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What are the trade-offs from lowering the Wee?

6K views 35 replies 25 participants last post by  AceRider 
#1 ·
Hi all. I just bought a nice 2009 Wee. I love this bike, especially compared to the UJM's I used to ride 30 years ago. I'm not going to get farkle happy (yet) because it does everything I want pretty darn well.

My question to you experienced Wee owners is, what is the down side to lowering the Wee? I'm 5'8" and have a 28.5" inseam. I'm coping with the ride height but an extra inch would make this 58 year old more comfortable. However, I don't want to do anything that compromises the ride or handling performance.

So, should I lower the bike by 1" or not? And, yes, I'm considering having the seat modified (lower) by Spencer. Is this a better approach? Thanks very much in advance for your feedback.

Regards,
Steve
 
#2 ·
You lose ground clearance and cornering clearance but that's obvious. What isn't so obvious is the aerodynamics. The stock setup causes front end lift at speed. I had a hard time believing how much better the bike handles with the front end lowered 10-15mm with a stock rear, especially in windy or semi-truck passing gusty. Lowering the center of mass with typical lowering helps with that a bit but not so much. ABS Wees with fork braces (a must AFAIAC) only allow a 10mm front end lowering, 7mm for the Superbrace. With the rear lowered as much or more than the front, keep speeds reasonable.
 
#4 ·
I was going to lower mine after going to a Gel seat, looking to get rid of the very sore backside....Was still not comfortable on longer rides, then sprang for a Sargent, pain is gone but I have not been able to go more than 100 miles at one time YET! I am now able to flat foot without lowering and so far love the new seat. I have a 29in inseam.
 
#5 ·
I lowered our Wee (1 1/4 Kuba links, raised fork tubes) and ground clearance and lean angle is compromised but it works great for the girlfriend. It was absolutely necessary on hers to shorten the kickstand but only takes 30 minutes if you have a welder. As we live near Corbin we had a forward, lowered, and thinner (at front) seat made and I also installed some up and back handle bar risers. She has ridden many a 500-700 mile day with me without issues.
 
#7 ·
Yer ballz will be "THAT" much closer to the ground........that's one drawback!
It's the chain that worries me.

Gaffer tape is cheap insurance.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Subtle changes are good. I used a 5/8" lowering link and then cut an additional 3/8" out of the four rectangular rubber blocks on the bottom of the saddle, for a total of 1" lowered. No problems with clearance and the stock sidestand seems fine. No problem getting it up (on the center stand). ;) Very happy with the result.
 
#10 ·
The Wee in stock trim has literally half the ground clearance of a proper dirtbike. In fact motocross bikes have more than 13" ground clearance, more than double the Wee. So for off road be careful if you lower it further. Yes, a sturdy skidplate protects so that is a MUST for a lowered Wee going beyond a mild dirt road. Lower the fork 10-15mm and it will handle sharp as noted by Grey Wolf, but now you also have a minor reduction in front suspension travel. For mostly on road, lowering is great for riders 5'9" or under.
 
#11 ·
Lower the fork 10-15mm and it will handle sharp as noted by Grey Wolf, but now you also have a minor reduction in front suspension travel.
That's not the case. Only ABS Wees with fork braces hit travel limits at around 10mm. Others can go as much as about 21mm with full travel.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Hi all. I just bought a nice 2009 Wee. I love this bike, especially compared to the UJM's I used to ride 30 years ago. I'm not going to get farkle happy (yet) because it does everything I want pretty darn well.

My question to you experienced Wee owners is, what is the down side to lowering the Wee? I'm 5'8" and have a 28.5" inseam. [...]
The first downside is you get a lot of off-topic replies for asking.
The second downside is that lowering a bike is just as dumb as lowering a car (in both cases the handling suffers, but I'll admit that bikes suffer a bit less).

The third and real downside is that the bike won't be able to corner as well or be as stable at slow speeds. The wee is the only bike I've never scraped a peg with, and I really like that; it's also real easy to keep still at a stoplight with my feet on the pegs.
I'd also like to mention that my givi bags touch the ground before the peg does; a lowered bike is likely to make that problem worse because it lowers the rear more than the front (and you don't want to lose the rear wheel mid-corner).

My advice is give yourself some time on the bike; you'll get used to the height (it's only intimidating for the first few rides). Don't waste your money on cheap lowering links that will handicap your bike. If you need something lower, get your seat redone and buy boots with thicker soles.
 
#14 ·
The third and real downside is that the bike won't be able to corner as well or be as stable at slow speeds.
Hmm... most folks seem to agree that lowering the front end a bit actually improves handling. If the front and rear ends are lowered by the same amount, and that amount does not cause interference when at full suspension compression, how is handling effected (other than ground clearance)?

The good news is that for less than $50 you can lower this bike. And for $0 you can raise it back up again, all with very little effort. Lower it to gain confidence. Raise it back up if and when you are ready to.
 
#17 ·
I raised my Vee. It increased the ground clearance and made the steering a bit quicker, but it is not 'twitchy' and still very stable. I wanted it higher simply because I like the feel of a tall bike.

I would predict that lowering your bike will decrease the ground clearance and slow the steering a bit, but not make it sluggish; probably make it more stable.

If you think you will like the bike lower then I say go for it.
 
#19 ·
Lowering the DL

Unless you're a racer you probably wouldn't be aware of 3/4'' lowering as stated above. My first impression on first test riding a 650, it was in my view (then 38 continous years of riding numerous bikes) vague in steering. Purchased the bike, rode it home, lowered the front by dropping the forks 10mm ( later to 12mm) Lovely. For my 30" inseam I removed the four rubber buffer plus between seat and frame. Only 10mm but noticeable.
Now almost 70000kms the seat has squished down a lot. I touch the ground OK but the seat is thin and must be remade to suit me.
Try lowering it and see, no great harm done and you can always raise it as already mentioned above.
 
#20 ·
I have a lowered wee, lowered the front by 12 mm to compensate. Similar inseam to you and no regrets on this yet. I get that ground clearance and COG are compromised, but I'm not what you would call an aggressive rider and the ability to get both feet on the ground helps with my confidence.

The only concern is if you go off pavement. It's not just the lower ground clearance, but you will run into challenges if you add a skid plate. I ran into this with a KTM I once owned - had to raise it again. At the recommendation of some fellow members here, I just bought a Hyde Racing skid plate. It sits closer to the engine and won't have that metal to pavement contact when cornering. But, then again, I only plan to do light off roading, like easy fire roads. I wouldn't lower the bike if you plan to get into more serious offroading.

Good luck!
 
#21 ·
My mrs is about same measurements as you are
We lowered her Wee front (12mm) and back (25.4mm) and found that she hit the toe sliders on her boots from time to time and since her bike is fitted with a SW-M sump guard it seamed very close to the ground also (almost hitting gutters when going over them)
Only real drawback was the extra effort to get the bike up on the centrestand.

We have reverted the bike back to stock height at the back (kept the front at 12mm lower), removed the rubber blocks under the seat and fitted ricks foot peg lowering kit to get a bit less knee bend and this has worked out better for her than the lowering links at the back. She is much happier with the bike this way.
 
#22 ·
Lowing a V-Strom makes it a little less intimidating to pirates.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I dropped mine twice on my trip last fall-once by stepping on the remnants of a cheeseburger and the other in a wet slanted parking lot. If I had been paying attention, neither would have happened. But I'm 70 and you-know-what happens!

I have a Corbin seat which increases the distance to the ground-love the seat, hated the stock seat!

I raised the forks 3/4" when I bought the bike and installed Soupy's adjustable Dog bones for about $100 when I returned from the trip. I'm now almost flat footed. My inseam is about 31". Here's Soupy's web site:

Soupys Performance, Motorcycle Lowering Kits, Motorcycle Raising Links

I am able to easily get the bike on the centerstand and am happy with the change.

Ian, Iowa
 
#24 ·
I'm also in the club to advise to just keep it stock. I lowered it 3/4" for almost a yr. As soon as Summer hit and all the crud was off the roads I was scraping all the time. Suspension felt way too soft for me so I went back to stock and kept the forks raised a bit and now love it.
 
#25 ·
I bough mine used, it had been lowered an inch front and back.

Couldn't tell you why, but the handling always had a kind of high pucker factor for me. I also scraped the centerstand when turning in a few irrelevant instances.

I'm 6'3", didn't need the lowered bike, finally got it put back to stock, and in subtle but striking ways the bike just feels more predictable, turning is more confidence inspiring and it's generally much more of a pleasure to ride. Mine had risers/pullbacks on as well, and pulling those off helped in addition.

If you can't bear the height, lower it. But I'd try a lowered seat or other options first... I would hate to have to ride the bike again in dropped form.

Note: I also raised the front back to stock, though I may change that down the line. I wanted to get a good sense of the dynamics in fully stock form before making the change.
 
#27 ·
I'm 5-8" and have about a 29-30" inseam. I have lowered bikes before and I don't care for what happens to the suspension. I think it's great as is although I came from a KLR so to me this is awesome. As others have noted, you kinda get used to it as long as it's not really high. The ones I have lowered ( KLR-650-DR-350 ) I ended up selling the lowering links rather quickly. Actually I am thinking about maybe raising it a bit for more off-road worthiness!
 
#28 ·
I am close to your height and inseam and lowered my K9 on purchase, cut and welded the kickstand and THEN bought a center stand which also required surgery................ Finally said a few words to the wisdom lacking element of self from I want more of what this bike has to offer without scraping the outside of my boots and restored to original with more challenging fixes to the kicks and center stands. It didn't take long to get used sliding forward on the seat at a stop if I wanted to touch with both feet. As others have said, "keep it stock" other than whatever fork adjustments suit you.
 
#29 ·
Thanks for the feedback

Thanks for all of the feedback and sage advice. Here's what I've decided to do: keep it stock, get used to it, and ride the heck out of it. In the spring I'll experiment with raising the fork tubes 15mm or so, not for seat height but to quicken the steering. When I get a chance I'll get Spencer to rework the seat for improved comfort and a slightly lower height.

Thanks again. Anyone want to talk windshields? Just kidding, though I think I know why there are so many complaints.
 
#30 ·
Thanks for all of the feedback and sage advice. Here's what I've decided to do: keep it stock, get used to it, and ride the heck out of it. In the spring I'll experiment with raising the fork tubes 15mm or so, not for seat height but to quicken the steering. When I get a chance I'll get Spencer to rework the seat for improved comfort and a slightly lower height.

Thanks again. Anyone want to talk windshields? Just kidding, though I think I know why there are so many complaints.
Madstadt!!!! Ian, Iowa
 
#31 ·
suspension half the issue

I had experienced some of the issues that others mentioned about clearance but with a heavier Sasquatch rear spring/rebuild at about 2 inch sag found that 3/4" lowered front and rear for me works best. I like the slightly lower feel for footing and also for handling and don't have any issues with clearance - the boots just make it if I pull my size 12 toes up.

I actually ground the centerstand a bit prior to the rear spring mod to get enough lean (no need to cut and weld IMO as I like the further forward postion of the foot for stability) but almost wish I had not because with the heavier spring cranked up for dual it almost leans to much at times.

The only drawback I can see with my setup is that is a bit harder to centerstand. I can do it OK unless I have my topcase and heavy HB Gobi bags on back then it feels like hernia time and I just leave it on the sidestand.
 
#32 ·
My wife is 4'11".Our local dealer ordered lowering links,not sure of brand.They have 3 placement holes on bottom.He said 1st was stock height,2nd was 1 1/2 " lower and 3rd is 3"lower. We used the 3rd one, raised front tubes in trees.Had to cut almost 2 1/2 " off side stand. bike still handles good.lost alot of clearence.But she can touch the ground. Looking at Corbin for a seat.
For most this set would be no good. But when you are that short and ride you have to give in. Are planing trip to Alaska next summer.Trying to get something for her to ride.
 
#33 ·
I hope she's a light weight. Use just half the suspension travel and things will start banging into each other.
 
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