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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Handling/Lowering
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Message started by zipidachimp on 09/02/18 at 22:50:18

Title: Handling/Lowering
Post by zipidachimp on 09/02/18 at 22:50:18

With my Ryca top tree, I slid the forks up an inch and now the bike no longer tends to head toward the outside of every turn. Very enjoyable. Now I'm thinking if I put an 18" wheel on the front, I can obtain the same effect with the stock trees. I know this can get expensive, but being retired, I can scrimp elsewhere and I like to experiment. Cheers! 8-)

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by Dave on 09/03/18 at 03:59:51

I have been down that road.....and I am still there!

Raising the back and dropping the front does make a significant change in the way the bike steers as you enter the corner - I am not sure what affect the cornering ability once the bike is leaned over....it may not make the bike any faster around the curve unless you are really one who pushes the limits and scrubs the rubber off right to the tire edge......the forward pegs are usually the limiting factor in how far you can lean.

When I ride a stock Savage and set up for a turn, it feels to me like the bike "flops" over into the turn.......it takes me a few miles of turns to get used to the feeling.

My bike is lowered 2" up front (1.5" raised fork tubes and 0.5" spacer to reduce travel), has an 18" wheel, and I run a lower profile 90/90-18 front tire. I have raised up the back with 13.5" and 18" rear wheel with a 130/70 on a 3.5" wide rim or 120/80 on a 2.5" wide rim.

My bike now steers into the corners more like a touring or sport touring bike - however it is not as willing as a sport bike is.....there is just too much fork angle and trail, and the short clip-on handlebars do require a bit more force to make things happen. The bike handles well and it feels very stable. I like the way the bike steers, and the only time the bike is jittery is the couple of times I tried to see what my top speed is for the bike....as I get close to 100mph the bike become very light in the front and it becomes jittery and wants to wander - it is obvious the bike is getting very light in the front.....could be that the big 8" headlight is just too big for making stable speed attempts!

If you want quicker steering - I would lower the forks as much as you can, get lower profile/smaller tires (90/90-19 front & 130/90-15 rear), get longer shocks like the Intruder 800 shocks - you can try all those changes without having to change rim sizes. I am not sure what this will do to the look or comfort of the bike - these changes will make the bike look less like a backward leaning cruiser....and will increase the forward slope in the seat.

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by zipidachimp on 09/03/18 at 12:10:37

Dave: great ideas! I'm at 12.5" and 1" with a 14/90-15 rear, and the steering is really nice compared to stock. I ride slow compared to you but I see that I can still make some progress without changing wheels.Will continue to experiment! cheers! 8-)
ps: is there any belt tension problem with 13.5" shocks?

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by Dave on 09/03/18 at 13:00:13

627168717C797B70717568180 wrote:

is there any belt tension problem with 13.5" shocks?

You have to adjust the belt much looser when you are not sitting on the bike - as the belt tightens as the shock compress.

When I set my bike up I took the shocks off and moved the swingarm to the place where it would be with the shock fully compressed, then made the belt pretty snug......then when I put the shock back on I got an idea how tight to make the belt. It is a bit floppy compared to what you are used to - but it has been 10,000 miles like that without any problems. (I actually think it is better to error on the loose side rather than making the belt too tight).

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by zipidachimp on 09/03/18 at 13:07:43

Thanks! 8-)

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by batman on 09/10/18 at 08:53:20

I'm also running 12.5 shocks, but a stock front end ,I can't lean the bike far enough to scrap the pegs any more .But I ground a good 1/4 "of them when the bike was stock. after years of running 140/90/15 ,I just put on a 130 /90 15 and noticed a real difference in handling in the curves , when the front wears out ,I think of going to a 90/90/19 for the same reason.

Title: Re: Handling/Lowering
Post by zipidachimp on 09/11/18 at 02:39:30

Changing to a 130/90-15 would be a lot cheaper than moving to a 17" or 18" wheel. Fine for a bobber, not so much for a tracker.
I'm starting to think I should concentrate on getting my bike to work better, rather than trying to reinvent it.
Thanks! 8-)