Suspension settings, front/rear...

[BigDiesel]

I would like 2 get some feedback on this from guys who street ride ALOT-if you're a track junkie please disregard... I ride my bike on public urban roads and freeways, no tracks for me 'cept the dragstrip.

I was thinkn about going with a 1.5" drop up front and 1" rear, but a good buddy said he's 1.75" down in front and 1" UP in the rear, and bike handles sooo much better...i dont spend alot of time in the "twisties", Im a straightliner, so if you have a set up on your bike that works great for 1/4 mi. sprints and still gets you to work without a lot of fuss, lemme know.

T.I.A, folks

 

[BigDiesel]

hello?

a lil' help, here

 

[Charlesbusa]

Hey, you said no track junkies allowed!   Your rules

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[BigDiesel]

ahh, c'mon-fine, if the track junkies are the only intelligent folk here with suspension input (where'd Jinks go???) I'll take it. just wanna here what works and how.

 

[Charlesbusa]

Generally;

For trackdays/racing, you want the bike higher.
For drag racing, you want the bike lower.

Raising the rear or lowering the front(not good for ground clearance) generally;
Makes turn-in quicker/less effort.


That's about all I know...  

I like my bike set-up for trackdays, so my set-up isn't what you're after. I raised the front with stiffer springs for my body weight to improve ground clearance, then raised the rear even more than the front(1" for the rear).



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[BigDiesel]

thanks for input...jeez, i guess only one member on here has ever changed his setup...everyone else just dont like me

 

[CrashBomb]

I likes my fully adjustable d-bones. I'm down about 1" in the front and usually ride on the street with somewhere between stock and +1" out back. Then when I want to go to the strip and get serious I can just crank 'em down as far as I want 'em and I'm ready to go in two minutes flat, don't even have to take the weight off the swingarm. Here's wishing I could find a decent set of them for my Duke, it would make my life so much easier.

 

[MN72Busa]

I likes my fully adjustable d-bones. I'm down about 1" in the front and usually ride on the street with somewhere between stock and +1" out back. Then when I want to go to the strip and get serious I can just crank 'em down as far as I want 'em and I'm ready to go in two minutes flat, don't even have to take the weight off the swingarm. Here's wishing I could find a decent set of them for my Duke, it would make my life so much easier.

so how did you drop the front 1" ? Im +1 in the rear right now, but don't want to spend tons of cash to lower the front, and I wont strap it.

 

[CrashBomb]

so how did you drop the front 1" ? Im +1 in the rear right now, but don't want to spend tons of cash to lower the front, and I wont strap it.

I just had my bud who's a CNC wizard fab me up some lowering blocks (risers, bar risers, clamp inserts, spacers, whatever you want to call them) and get me some good longer bolts because he owed me for putting the cams in his Sportster last month, so mine didn't cost me anything. Got them on last week and they made a ton of difference. It's a lot more comfortable now. You could go with a top clamp that allows the forks to slide up through it but I think they usually end up being more expensive than the kits that come with the blocks and the longer bolts.

 

[BigDiesel]

question guys-how did you raise the rear? and where to get that parts? $$?

 

[Don Hardcastle]

BigDiesel -- Here is what I did and I don't do any drags and no track days. It is all on the street. I did Jinksters settings with the following exception. I only rasied the butt 2mm not 4mm.

I also loosed the fork clamps and dropped the tree down on top of the forks (~3-5mm). I love it. I am a big guy too, not quite as big as you. I am 6'2" @ 250 or so.

Don

 

[MN72Busa]

Don,

How did you lower the front / Raising the fork tubes 3 to 5mm, and get around the top triple tree cover not being pushed up? Longer bolts, or is there enough room for 5mm worth of tube to be raised in the tree? I guess I need some back-woods education on this ....lol

 

[MN72Busa]

question guys-how did you raise the rear? and where to get that parts? $$?

+1 dogbones from Schnitzracing...about $40.00

 

[Toyz]

I thought you lower the bike front and rear for the dragstrip?
I'm about to lower mine 1" front and rear with the capability of lowering it more with the adjustable links from soupy.

 

[Don Hardcastle]

Don,

How did you lower the front / Raising the fork tubes 3 to 5mm, and get around the top triple tree cover not being pushed up? Longer bolts, or is there enough room for 5mm worth of tube to be raised in the tree? I guess I need some back-woods education on this ....lol

Valium,
I was feeling alot of "wiggle" in the handle bars. I started looking and realized there was a gap between the triple tree and the top of the forks. When I had the nose off to do the HID install, I loosened the fork bolts and let it slide down 3-5mm until it stopped. Loctited and torqued the fork bolts and the bike IMMEDIATELY felt more solid in the nose. I went to the dealership to check the new bikes and all of them have that gap and the "wiggle". I decided the gap was for vibration isolation. It is much more solid now.

The guys that use the lowering bushings lose that gap as well.

Don

 

[MN72Busa]

Don,

How did you lower the front / Raising the fork tubes 3 to 5mm, and get around the top triple tree cover not being pushed up? Longer bolts, or is there enough room for 5mm worth of tube to be raised in the tree? I guess I need some back-woods education on this ....lol

Valium,
I was feeling alot of "wiggle" in the handle bars. I started looking and realized there was a gap between the triple tree and the top of the forks. When I had the nose off to do the HID install, I loosened the fork bolts and let it slide down 3-5mm until it stopped. Loctited and torqued the fork bolts and the bike IMMEDIATELY felt more solid in the nose. I went to the dealership to check the new bikes and all of them have that gap and the "wiggle". I decided the gap was for vibration isolation. It is much more solid now.

The guys that use the lowering bushings lose that gap as well.

Don

3 to 5mm for vibration isolation

Don, I trust what you say, but that sounds like alot of wiggle room. I know you said the new bikes were all this way....just sounds odd...are you sure that 3 to 5mm gap is not there for any other reason, and is it completely safe to take up the slop that the factory left in there? I want to do the mod, but don't need a tank slapper at 100 mph either...so Im just being extra cautious with this mod.

 

[BigDiesel]

any opinions on dropping bike front/rear 1" ? does this make handling suck ba11s, or can I still turn corners without fallin off?

 

[Don Hardcastle]

Don,

How did you lower the front / Raising the fork tubes 3 to 5mm, and get around the top triple tree cover not being pushed up? Longer bolts, or is there enough room for 5mm worth of tube to be raised in the tree? I guess I need some back-woods education on this ....lol

Valium,
I was feeling alot of "wiggle" in the handle bars. I started looking and realized there was a gap between the triple tree and the top of the forks. When I had the nose off to do the HID install, I loosened the fork bolts and let it slide down 3-5mm until it stopped. Loctited and torqued the fork bolts and the bike IMMEDIATELY felt more solid in the nose. I went to the dealership to check the new bikes and all of them have that gap and the "wiggle". I decided the gap was for vibration isolation. It is much more solid now.

The guys that use the lowering bushings lose that gap as well.

Don

3 to 5mm for vibration isolation

Don, I trust what you say, but that sounds like alot of wiggle room. I know you said the new bikes were all this way....just sounds odd...are you sure that 3 to 5mm gap is not there for any other reason, and is it completely safe to take up the slop that the factory left in there? I want to do the mod, but don't need a tank slapper at 100 mph either...so Im just being extra cautious with this mod.

John,
I am not sure that is the only reason for the gap.

I had the same questions as you.

I thoroughly inspected Shimbumi's bike after his pingel bushing install and the gap that is in stock bikes is totally gone. As a matter of fact the pingel instructions tell you to let the bike slide down on the forks until there is not gap left.

I have had Guinevere thru rather aggressive riding (destroyed the last 1/8 inch of strips on both sides) and to the end of the speedo since lowering the nose that little bit. She is more solid and predictable that she was before.

Don



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[MN72Busa]

any opinions on dropping bike front/rear 1" ? does this make handling suck ba11s, or can I still turn corners without fallin off?

You will fall off, but you wont have far to fall, being that close to the ground...lmao...couldn't resist

 

[BigDiesel]

man, Im 6'7"...im NEVER that close to the ground...at least not all of me...takes a full minute for all of me to fall over n hit the ground from standing-er, stumbling straight-ish up