LOWER RIDE HEIGHT?

[el-nicko]

Shorter suspension units? Re-modeled saddle? How can it be done? Has anyone achieved any positive result?

[simon]

... things like



.. have been suggested before..

[Dai wiskers]

Big fat bird on the back!

It has been done Nick i just can't remember who did it or how? it may have been Chris [winger] that did it for someone else i can think of someone else that would be interested in this as well [eh Mike]

[r550s]

Lowering the back 'big fat bird' style can make the steering terribly hard work. Not that I've got anything against big fat birds though. Big fat birds tend to know how to laugh, and we all know that once you've got them laughing, well,
Anyway, back on topic..
Lowering the front just a little seems to make much more difference. But it does involve a bit of surgery. The front wishbone can be cut and rewelded to lower the suspension unit bottom mounting by 10mm, which is an effective 15mm at the steering axis. Shims can then be used to alter the ride height anywhere between 0mm and -15mm.
A very helpful chap who used to post on here might still have one of these lowered wishbones knocking about. He advertises R1100s spares on ebay as 'buzzlightyear' (yes, he's that serious) which might be a way to contact him.

[Boxermed69]

Big fat bird on the back!

It has been done Nick i just can't remember who did it or how? it may have been Chris [winger] that did it for someone else i can think of someone else that would be interested in this as well [eh Mike]

Ahem. Might be... I tried boots like Elton's, but struggled on up changes.

Seriously though, I have now got a modified front wishbone which came with a selection of spacers for height adjustment. So, I figure that if I replace the stock 'sport' rear shock for a standard length aftermarket job with additional ride height adjustment as well, I'll have the makings of a solution Not overly fussed about losing a bit of ground clearance - not that much of a hero. Just a case of not screwing up the geometry

Mike

[Merecat]

Lowering the seat is the first and possibly the cheapest option. I intend to get mine done this winter.

Mick

[slparry]

Big fat bird on the back!

It has been done Nick i just can't remember who did it or how? it may have been Chris [winger] that did it for someone else i can think of someone else that would be interested in this as well [eh Mike]

Ahem. Might be... I tried boots like Elton's, but struggled on up changes.

Seriously though, I have now got a modified front wishbone which came with a selection of spacers for height adjustment. So, I figure that if I replace the stock 'sport' rear shock for a standard length aftermarket job with additional ride height adjustment as well, I'll have the makings of a solution Not overly fussed about losing a bit of ground clearance - not that much of a hero. Just a case of not screwing up the geometry

Mike

.. or swap the shock with a FB for a while to "work" it

[Daveg2812]

Shorter suspension units? Re-modeled saddle? How can it be done? Has anyone achieved any positive result?

viewtopic.php?p=135750&highlight=#135750

[Dai wiskers]

Ah wrong Chris sorry Chris r550s

The fat bird can work but most are not good pillions and always move about when your trying to come to a stop, so therefore do not always make for a good riding experiance but are usually greatful for the ride,

[Boxermed69]

Big fat bird on the back!

It has been done Nick i just can't remember who did it or how? it may have been Chris [winger] that did it for someone else i can think of someone else that would be interested in this as well [eh Mike]

Ahem. Might be... I tried boots like Elton's, but struggled on up changes.

Seriously though, I have now got a modified front wishbone which came with a selection of spacers for height adjustment. So, I figure that if I replace the stock 'sport' rear shock for a standard length aftermarket job with additional ride height adjustment as well, I'll have the makings of a solution Not overly fussed about losing a bit of ground clearance - not that much of a hero. Just a case of not screwing up the geometry

Mike

.. or swap the shock with a FB for a while to "work" it

[r550s]

FAO Boxermed

If your altered front wishbone is one that we altered (I don't know of any others), it will have been shortened by either 10 or 12 mm. This is to compensate for the way in which the telelever geometry increases trail as the suspension unit compresses.

If you fit it and install all the spacers, then you should have unaltered ride height, but with less trail hence quicker steering.

Even with a 15mm shorter wishbone there is no problem with stability, the geometry is very very conservative to start with.

[Boxermed69]

r550s, thanks for that. Yes, I assume it was one of yours - 12mm shorter I was told. So, if I leave out a spacer the ride height reduces? If so, would it be equivalent to the spacer thickness or just proportional to it? Am I right in thinking that leaving spacers out will offset some of the effect of the shortened arm? Sorry for the torrent of questions, but I hate stumbling around in the dark. Cheers.

Mike

[r550s]

If you look at how the front suspension is laid out, any alteration to the length of the suspension unit (including altering the wishbone to lower the bottom mounting, which effectively shortens the suspension unt) is mulitplied by about one and a half times at the steering axis, which is where the ride height changes.
So if you take all the spacers out (they measure 10mm in total?) you'll lower the ride height by about 15mm.

As for trail, there's 2 reasons why it's a good idea to reduce it:
1 The 1100s is a bit on the heavy steering/long trail side of things to start with and so can stand a sizeable reduction in trail without any problems with stability, giving a much easier steering bike.

2 By lowering the front in the way described, the arc of movement of the wishbone pushes the lower fork bridge forwards, kicking the steering out and increasing trail even more.

The 1100s seems to have such a big envelope of stability that it's unlikely you can step outside regardless of how radically you change things. I'm talking about the well-known mods such as shorter torque arms, raising the rear etc. The shortened front wishbone is an idea that has been endlessly-discussed on the Pelican board (no surprise eh?) with positive comments from everyone who's gone that route.

That said, you can make really big changes to how the bike handles, so it's well worth trying all this stuff if you're so inclined. As for stability, the worst I've ever had is a 'god-I-must-be-Rossi' mini-flutter of the front wheel when powering* away on an uneven surface.

*In the context of an air-cooled twin.

[Mike B]

Are you still modifying those arms Chris?

[Boxermed69]

Thanks a lot Chris. That gives me more confidence to fiddle about. Looks like even I will struggle to screw the handling up

Mike