lowering?

[lopes.pete]

I am not sure if I should lower my cbr 1000 ?......some people say ya others say the will suck when ridein what should i do ?

[Sushii]

I'm in the same situation but its for a Ninja 250. Most recommended shaving the seats as it will preverse the handling of the bike and what not.

[lopes.pete]

so is that what you are going to do? what about a aftermarket seat like corbin ?

[Brian P]

If you want correct handling characteristics, lowering is to be avoided and if you insist on it, lower it as little as possible and by the same amount at both ends.

If the situation is that your legs are too short ... it's wintertime. Find an automotive upholstery shop and get a price on having your seat modified. It doesn't necessarily only need to be cut "down". Making it narrower in some strategic places can help people with shorter legs touch the ground.

Boots with thick soles is the next course of action.

Keep in mind that it is NOT necessary to be able to have both feet flat on the ground in order to balance the bike. Getting used to NOT flat-footing it is the NEXT course of action.

Only after every other possibility is exhausted to the greatest possible extent should lowering by any significant amount even be considered. Lowering the suspension will reduce cornering clearance and if done incorrectly, can have MAJOR adverse effects on the steering. It's very easy to end up with something having the handling prowess of a school bus if you are not careful. It also has adverse effects on the swingarm pivot height and therefore the swingarm down-angle. For low-powered bikes, this might not be much of an issue, and if the bike is only gently ridden in cornering, it's not much of an issue. But for serious cornering (e.g. track-day conditions), having the swingarm pivot the wrong height will adversely affect rear-end grip when exiting corners.

Be very aware of maintaining proper suspension compression at the front. It must not be possible for the front fender to collide with the upper fairing or the radiator or exhaust etc when the front end is at maximum compression travel.

See this drill bit, measuring the total available compression travel (it's easy on inverted forks because you know that the dust cover will always remain clear of the axle / brake caliper casting at the bottom)



Take that drill bit and hold it at the same angle parallel to the forks on top of the front fender, between that and the bottom of the upper fairing. Whatever clearance there is between the end of the drill bit and the fairing, is the maximum amount that the front end can safely be lowered without risking fender to upper fairing collisions and while maintaining proper suspension travel.

In this particular case ... it's this amount. NO MORE. Note that it is not a large amount!



You can lower further by taking preload out of the springs, etc., but now you are adversely affecting how much suspension travel is available in bump. It may bottom out under braking over bumps, resulting in a loss of front end grip while braking - not good.

This particular bike was lowered for drag-racing purposes but only by an amount that maintained proper suspension action and proper steering geometry (i.e. very little). Initial impressions are that steering response and suspension movement are quite acceptable. Drastic slamming to the ground would not have that outcome ...

[Rotten_Ronnie]

If you want correct handling characteristics...

Ignore him, he knows nothing.

My friend tracked her lowered CBR F4I on Calabogie, but was ****** when she couldn't get any lean angle as her pegs would touch down long before her knees. She considered raising it for track, but it's her street ride.

[omnivore]

I am short and have a very short inseam of 29".
I accepted a long time ago that if I want to ride sportbikes, then I am going to have to get used to tippy toes or one footing it.I refuse to lower the bike becasue of ground clearance issues when turning. I would sooner modify a seat than lower the bike.
I have tipped over a few times at a dead stop on uneven asphalt etc, if I didn't have time to foresee or plan where I was going to get my footing beforehand.....but for me , a zero mph drop of a bike is preferable to poor handling or lack of ground clearance.