(Shanling @ Sep. 17 2006,05:55) I have thought and thought about lowering mine but still have not done it. I see lowered ones and they all look so cool. But, I keep coming back to the thought that those Suzuki engineers are amoungst the best in the business and designed the best performance bike out there. And that makes me think that if it should be lowered, it would have been by them. Does that makes sense or am I all wet here? I don't want to get flamed but, like Pan does, I am laying out my thoughts so you guys can show me wether I am right or wrong in them.
Those engineers (who couldn't properly design a rear subframe, starter, cam chain tensioner, kickstand, or be bothered to undercut 2nd gear) work with averages. If you're taller or shorter than the average person you're left in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation.
I dropped 1" in front and 2" in back and the bike now feels like it was custom fit for me. I'm 100X more confident in every situation. I no longer dread certain parking spaces at an incline or gravel lots.
I've noticed NO ride changes no matter how rough the road surface is. I used a spacer kit on the front which allowed the top plate to raise 1" so absolutely nothing changed as far as spring rate goes.
I have noticed the bike isn't as prone to power wheelie under hard acceleration and the closer you get to the ground the more aerodynamic the bike becomes. The bars being 1" higher was an added bonus for those long road trips.
My biggest regret was putting it off for 2 years. Now if I had to go back to stock height I'd just get rid of the bike.
If I was taller and the bike fit me I wouldn't bother dropping it. From a "looks" standpoint I barely notice a difference when looking at it in a parking lot.
Lower the front with top plate spacers or a new top plate. Using a strap for street riding is cheesy...sort of like a Camaro held together with duct tape and bailing wire sitting on the front lawn of a rented slab house.
Nice thing about lowering is that it's not permanent and you can put it back if you don't like it or decide to sell the bike. At a total of $80 bucks it's a cheap mod too.
Only side effect was the kickstand. I bought a spare off ebay and did the mod of grinding out a notch until I got the right lean angle and I still have my "less modded" original if I decide to put it back to stock height.