all posted! Thanks again! U guys ROCK!!!:thumbup:
Robert,
I will see how it rides and adjust it back if I need too...it was over 100 degrees again today with no wind and I couldn't take her out...my nose would probably bleed if I had to gear up! LOL! Thanks though, I will keep what you said in mind as I ride and see if I feel a difference.
I will see how it rides and adjust it back if I need too...it was over 100 degrees again today with no wind and I couldn't take her out...my nose would probably bleed if I had to gear up! LOL! Thanks though, I will keep what you said in mind as I ride and see if I feel a difference.
hey again: Here's a good read on suspensions. Go ride early AM, less traffic, cooler temps, HP-PD having donuts, etc. Most suspensions set-up for 160 lbs. riders (+/- 20).
Motorcycle Suspension Set-up
Motorcycle Suspension Set-up
Let me know how it turns out. If you can stomach the expense your ride will improve significantly in terms of height and you won't "f" up the geometry. On the plus side you get a pretty purple shock.:thumbup:
Well, the rear spring would take some specialty tools. You'd need to get the bike lifted so the rear is off the ground and you need a spring compression tool with no-mar hooks so you don't spoil the new purple finish.
The triples we refer to are the upper and lower clamps for the front forks. They are called triples because of the three holes, the middle one for the steering stem/frame head, and the two outside holes that grasp the forks. When we say drop the triples, it means to loosen the set-bolts that clamp the forks and actually push or raise the forks so that the tube extends a bit further through the top clamp or triple.
What this does is changes the wheelbase and rake as well as the center of gravity. This is an adjustment that you do not take lightly. Too much fork above the triple is very dangerous. Do a Youtube search for "tankslapper" and you'll see a lot of squids who didn't appreciate how sensitive this adjustment can be. While lowering the triples on the forks increases cornering capabilities, it decreases the ability to drive a stable and straight line.
Now, all of these suspension changes are solely based on the weight of the rider. Yamaha sets up the stock FZ6R for a very light rider. The rear spring is designed for a 110 - 160 lb person. The settings you can make directly to the rear are related to this weight. Thus, 110 should be set around the 1 mark. 160 at the 6 mark. if you are 125 lbs, you'd chose a 2 - 3 mark.
The front is not adjustable but you can make a difference with the raising of the forks (dropping the triples) but I'd never recommend more than 20mm at the MOST. That would be my personal opinion for a safe move but do this in 5mm increments. Have someone help that knows what they are doing. Essentially, don't loosen all four clamps at the same time... the bike will fall all the way to the seals. They also have to be carefully torqued back to specs. They need to be backed off and torqued again after 50 miles then checked after another 50.
The next thing you can do, after toying with the forks, would be to replace the fork oil with a heavier weight. If you find the front is a bit too bouncy and your bikes really dives and compresses hard going into a corner or coming to a hard stop, a heavier weight oil will improve this because the thicker viscosity slows the valves in the cartridges. Without aftermarket parts, this is the ONLY dampening and rebound adjustment you can make on the FZ6R.
Don't worry about them setting your shock to a 1 unless your weight is over 125 lbs. Use the above guideline for your own weight though.
FWIW, she still hasn't asked me to mod the springs yet. She did like me flipping that bracket and the rubber stoppers though. We'll be sending the ebay seat out to Spencer for shaving and the LD core but there isn't a lot of material there to cut down. I hope he can do something though.