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Lowering the bike vs handling

11K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  ryandono 
#1 ·
I'm a shorter rider, and am getting my 2012 v-strom lowered a little bit.
My mechanic has advised that this is likely to badly effect the handling of the bike though. I see a number of people on the forum have lowered their bikes.. how did you find the result?

Also.. how much did you end up lowering the forks vs the rear?
My mechanic was suggesting a 3 to 5 mm change in the forks, for a 20-25mm change at the rear.. which sounds wrong to me. Shouldn't it be a similar amount?
 
#2 ·
I have mine lowered 3/4" or 19mm at each end. I would suggest the same amount at each end as the Glee doesn't have the aerodynamic issues of the Vee and Wee. The slightly lower center of mass improves things except for the possibility of scraping a peg.
 
#4 ·
You are on the right track. Since the forks are not perpendicular, sliding them up thru the tirple clamps by 19mm(measured at the top edge of the clamp) will not work out to an exact lowering of the BIKE by 19mm. It will be slightly less. This affects the rake/trail relationship slightly. Generally speaking, a slight increase in rake(think chopper front end) will add to high speed stability in the form of slower steering. Compare the front suspension of an MX(motocross) race bike to street bikes and you'll see how the axle is mounted forward of the lower fork leg(ours are mounted center on the end). Why? MX bikes don't typically get above about 60mph on an MX track....they are designed to handle extremely rough terrain while going as fast as possible so there is a trade off in high speed stability. Pulling in RAKE(more perpendicular) makes the bike turn quicker/sharper, which Suzuki's MX racers are known for...but they suffer from frontend twitch on high speed straights and when they land from hard jumps. Motorcycle handling has many factors involved in attaining a certain goal. If you want high speed stability, look for a rake that is less perpendicular(to a point).....want a canyon carver, look for a steeper rake. Consider this, as we ride along and hit dips or more severe depressions in the road, our wheelbase is a constantly changing length which upsets the bike. Have you ever found yourself going thru an unfamiliar curve at 50mph only to find a dip in the middle of the turn? Do you have faith in the bike's suspension? Faith in your skill to compensate for that sudden dip and how it will affect your bike? What Greywolf knows is that the bike's supension geometry needs to stay near stock to retain good handling. Lowering one end of the bike without equally lowering the other end changes how the suspension works and how the bike handles. You can easily see this by setting your suspension for you riding alone and then take a passenger who weighs 150lbs....and see what difference it makes. The steering gets slower because the backend squats which increases rake....etc.
 
#7 ·
You can easily see this by setting your suspension for you riding alone and then take a passenger who weighs 150lbs....and see what difference it makes. The steering gets slower because the backend squats which increases rake....etc.
Boit (and others), are you advising against setting preload to the highest level to achieve maximum sag for the purpose of reducing seat height? Just because it affects cornering stability, or any other reasons?
 
#8 ·
I lowered the rear 1/4" and then slid the forks up through the triple 1/4" and the bike handles extremely well. I noticed after I lowered the bike cornering has improved and the bike dives into the curves now.
 
#9 ·
Boit, thanks for all the info.
I'm feeling pretty nervous about playing with the suspension at all now! My mechanic didn't want to drop the front by any more than 3-5mm because he thought it'd mess up the handling; so changing it by 20mm to match the back seems like heaps.
At the time I was ordering the longer struts I didn't think it'd be all that much, but now it's sounding like 1" is going to be a big change, and perhaps hard to set up correctly.

I think I might delay the mod for now, and perhaps look at getting the seat remolded to be 25mm lower. (and maybe see if I can swap the 25mm-lower struts with someone for some 15mm ones, which sound a bit less drastic).

That said - Greywolf and others seem to find things OK still with their mods, but most people seem to be doing 8 to 18mm, not 25. Maybe I aimed too far?
 
#10 · (Edited)
I know I don't have a 2012, but I lowered my Vee 2 inches in the rear and 3/4 in the front. The handling was still great but for one thing... When loaded with passenger or otherwise, the bike WILL bottom out very easily and bind the chain horribly. it seems like the suspension just reaches a certain point and gives completely, given, my bride and I weigh over 400 pounds but I didn't like t and raised the rear back to stock. Afterwards I found that with only the front lowered, I can still reach the ground easily, and my slow speed maneuvering is effortless, if not slightly too positive in handling. I love it like this, with wife still handles great, and it never bottoms out.

Just try lowered your forks in the clamps, it makes a bigger difference than you would think. Also, unrelated to what you are attempting to achieve, my high speed stability has increased tenfold, I ride at 110 and it feels like 80, after that is not even that bad. I've maxed my speed at 145 (all indicated speeds) and the wobble associated with heavy decel is barely noticeable, definitely not as dangerous as before when I experienced it. And I have the original Tourance front and rear, new in front.
 
#11 ·
2 inches is dangerous. 1-1/8" to 1-1/4" is the maximum. Your tire can hit the inner fender. With the rear lowered more than the front, the aerodynamics are worse than stock so front end lift at speed is even more of a factor. You may have been lucky so far but you're pushing the envelope.

As to the 3/4" front lowering on my bike, it's really 3/4" fork extension so isn't quite an actual 3/4".
 
#13 ·
You are correct, 2 inches was dangerous and scary, the wind was horrible on lift and it didn't want to turn anywhere. Kinda felt like..... Well we won't go there. But I changed the rear back to stock and left the front fork tubes up 3/4 like your set up and I love it. Never again will I lower a bike that much, I was just surprised at the 4 inch option on he dog bonesI mean, in understand they are meant for a gixxer as well but that just seems ridiculous.
 
#12 ·
lowering, lowering links not good for handling.

My mechanic has advised that this is likely to badly effect the handling of the bike though. I see a number of people on the forum have lowered their bikes.. how did you find the result?
i agree with your mechanic. the only thing lowering did for my bike was make it a little easier to get on and off. i didnt like the handling effects at all. :thumbdown: dragging hard parts all over the place, curves, drag hard parts even in a straight line over speed bumps. i actually had to slow my overall pace down. first i lowered .75'' frt. & 1.125'' rear. that was really no good. then, .75'' frt.& .75'' rear. still no good. finally went back to stock. glad i did. no more dragging hard parts. m.o.f., i have a pair of .75'' lowering links that i would be glad to sell ya if you decide that the way youre going to go.
 
#14 ·
I lowered mine just like Greywolf had done and haven't seen any issues. 3/4" Koubalinks in the back and moved the front tubes up 3/4". I am able to get more of my feet on the ground any more lowered and I think I would need a new side stand though. I haven't hit the skid plate or foot pegs on anything yet between road and an easy ATV/OHM trail but I don't drive very aggressive either.

If you do lower it and are using a side stand just be prepared for it to feel a little funny putting the stand down especially loaded with luggage. I haven't had any real issues with it but the bike sits more upright on the stand.
 
#15 ·
different specs but feels great

I'm a short inseam person (about 30" I think), and with the L2 as it was, I couldn't get confidence with a secure foot hold on uneven ground or camber.
I put the KoubaLink 2 links on the back for an 1 1/8" height decrease -- and then pushed the fork tubes up the tripleclamp 5/8". I now get the full ball of both feet on the ground for secure footing around
I suppose this setup sounds like it'd be a slow turner -- perhaps it is and I wouldn't know, not having anything to compare it with. However, it feels great to me. (I could try the local shop's demo bike to see if there is a difference).
My setup is great on the open road and on gravel roads. The traffic here is minimal -- so can't usefully comment there.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I was a bit nervous at first, about never having to park in a place with camber going the wrong way. The bike certainly isn't completely upright (I'll try to attach a picture). I've taken to carrying one of those double sided hook/loop strips (pinched from a laptop computer cord) to squeeze the front brake on by strapping it to the throttle handgrip, to give me a bit more piece of mind when parking where the stand needs to be, that has a bit of a slope going forwards. I really was going to get someone to cut and weld the stand -- but the longer I go on without that, the more I see I don't need to change it.
[I see picture didn't attach -- maybe it was a size thing (2.265 KB) -- I'll try again if it would help to see it]
 
#20 ·
There's a bit in it -- but not a whole lot eh.
And the handling certainly doesn't feel compromised.
I think I could have lived with a pre 2012 wee as it is -- but this new and much better model was a must have in comparison -- so a solution for the additional height was needed (for me), and I decided to go all the way to really comfortable.
If the bars were raised with a set of risers -- then the forks could come up the tripleclamps more -- but I stopped at 5/8". I might look at risers anyway, to see if the BarkBusters I've bought will then clear the dash when the bars are on full-lock.
 
#21 ·
The bars are just about at the limit anyway. More than about 21mm will allow the lower legs to crash into the triple clamps.
 
#24 ·
Thinking About Reversing Lowering

I bought a Wee that was lowered. I am 6' 3", so height doesn't bother me. I can flatfoot a KLR. The Wee I bought has the Kouba V-Strom 2 links and lower forks. I was thinking about leaving it, but based on what I can gather, if I can have it higher, the Strom handles better. It for sure has an issue with the side stand not being stable. I've been using the center stand. I was going to modify the side stand, but after reading this post, I think I'll reverse the lowering for better handling. Why fight the Suzuki engineers?:nerd:
 
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