Bike height question

Rosso

Registered
A question about lowering my busa

I have a gen II busa. I am 5.7 with approx 29.5 inner seam. On the busa I cannot touch the ground with both my heels. I never think about it generally as I usually have one foot on the brake when stationary and plenty to get the other foot on the floor. However this summer I am going to be carrying a pillion passenger on tour including going over the alps.
I'm a tad worried about toppling over on some uneven ground or trying to park up on some 1 in 4 gradient :D

So for the sake of stability I was thinking it may be a good thing to be able to get both feet firmly on the ground by

(a) lowering my busa
(b) getting an aftermarket saddle which might lower the seat height.

My question is really about handling and safety when a bike is lowered. If both front and back are lowered evenly - does this decrease the bike's handling? Folk on the forum seem to have very different views on it.

Im not sure how much I would need to lower it.

My guess is that an aftermarket seat like a Tobin might lower the seat height from stock height of 31.7 to 30.7 (?) so perhaps lowering the bike 1.5 inches maximum would do the trick.

Grateful for any advice you guys and gals can give on whether this will decrease the bikes handling.
 
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platform shoes from the 70s! j/k

I'm not an expert but here is what I know.
Lowering the bike will cause it to lose ground clearance. So if your into knee dragging it will eat up some of your available lean angel. Changing the ride height will also effect how the bike rides possibly depending on how you do it. If you only lower the rear the bike will be more stable in a strait line but will not want to fall in to corners as easily. If you only lower the front the bike will turn more sharply but could lose a little strait line stability. If your lower both front and rear equally your handling characteristics should remain the same and will only lose ground clearance. I'm sure there could be other effects from changing your geometry around but I don't think the 1 to 1.5 inches your talking about will cause the bike to become unmanageable.
 
still gonna handle the same just gonna lose a little ground clearance. i have mine slammed and stretched and i still am able to lay her down real far without scraping my fairings. just so you know my rear tire has no chicken stripes :thumbsup: ........and btw i'm 5'5 with short legs and still can touch both feet flat on the ground :rofl:

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2010-04-25%2014_26_01.jpg


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yea those pictures i took a few days ago right after i put on the new tire so it really was only rolled in and out the garage a few times.........(wife learning to ride)
 
Do you mean almost touching both heels with/without a passenger? If it's without, her weight should bring it down low enough. Tobin seats are lower, and Corbin will make you a shaved down lower version of there's if you ask when you order. The seat drop would be the easiest.
 
still gonna handle the same just gonna lose a little ground clearance. i have mine slammed and stretched and i still am able to lay her down real far without scraping my fairings. just so you know my rear tire has no chicken stripes :thumbsup: ........and btw i'm 5'5 with short legs and still can touch both feet flat on the ground :rofl:

Sure got a nice lookin bike on your hands!
 
how about air ride to lower it and lift her i have it on my does not affect handling..u can get used one on ebay for about 600
 
I am about 5'8". When I got the 'Busa, I went to a shoe place with my riding boots, and asked the guy to add extra pieces to the heels. He added about 1/4" to each boot which made me able to place both feet on the ground solidly.
 
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