It seems as if the first thing people do when they buy a motorcycle is they start hunting around for ways to customize it. This applies even more often to street bike riders than dirt bike riders. One of the first things the money motorcycle owners do is begin to change up the suspension. Dirt bike riders are looking for ways to jump to new heights and land safely.
It helps that they ride very light bikes with state-of-the-art forks and shock absorbers that may offer 12 inches or more of suspension travel. Every inch of it is needed to disperse the huge amount of energy generated by landing one of those bad boys from 20 or 30 feet in the air off a triple jump. With only 3.5 to 5.0 inches of suspension travel, a street bike could not possibly disperse enough of the energy of such a major jump to prevent its suspension from bottoming; the bike and rider would then absorb the excess. Ouch!
One of the reasons Harley-Davidsons are so popular is their low ride. A low seat allows the rider to get both feet on the ground for a secure feel, and also looks cool, but it offers less suspension travel to absorb the bumps. Let’s go over some tips that will help you get a proper idea of what is involved with lowering your motorcycle.
Lowering the Front Fork
Always refer to specific instructions for lowering your motorcycle that are included with any kid that you may buy. These directions are always very specific, but here are the basics. To lower the front of the bike, use a lift or stand to support the motorcycle with the front tire off the ground. There are three ways to lower the front suspension.
The easiest is to loosen the folks pinching the triple clamps around the fork tubes and slide the fork tubes a bit higher. Then tighten the bolts to their proper torque values and ride on. Once this procedure is done make sure that you go ahead and double check that you’ve adjusted each leg of the fork equally in order to avoid problems. Not only is this the easiest and least expensive method, but it also retains all of the Fork travel. It will change steering geometry of the motorcycle slightly and tighten steering. Just be certain you don’t slide the tubes up so far that the lower triple clamp can contact and damage the front fender when the fork compresses.
The second method is to install shorter fork springs, which are available from various suspension companies. Whenever you begin working on a motorcycle it’s best to make sure that is properly supported before making any changes or adjustments. Unscrew the fork caps and extract the existing fork springs. If they’re not easy to reach, bend a stiff wire (like a coat hanger) into a hook shaped and use that to extract the springs. Slide the aftermarket springs inside and check the fork oil to make sure it’s at the level prescribed by your owners manual; you may have to add or remove a little.
The third and most involved way is to install a spacer under the damping rod. This effectively shortens the rod’s stroke. A typical lowering kit will slice 1.0 to 1.5 inches off fork travel. Lowering a suspension unit more than 2.0 inches will seriously impact ride quality and ground clearance, and I don’t recommend it.
While not always required it is sometimes necessary to completely disassemble the actual fork slider itself and remove the damping rod. Be sure to have a supply of the correct viscosity fork oil, as you have to drain the fork before you disassemble it. Because the fork controls your steering, ride, and braking, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, take it to a pro.
Lowering the Rear Ride Height
The least expensive method of lowering a bike’s rear end is to install a lowering kit — hardware that relocates the bottom shock mounts further rearward so the tire travels further up into the fender. This allows the shocks to retain their full travel, but it does change the leverage parameters, so ride quality might suffer slightly. Harley Davidson Softails, whose shocks are mounted horizontally under the frame, have their own types of lowering kits available.
The other method is to replace the stock shock absorbers with shorter units. While quite a bit more expensive than the previous option of installing a lowering kit, this does have some advantages. Still, because they are premium products, ride quality may actually improve even though their stroke is shorter. Progressive Suspension and other suspension companies offer adjustable air shocks, which allow you to choose any height within a specified range.
Some Important Things to Remember
Whenever you decide to lower the ride of a motorcycle, you are changing the characteristics of how the motorcycle handles. allow yourself enough time to adjust to the different way that your motorcycle now handles under its new configuration before driving it aggressively. This applies double if you’re carrying a passenger with you as the extra weight will further change the way your motorcycle handles in every way.
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