lowering bike
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You can also buy tires with rounder profiles (like diablos) rather than pointed profiles (like pilow powers).
You can lower it in the front by dropping the forks, ideally you want lowering links for the rear. You can also take some of the foam out of the seat and get maybe another half inch.
Just remember that steering geometry and therefore performance will change. I would rather have my feet touch the ground personally, I think it's hard for people who have never had the problem (myself included) to understand how uncomfortable it is on a shiny brand new bike to not be able to firmly plant your feet on the ground.
You can lower it in the front by dropping the forks, ideally you want lowering links for the rear. You can also take some of the foam out of the seat and get maybe another half inch.
Just remember that steering geometry and therefore performance will change. I would rather have my feet touch the ground personally, I think it's hard for people who have never had the problem (myself included) to understand how uncomfortable it is on a shiny brand new bike to not be able to firmly plant your feet on the ground.
If you do end up lowering the bike this is what you wil need to do.
Front: Put the froks up higher in the triples to lower it. Make sure that you do one fork and then use the axle to match up the other fork. Be sure not to go to far and try not to use a strap to lower it farther. You could hurt the suspension by doing so. You could also damage the bodywork as well.
Rear: You will need to purchase lowering links. Make sure to measure how far you want to lower it as most lowering links will have different holes in them to allow to go lower.
Try to lower it in equal proportions. If you go down 1" in the front go down 1" in the rear and so on. Make sure to check the tightness of the chain after you lower the bike as the chain will get tighter when you lower the bike.
Another thing to watch is your kick stand... If you lower it more than 1" you will need to shorten it or buy one that is adjustable. Other wise the bike will be at risk to falling over the opposite way while sitting still.
When you lower a bike the geometry will change drastically, as most have already stated. Lowering the bike will make it less stable in the turns but more stable in a straight line, so be sure to watch those corners!
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Front: Put the froks up higher in the triples to lower it. Make sure that you do one fork and then use the axle to match up the other fork. Be sure not to go to far and try not to use a strap to lower it farther. You could hurt the suspension by doing so. You could also damage the bodywork as well.
Rear: You will need to purchase lowering links. Make sure to measure how far you want to lower it as most lowering links will have different holes in them to allow to go lower.
Try to lower it in equal proportions. If you go down 1" in the front go down 1" in the rear and so on. Make sure to check the tightness of the chain after you lower the bike as the chain will get tighter when you lower the bike.
Another thing to watch is your kick stand... If you lower it more than 1" you will need to shorten it or buy one that is adjustable. Other wise the bike will be at risk to falling over the opposite way while sitting still.
When you lower a bike the geometry will change drastically, as most have already stated. Lowering the bike will make it less stable in the turns but more stable in a straight line, so be sure to watch those corners!
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178 Posts
surprised no one has said to just shave the seat a bit. Just take off a bit of foam from your seat and you'll be good. But in all honesty, just tippy toe it. At a stoplight, if need be, you can just slide off to one side and hold the bike up that way. I can't flat foot on a bike, but have no problems. Plus you should worry about how the bike handles when moving instead of at a stop
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895 Posts
Im 5'3" with short legs and i balance most bikes on one toe. I bought a new CBR600F4i after 4 months riding (after a cb250). I can only remember dropping a bike on its side 4 times (plus a few close saves) in 7 years and 250,000km of riding ... and most people I know have dropped theirs at least once no matter how tall they are.
Id advise you to leave the bike alone, watch where you put your feet, and buy some oggy knobs if your really concerned about dropping it. Id love to be able to put both feet flat on the ground but its only a minor hassle.
Id advise you to leave the bike alone, watch where you put your feet, and buy some oggy knobs if your really concerned about dropping it. Id love to be able to put both feet flat on the ground but its only a minor hassle.
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6,697 Posts
One year all my buds bought CR500R's (I already had my '95), one of us is five three, so we shaved down his seat some, it helped a lot, kick starting the bike was a entirely different issue though.:biggrinSoySauce021 said:surprised no one has said to just shave the seat a bit. Just take off a bit of foam from your seat and you'll be good. But in all honesty, just tippy toe it. At a stoplight, if need be, you can just slide off to one side and hold the bike up that way. I can't flat foot on a bike, but have no problems. Plus you should worry about how the bike handles when moving instead of at a stop![]()
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