hey, John!
(This will be a lengthy posts, so please bear with!) Congrats on the extension purchase!!
Roaring Toys usually has good, quality products and you will enjoy the stability gained from not working so hard to keep the front end down. Depending on your carving routines, you will also get an opportunity to learn new riding characteristics for tearing up the twisties!
What length of extension did you end up with? And I think from one of your posts you were trying to come up with an idea for type of chain. I posted up about the chain I use but I didn't get to ask you about mileage or sproket condition. Sprokets are one thing you want to look pretty closely especially with the new chain, but also as a consideration for taking advantage of the 'busa's big block torque. Lowering the gear ratio by increasing rear sproket size is one good way to put a little more spunky in yer monkey, uh, no pun intended. I think Street Imports is still a site sponor and I've worked with them on both chains and sprokets. Good people to work with, you'll just need a little patience with communication.
While extending the wheelbase in the rear does raise the back of the bike some, you will need to consider leverage increase against the stock spring. The further you move the rear axle away from the swing arm pivot point, the easier it becomes to compress the shock spring. So, depending how much weight is present on the back of the bike, the rate of rear suspension compression will increase depending on the length of extensions, etc. There is a lot of science involved in all of this and I am by no means a professor but, with the experience I've gained on my own bike, reading tech articles and such, I will at least share some of what I've come up against.
Having said that, if you lower the rear after installing the extensions, you will need to calculate swing arm travel based on stock spring compression rates, estimated riding weights (incuding passenger, if any), etc. Most people who lower their rides after extensions usually discover all this by attempting to shove the rear wheel assembly through the battery tray when they bottom out while riding. Don't ask me how I know this but I do have a new battery tray install lined up for my bike this year.
Most people will also lower the bike through after market 'dog bones', lowering links, or what ever you want to call them. The guys at RaceTech say this messes with suspension geometry and that shock lowering blocks combined with a much higher spring weight rating are the way to go when it comes to the proper way to lower your bike. eh-hemm....my rear suspension assembly should be here sometime in the next two weeks.
There's plenty more here to discuss but let me know when you are planning on doing your conversion. Please don't say 'Mother's Day'. Mom's, Wives as mother's, or any Mother deserve to be celebrated on their day.
I've got a chain tool and if your doing this any other day but Mother's Day, I'll move the schedule around a bit and make myself available.
lease:
