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Lowering Bike

F

Flyboy

Tricycle
Hi guys, I just upgraded from my 2004 Connie to a 2008 with 6000 miles. The previous owner has lowered the bike 1.5". I am wondering if anyone has noticed any performance issues with the bike being lower?  The bike still has the original stock tires on which have worn quite poorly. Not sure if they are to blame or the lowering but the bike feels like I am riding on a gyroscope as it always wants to be upright and has to really be pushed down into the corners and does not feel all that stable. Any help,you could give would be great.

Would also like suggestions on the best tires to replace the stock ones with.

Thanks

Johnny
 
1) buy new tires
2) get Michelin Pilot Road 3's
3) return the bike to it's original configuration (if you can get the links from the p/o)
 
+1 return to original geometry.

The reason mine is lowered is necessity... I couldn't touch the ground as some stops, and only with tippy-toes on rest. Not acceptable. Now I just have to ride a bit more conservatively and get to quit worrying about how I'll handle the next stop.
 
after 6,000 miles the tires will make the bike feel funny.  put on new tires, it will likely fix the handling problem.  i have the muzzy links, for about 5,000 miles and with shinko verges and now pr3's. the bike  feels fine.  if your aggressive you will hit pegs, especially if you drop the front and are very heavy.  i am 195 pounds and ride very aggressively with the connie, my gsxr 1000 and my bmw 1000rr.  i did not drop the front.  the bike turns in fine and the links helped the common problem of sliding forward on the seat.  muzzy warns about not riding 2 up, which i never do.  check to what what links you have, if muzzy's, i would not get rid of them.
 
I have the new tires on order. I did not quite understand the last post. Are you saying take off the Muzzy links? Can you explain why because that is what the bike has on right now. Really hoping the new tires make all the difference as right now I really have to push the bike down in the corners and hold the weight on it. My C10 never had this problem at all. I know that the C10 has a much higher center of gravity than the C14 that is why I was starting to wonder if lowering the bike the extra 1 1/2" was making the handling worse. The PO also did raise the fork about the same 1 1/2".
 
Johnny said:
I have the new tires on order. I did not quite understand the last post. Are you saying take off the Muzzy links? Can you explain why because that is what the bike has on right now. Really hoping the new tires make all the difference as right now I really have to push the bike down in the corners and hold the weight on it. My C10 never had this problem at all. I know that the C10 has a much higher center of gravity than the C14 that is why I was starting to wonder if lowering the bike the extra 1 1/2" was making the handling worse. The PO also did raise the fork about the same 1 1/2".
Click to expand...

The C14 handles best when the geometry is stock. Lowering it changes the geometry and usually makes it handle worse, or at least cuts into your corning clearance.

Lowering the front by raising the fork tubes 1-1/2" is probably too much also.

So if you have a long inseam and can flat foot the bike in original geometry condition, thats how you want to leave it. Kawasaki spent 100s of thousands of dollars figuring out what the best geometry is.
 
- most will realise that the  bike is "lowered" anyway when you , say , carry a passenger and/or load up for a trip.

- so , within reason , a drop of 1 to 2 inches isn't something drastic. Imho, Kawasaki would have in any event , taken such a loading into account when working out whether the bike's suspension/geometry still "works".

- but as all have observed , your cornering clearances are affected and both the side stand/center stand needs attention.
 
True on the face of it, dog. But the ability of the bike to "turn in" and hold a line and remain stable is finely tuned to the stock suspension settings and configuration. When you lower a bike, you alter the geometry and there is no way the bike can continue to handle as well. Maybe close, which is how I feel mine is, but not as good nonetheless.

 
Well I have put the original links back on and lowered the forks back to the original position. As soon as it stops raining I will take it out for a burn. Will let you know if I feel any performance difference. Thanks for all the input.
 
Ok, this speculation is graced with a little bit of experience...

If the Connie is lowered, then the rake on the front is likely a bit greater. This ought to make the bike sit on the freeway with very slightly more stability. It may not even be noticeable. This comes at the price of losing some cornering. Shorter rake respond quicker to turns. It is very likely that cruiser will enjoy the lower Connie while hot-rods types will enjoy the stock for speedy turns transitions. It may be the reason why lowered-Coggers who also raise the forks claim there is no difference except for the clearance.

Exactly what is mean by "it handle better" or "just as good" may be more a subjective evaluation than an empirical issue regarding engineering variances. Keeping in mind, Engineers create great pieces of machinery, but the marketing folks chop the designs to fit marketability....this the reason why most motorcycle have stock 'uncomfortable' seats. They are made to fit the look/lines of the bike.

I had the 'lowered' version of the RT1200 BMW. I did not like how it handled because it seems like it was too quick on the turn; the front responded quick to a light input. In fact, I liked the 'standard' height RT/s (of friends) because their front end seemed heavier to me.

When I got Connie, I was happy that the front end was a bit heavier to deal with than my exRT. I can sway through curves at high speed with a little more confidence.

I lowered the forks on my Goldwing plus they rose a bit more with the Traxxion set up. Even that two wheeling tank improved on the straight away flats...I mean it sat better on the freeway. Lost a hair on short radius maneuverability.

...ahh just a thought
 
Well I have ridden my bike a few times with it back at the  stock height. Right off the bat I can notice a huge difference in the cornering. At stock height the bike goes into the corners much much better. With the bike lowered I really had to push it down into a lean and it felt a bit unstable. The bike always felt like it wanted to stay upright. Now this handling characteristic may have been exaggerated due to the poorly worn stock tires I have on the bike but it corners way way better at stock height. The lowered bike was preferable when riding in the city, not only for the increased footing at stops but it was a bit better balanced at very low speeds which makes sense with the lower center of gravity. When the bike was lowered I did have to modify the side stand. I bought a used one off eBay heated it up and was able to change the bend on so it worked fine. I believe this is a must if you don't want your bike to drop. When using the original stand even a very small push forward, ie when pushing the cover back on the AC plug, can make the bike roll forward and fold up the side stand.  That scared me! So you have to be careful. I was able to get the bike up onto the the center stand without a block of wood with a bit more grunt.  Actually about the same effort as it takes to get my C10 on to its center stand. The final deciding factor for me to raise the bike back up was after I was riding through a parking lot and went over a couple of very normal sized small speed bumps at crawling speed and the bike bottomed out.  At first I thought it was the center stand but when I stopped and looked under the bike I was horrified to see that it was hitting right by the oil drain plug. So be careful with that.

Well that is about my 2 cents worth, I hope it helps a little for anyone thinking about dropping the height down. Still have to put on my new tires and am looking forward to increased handling I will get from them.  Running out of time though as the snow is staring to fly a bit up here. Still need those heated grips too.

Later
 
I notice that after lowering the bike, more chicks want to ride with me...and you get less dust on the licence plate...these can be very important to folks with shorter inseam
 
Johnny said:
Well I have ridden my bike a few times with it back at the  stock height. Right off the bat I can notice a huge difference in the cornering. At stock height the bike goes into the corners much much better. With the bike lowered I really had to push it down into a lean and it felt a bit unstable. The bike always felt like it wanted to stay upright. Now this handling characteristic may have been exaggerated due to the poorly worn stock tires I have on the bike but it corners way way better at stock height. The lowered bike was preferable when riding in the city, not only for the increased footing at stops but it was a bit better balanced at very low speeds which makes sense with the lower center of gravity. When the bike was lowered I did have to modify the side stand. I bought a used one off eBay heated it up and was able to change the bend on so it worked fine. I believe this is a must if you don't want your bike to drop. When using the original stand even a very small push forward, ie when pushing the cover back on the AC plug, can make the bike roll forward and fold up the side stand.  That scared me! So you have to be careful. I was able to get the bike up onto the the center stand without a block of wood with a bit more grunt.  Actually about the same effort as it takes to get my C10 on to its center stand. The final deciding factor for me to raise the bike back up was after I was riding through a parking lot and went over a couple of very normal sized small speed bumps at crawling speed and the bike bottomed out.  At first I thought it was the center stand but when I stopped and looked under the bike I was horrified to see that it was hitting right by the oil drain plug. So be careful with that.

Well that is about my 2 cents worth, I hope it helps a little for anyone thinking about dropping the height down. Still have to put on my new tires and am looking forward to increased handling I will get from them.  Running out of time though as the snow is staring to fly a bit up here. Still need those heated grips too. set the front forks at the stock setting. it will work fine. 

Later
Click to expand...

the prior owner, who installed the links may have also dialed out all the rear preload, causing you to bottom, before you removed the links. your bike would not turn in because of the tires. if you are having trouble getting your feet down, i would re- install the links (ten minute job) set the rear preload in the center, set the forks at the original factory height and try it out.  if you are ok with the feet getting, flat leave it stock.  presume your tire pressures are good, but double check with a gauge.  a low front will make the front very sluggish
 
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