Lowering kit is no good?

level7 said:

Been around the interweb and stumbled on a "lowering" kit for the superbike.

Now, I'm a little bit height challenged but I feel okay (not great) on my bike. I would love it if I could be flat footed when stopped (now on the balls of my feet).

Now I've heard compressing the rear suspension in order to lower the bike will cause all sorts of handling issues. This is correct right?

They claim up to 1.25" of lowering capabilities. This is accomplished by replacing that rod that sits near the rear shock with a shorter unit.

Anyone successfully lowered their superbike and it didn't affect handling?

Click to expand...

Consider yourself lucky. I could only wish to get the balls of both feet down with the machine in stock form. I'm going to probably get a lot of hate for this, but here's my take on it.

If you're going to do this, I wouldn't shorten the adjusting rod any shorter than a length equal to the stock rod minus the lock nuts. In other words, if you remove the lock nuts and crank the rod down all the way, this is as short as I would go.

I know of a lady that did this to her 996 track bike and she didn't report any ill effects. I'm sure she lowered the front an equal amount; I wish at the time that I was a little bit more familiar with motorcycle geometery so I could have asked her more detailed questions.

Armed (and dangerous) with this little bit of knowledge, I went and had a couple of custom rods made. The one that I eventually used was of a length that would allow me to use the locknuts and that would also place the adjustment in the middle of the rod end threads.

I have three lines showing above the triple clamp and I haven't really played with raising the forks yet. The way I ride, I probably couldn't tell the difference, but I want to try four lines. So far, it doesn't seem like the machine is going pitch me off.

The upside to all this is I can at least get both balls of my feet down on the ground now.

The downside is the machine looks a little squat, I had buy a shorter Cycle Cat side stand, and I probably have effected the handling (but I'm a poser so I just need to look good standing still). Oh yeah, I had to crank up the spring preload a bit, putting the adjusting "rings" in about the middle of the adjustment range in order for them to clear the rocker at the top of the shock.

Below is a photo of the two rods I had made, comparing the lengths of different rods to the stock unit. I used the rod on the left. The stock rod is on the right.



Here is a photo of the rod installed.

Follow-Up: An Alternative

I asked e-mailed Aftershocks a few weeks ago about lowering via shock internals instead of the method under discussion here (shortened ride height adjuster). Here is there response I received yesterday:
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To answer your direct question, yes, the Showa shock can be shortened. We shorten them internally by adding spacers. However, if we are shortening your shock, we need to shorten the forks as well, internally, to keep the same riding geometry. You didn’t mention what you are doing with your forks, but if you are running your forks up in your triple clamps, you are going to run into issues with the front tire running up into the triples or the radiator.

The most we can shorten your bike is 2 inches. We would HIGHLY recommend revalving the forks and shock as well if we are lowering an inch or more. (You would benefit from revalving no matter how much we lower it, but especially lowering 1+ inches.) Lowering the shock will put it in the rising rate part of the link, so it is starting at a stiffer point mechanically. By revalving, we can soften the valving and make the ride smoother and more plush.

As for costs, all of the labor to revalve and lower the suspension is $540. If you bring in the whole bike and we need to do the teardown, it is an additional $175.

For parts, we will need 2 bottles of oil, which are $10.50 each. If you would like us to change your fork seals as well, they cost around $25 for the set.

If we lower the suspension only and you do not want to do the revalve, the lowering is $340. Teardown and parts and the same as above.

Thank you.

--Marra

AfterShocks - The Suspension Experts
(650) 494-8849
http://www.aftershocks-suspension.com
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I think this might be thea better alternative to fiddling with the ride height adjuster. I just need to see if a 2" drop is enough with the stock geometry.