The Effects of Ride Height Adjustments

[Goatkart]

Ok, so i have gotten eye strain from trying to read all the posts about these things, but its all over the place and not concise...


So could someone give the relative effects of ride height changes compared to a stock situation in regards to..

1) twisties(turn in)
2) rear traction
3) relative effect on "wheelie-ability"
4)..... dunno something else...


the changes being....
1)up in the rear end (raising link i guess)
2)down in the rear end (lowering link)
3)down in the front
4)up in the front
5)up rear, down front



think thats all the major suspension ride height changes people commonly make...

just trying to get that intuitive understanding of what the changes on suspension mean, and how the changes will feel/drive...



thanks for what i can get out of this...

 

[Mr Brown]

Bike handling is primarily a result of rake and trail. Raising or lowering the front and/or rear affects this. Steeper rake (higher rear) = sharper handling, and vice versa. Race rep bikes with steep rake handle far better than choppers raked out with the front wheel 4 feet in front of the rider.
This is an overly simplified explanation, hope it helps...
Lowering the bike makes it less wheelie prone by lowering the center of gravity.

 

[Goatkart]

Lowering the bike makes it less wheelie prone by lowering the center of gravity.

something else that always made me scratch my head...

Lowering the bike makes less wheelie prone, makes sense...

but if you raise the rear an inch say, and leave the front stock... wouldnt you now have more front weight % keeping the front down as well?

However, it seems most say the decrease in wheel base makes the bike actually more wheelie prone vs less due to the shifted weight %...

 

[ogre]

i'd say decreased wheelbase would have a bigger effect, but who am i?

 

[Mr Brown]

something else that always made me scratch my head...

Lowering the bike makes less wheelie prone, makes sense...

but if you raise the rear an inch say, and leave the front stock... wouldnt you now have more front weight % keeping the front down as well?

However, it seems most say the decrease in wheel base makes the bike actually more wheelie prone vs less due to the shifted weight %...

Which makes weight easier to move? Long lever or short? If you put a 2x4 piece of wood over a fulcrum, with weight on one end will you lift more weight by making your pushing end shorter or longer?

 

[Mr Brown]

i'd say decreased wheelbase would have a bigger effect, but who am i?

Liberace......

 

[Goatkart]

fair enough, thanks for the insights....

 

[Fastfrog007]

Keep the front the same or lower than the rear. It will handle like a pig if you dont.