Want to lower my bike!

[Andy Singh]

Hi there,

Has anybody here lowered their bikes if so has anybody lowered a GSXR 750 K3, if so how do you find the difference? What the best set up for it? I,ve never lowered a bike, many people say one should not do it!!! many say no you should!!!!

[yel04gix]

i lowered my gixxer....i lowered it 1.5" in the front and the back. that was about the most i could lower it without having to cut the side-stand. i like the way the bike rides. my friends that have gone back to stock height after lowering went back to lowering it. you may not be able to take turns as good as you may have been able to previous to lowering. but the bike feels very stable lowered.

[Andy Singh]

Hi Yel,
So are you saying taking bends are not as good when the bikes lowered ? Have you got any pics you can send me, id like to look @ wot its looks like !

[yel04gix]

...it's a big picture so it might take a while depending on your connection

[Nexus242]

WHY do you want to lower your bike??? Are on your toes while stopped or are you doing it for the look and style or what???

You really need to fill out the WHYs you want to do these things instead of just asking the How-Tos.

[mark]

I just went through this on my k3 600 (same bike as yours dimensionally)....see this post http://www.suzuki-bikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8571) , which says lowering my gixxer. To sum. I have the rear down 2" and the front down 1" ... (The front would bottom on sharp bumps at 2" so i had it raised to 1") I weigh 145 so i needed to soften my front compression as well as soften my rear preload and turn out my rear compression one turn. I am short..that's why i lowered it. If you ahve questions i will be happy to answer them... i can also tell you whom to buy your links form if you wish for my input. Also, buying an extra kickstand and having it cut cost me less than 30 bux.

[yel04gix]

Originally Posted by Nexus242

WHY do you want to lower your bike??? Are on your toes while stopped or are you doing it for the look and style or what???

You really need to fill out the WHYs you want to do these things instead of just asking the How-Tos.

im 5-8....i lowered my bike because i wanted to....one doesnt have to have a reason to do anything.....God Bless America

[87gsxrnut]

im 5-8....i lowered my bike because i wanted to....one doesnt have to have a reason to do anything.....God Bless America

Now THERE'S a great attitude.

When you crash that thing in a turn due to dragging parts or compressing the suspension because you changed the geometry, don't come crying to me.

- Nut

[stevie c]

Andy, it will affect cornering, maybe you havent thought about it, but if your bike is 2" lower, that means your pegs are 2" nearer the ground, so you don't have to lean over at as great an angle to drag them on the ground.

If you are doing it because you can't fit on it and need to do it, then thats fair enough if it gets you on the bike, but if you are doing it because all the boy racers lower their cars and you are thinking its cool to do the same to your bike, then don't bother. Suzuki and all the other bike houses test and test and test their bikes to give you optimum riding position, I buy their bikes because I trust them and what they put out the factory.

[mark]

what part of a sportbike is he going to drag on the ground anyway....there are no floorboards...the only things that can hit are pegs and fairings. The geometry changes you probably wont even notice until your "at speed" or 150mph. I dont know too many people hitting turns at top speed in my neighborhood. Advice is one thing, but the over-the-top know it all crap is for the birds. Sorry to vent, but many people say things with few facts to back it up...in this case can you cite some sport bike accidents attributed to geometry or parts dragging....at legal speeds? IF so..I eat my words and issue a public apology...you probably can...so I am prepared.


...the bike will turn more quickly since lowering reduces your overall wheel base.

[Trapper]

I would listen to Nut, since he has been riding sportbikes longer than most people. Stevie seems to make sense too. You would think that the geometry has been tested thoroughly by Suzuki to be the most effective for the bike. Mark, with all due respect, most of your posts come accross squidly, so I would be very cautious taking any of your advise.

[yel04gix]

Originally Posted by 87gsxrnut

Now THERE'S a great attitude.

When you crash that thing in a turn due to dragging parts or compressing the suspension because you changed the geometry, don't come crying to me.

- Nut

part of riding is knowing the limits of your bike and yourself....suspension is not compressed....i lowered it with links in the rear and lowered the tripple tree in the front...but thank for your input.

[87gsxrnut]

No they are right, I don't know anything! I have a broken back due to geometry changes on a motorcycle. Which, I eventually got sorted out.

- Nut

[yel04gix]

Originally Posted by 87gsxrnut

No they are right, I don't know anything! I have a broken back due to geometry changes on a motorcycle. Which, I eventually got sorted out.

- Nut

i dont mean to jack this thread or anything, but can your accident be purely attributed to you changing the geometry of the bike?

[87gsxrnut]

Yup. Drug engine case and levered the front wheel off the ground.

- Nut

[yel04gix]

Originally Posted by 87gsxrnut

Yup. Drug engine case and levered the front wheel off the ground.

- Nut

dang....how low was it lowered?

[87gsxrnut]

Around one-inch if I remember right. I eventually had to raise the rear 8mm to compensate for the changes. Then nothing was dragging.

- Nut

[Nexus242]

Originally Posted by yel04gix

im 5-8....i lowered my bike because i wanted to....one doesnt have to have a reason to do anything.....God Bless America

Okay so where's you answer to Andy. Why don't you tell him some of the pitfalls you encountered while do the mod, tell him where you got the parts, how long it took to put them on, how the bike rides pre and post and what was the total cost.

GET OFF THE SIDELINES MAN AND GET IN THE GAME!!!!!!

[yel04gix]

Originally Posted by Nexus242

Okay so where's you answer to Andy. Why don't you tell him some of the pitfalls you encountered while do the mod, tell him where you got the parts, how long it took to put them on, how the bike rides pre and post and what was the total cost.

GET OFF THE SIDELINES MAN AND GET IN THE GAME!!!!!!

i didnt encounter any "pitfalls" during the mod....i got the lowering links from a friend...you can get them on the net or your local bike shop. It took about 3 of us maybe an hour to get it done....we used an engine lift to support the bike...you can also use a bike lift....as far as pre and post ride difference, i didnt have much to get used to...just a different turning point going slow....total cost is how ever much you pay for the links...here is a set right here $65.00 http://street-bikes.ridegear.com/cgi...html?E+scstore...this is the set that i have...did i leave anything out nexus?

[stevie c]

Originally Posted by mark

what part of a sportbike is he going to drag on the ground anyway....there are no floorboards...the only things that can hit are pegs and fairings. The geometry changes you probably wont even notice until your "at speed" or 150mph. I dont know too many people hitting turns at top speed in my neighborhood. Advice is one thing, but the over-the-top know it all crap is for the birds. Sorry to vent, but many people say things with few facts to back it up...in this case can you cite some sport bike accidents attributed to geometry or parts dragging....at legal speeds? IF so..I eat my words and issue a public apology...you probably can...so I am prepared.


...the bike will turn more quickly since lowering reduces your overall wheel base.

You don't have to be going 150MPH to get the pegs down, so if you imagine a vertical line with a peg sticking out of it about a quarter of the way up from the bottom, then lean the line over until the peg hits and check the lean angle.
Now do another vertical line with the peg about an eighth of the way up from the bottom and lean that line over and you will find the lean angle is a lot less.

So if you already are used to scraping the pegs, or even getting somewhere close to doing that, then suddenly lose some of that angle then the next time you bank over you are going to come a cropper.

The only way round this is to hang off the side of the bike like a man in a racing yacht!

And also, don't fix what ain't broken.

Mark, I also had a friend who lowered an R6, he didn't get on with it, he said it felt like a different bike and not in a good way.
Next paycheck it was put back to standard!

Andy,
If it is because you are a little short for the bike, have you thought about shaving the seat?
If you really need it lowered, talk to the professionals, get their number out of a bike mag or yellow pages. Tell them your riding style and the reasons for lowering. The will tell you all the pro's and con's.