vipez Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 was wondering if its possible and what parts would be needed to do it? newbie here. sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryderjay Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 To lower the front of a bike you loosen the top and bottom triple trees (fork clamps) and slide the tubes up to desired height and then retighten. It's imperative the forks are exactly the same height or you're gunna have a bad time. Also note that without properly adjusting the suspension front and rear you'll be changing the bikes geometry and thus make it handle much different - often times handle quite poorly as the suspension has trouble settling while corning do the change made) To do the job safely you need a bike lift that lifts via engine mounts, or a front stand that slides via a pin into the frame where the steering head attaches. You'll need to remove the front wheel Loosen the clamps Adjust fork tubes to desired height and Measure the change in fork tube height using digital calipers to ensure they are exactly the same height! Retighten everything, torque everything to proper specs. Do NOT loosen the triple trees while the forks are holding a load! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig9080 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 He is right...and that's pretty much it. Is this a ride height thing or for aesthetics? To lower the front of a bike you loosen the top and bottom triple trees (fork clamps) and slide the tubes up to desired height and then retighten. It's imperative the forks are exactly the same height or you're gunna have a bad time. Also note that without properly adjusting the suspension front and rear you'll be changing the bikes geometry and thus make it handle much different - often times handle quite poorly as the suspension has trouble settling while corning do the change made) To do the job safely you need a bike lift that lifts via engine mounts, or a front stand that slides via a pin into the frame where the steering head attaches. You'll need to remove the front wheel Loosen the clamps Adjust fork tubes to desired height and Measure the change in fork tube height using digital calipers to ensure they are exactly the same height! Retighten everything, torque everything to proper specs. Do NOT loosen the triple trees while the forks are holding a load! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzguider Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Assuming one got all of the correct adjustments made with regard to geometry and damping, then could it potentially be even better than leaving it at it's current height in the front? To me this bike looks like it's got a rear weight bias. I'm curious as well about what all, in depth, would be needed to make this happen and happen right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwpowere36m3 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 The rear weight bias is likely due to seating position (upright) and not head-angle, which is steep already (steeper than many sport bikes). I'd change to a lower or clip-on style handlebar to get more weight over the front... if that's your desire. Otherwise is as simple as moving the forks up in the triples... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 On the road you will be doing pretty well to actually notice an inch of drop thru the clamps ( the track is a different matter). It does affect the handling, but for most riding you will not notice it. It will help with the rear weight bias this bike is stuck with if you lower only the front, but as pattonme points out, this bike is a bit light on for trail as it is, so (theoretically) it will make the bike twitchier. More to the point I removed the springs and settled the front to see how much clearance there is between the mudguard and the bottom of the triple clamp at full travel. There is about 20mm. That means for 5mm safety margin of clear you can only drop the front through the clamps by 15mm max. You can get a bit more by lowering the front guard as there is a fair bit of clearance between the tyre and the inside of the guard. And a bit more by changing to a 120/60 instead of the 120/70 ( 12mm smaller and 12mm lower bike as well) and lowering the guard to that height. BUT remember a 120/60 has less gyro than a 120/70 ( smaller diameter AND lighter) so any twitchiness will be added to IF that is what you don't want The bike has a relatively short travel of 130mm. You could take 10 to 15mm internally and shorten with a block ( or the right size bigger spring ) between the bottom of the fork piston and the stop in the stanchion. That will give you less plush to play with ( you will have to accordingly stiffen the springs) but has a small side benefit of making the torsional and side deflection resistance of the front end stiffer. It will also unfortunately shorten the trail also unless you drop the rear by an equivalent amount. Lowering will also effect you roll over and side cornering clearance so getting the bike sprung right becomes more important. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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