Scared of clipons...


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DanCanMOTO

New Member
Hey forum, haven't been on in a while.

couple questions:

Even before I bought my FZ6R, I knew I wanted to put on woodcraft clip ons and I did a bunch of research but couldn't find anything on my fear. My buddy has a GSXR750 with stock clip ons and I noticed that his clip ons have a screw that go through the triple tree. My biggest fear with putting clip ons on my bike, is that no matter how much locktite I use, and no matter how much to spec the torque is, the clip ons are are going to spin on the forks on day and I'm going to go down. I had a similar thing happen when I was first learning how to pop a wheelie. I came down too hard and my handle bar turned down (under my body weight). The bar only went down and I was easily able to fix it with my trusty dusty tool bag, but if this were to happen with clip ons, I feel the lateral movement would be a lot more catastrophic.

second question:

I weigh 260 lbs. I've heard that the riders weight can affect the handling more when you lower the front end, and seeing that I just bought an icon variant and I'm about to buy the clip ons, I don't really have the money to spend on the lowering link for a couple more months. Will my overweightness affect the handling more so than a lighter guy who dropped the front end 1.5"?

All posts are appreciated!

DanCanMOTO
 
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Brent27

New Member
You don't have to worry about clipons spinning or coming off if you've done it right. If you think about it your forks are attached to the triple tree via friction - there are just two pinch bolts that hold each one on. There are no bolts/screws going into the fork itself to hold it in place

With your weight, I'd go for l stiffer fork springs. The stock are pretty soft. You'll probably have a lot of brake dive right now. I upgraded my springs and it was a huge difference. I got the race tech springs for just under $100 bucks shipped. Not sure how much it would cost to install but I did it myself in about 3 hours, taking my time. It was surprisingly easy.
 
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brownwa

New Member
Great question, as I've read mixed experiences with clip-ons. My rule of thumb is to never put unnecessary load on them. In particular people have reported their clip-ons moving when when they attach tie down straps. If you're super worried then I'd check the torque on your clip-on bolts before and after every ride. It sounds excessive but it's the only way to be sure.

What I do is keep my weight off my hands while riding and braking. Press your knees into the gas tank, that will take some weight off of the clipons. Another trick is pressing down on the foot pegs. Also when you're coming down from wheelies give the bike some gas for a gentle landing.

Edit: lowered front suspension - You will have to get an aftermarket rear suspension that allows height adjustment. The answer to your weight-handling question is to lower both front and back by an equal amount. If money's tight then get a suspension expert to adjust your rear shock preload. My guess is they will have to make it softer, to make the back sink 1.5" so that it rides as if you'd lowered the back end by that amount. If you're flat broke, reduce your rear shock pre-load by 2 numbers from what it's at now.
 
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Rumpig

Member
I lowered the front 1 1/2 " and the steering felt to light. Changed it back to 1" and it felt better. Doesn't seem much but small changes affect the geometry quite a bit.
 

alaskanflyboy

alaskanflyboy

Premium Member
If you're worried about the bolts backing out, I would consider investing in either lock wire or torque seal. Torque seal will just give you an indication that the bolt has shifted, whereas lock wire actually keeps bolts from rotating.
 
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