Lowering questions?

I was worried about front fender hitting under hard braking also but i stiffened front springs and that is not an isssue. Besides i dont like the front to dip under hard braking so it suits my rideing. So far i still have the front lowered 1 inch and bike seems to turn into corners much faster, i think it handles much better, and have yet to drag a footpeg. My concern is with top speed where i would be afraid steering would not be as stable as stock height. Again a steering stabilizer would solve any issues, its prob my next purchase.
 
Broke_Dirty_FZ1 said:
This is exactly what I do and I have never had a problem. Not even with a fat chick on the back. I am 5'5"ish with a 27 inch inseam at best, maybe 5'7"ish with boots on.

If people lack that much confidence in controlling their bike, perhaps they should take some riding and safety courses and build their confidence.
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Been there, done that - similar inseam & around 150 lbs. Sometimes it's just how often we have the opportunity to ride, not more rider safety courses, that's the issue. Someone whose lifestyle lends toward riding several times a month may still want to enjoy their FZ1 but not be as comfortable as someone who gets to ride more frequently. Please cut some slack for those of us who might want to lower our bikes. It's not the same as training wheels. I would never ride again if my only other choice was cruiser (been there, and won't do that again).
 
Yes! i too have gone the way of the cruiser once. It was nice for a time, very comfortable but the ride would bore me. I wanted a bike with a good mix of sport and comfort but nothing as heavy as say an FJR. The FZ1 is everything i wanted in a motorcycle, the perfect bike...except for the seat height, haha!:p
 
Give it more riding time.

Eric Lawson said:
I just got my lowering link from Soupy's Performance and plan on lowering my 08 FZ1 soon. I want to lower bike about 2 inches front and rear equally to not mess up the stock handling. In doing so i have concerns about front fender touching fairing under heavy braking or rear tire hitting underside under heavy acceleration. I think Gen II FZ1 has 5 inches of wheel travel? Trying to find out if this will be an issue?
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I am the same hieght and would suggest that you ride the FZ for a while. It shouldn't be long and it will be a non issue and the extra travel is a good thing.
 
Eric, I have talked with GMD Computrack, Ivan's Performance and Lee at Traxxion Dynamics. They all have told me to lower the front and rear equally. Same goes for cruisers. Actually, Lee at Traxxion has said the front a little lower is even better, but we're talking maybe 4-5 mm here. Many riders I have seen over at FZ1OA have done this with stock height front and rear.
I also have lowered the bike one inch in back, and 1.25 up front. I get no head shake, perfectly stable up over 115 mph, and tracks straight as an arrow with no hands on the bars (not at ludicrous speeds, of course). Since I also want to go up to another inch lower, I am looking at some of these adjustable links. Do they seems as strong as a solid link? I would hope they are, because I like the idea of the adjustability.
As someone posted here, this has NOTHING to do with confidence in our skill. I have gotten myself in rather precarious situations on a couple occasions withe the stock height. For example, in a parking lot where there is a dip and I'm trying to back up, my feet have about ended up swinging in the breeze. Once I'm moving even 1 mph, it's fine. Since lowering it, I have noted a 100% improvement in my overall control because the bike fits me better. A 1.5 - 2 inch drop would be perfect. I can get my forks up that two inches, but I have to set the preload a little stiffer, and they are very close to the bars. That's ok with me though. Best of all would be to internally limit the shock and shorten the springs in the forks. I'd let a pro do that stuff.
If anyone here has a 2-inch lowering link they'd like to sell, let me know...
- T.
 
Jusy to put it out there , I have a fully Ivanized bike that is lowered 2
' in rear and 1.5" in front on factory suspension and have no problems.
 
hey guys, color me stupid but does anyone sell dog-bone type lowering kits for the 06-10 FZ1. I did a little shopping around the net and not very many sites list ones specifically for the 06-10 FZ1. They do list them for the 01-05. I did find an adjustable one at Soupys Performance ($82) but was concerned about breakage. Have you ever heard of the adjustable ones breaking? I really dig the looks of the FZ1s lowered. Especially when they have the lower fairing. Stock they look like a Dual Sport with street tires, kinda but not really. Also, I am what you call a little "husky" so I increased the preload and that works great for some of the wallowing I was experiencing. But now it looks even taller when it's just sitting there parked. Any info you can supply would be greatly appreciated. I'll even put you on my xmas card list!:)
 
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Eric Lawson said:
Yes i am aware that lowering bike will lower center of gravity. I didnt wanna just lower the rear because i knew that would change degree of the fork and thus change handling. Friend of mine lowered his Gen I FZ1 in same way with lowering link on rear and sliding forks up. He placed a level on gas tank lowered rear then lowered front until bubble in level was back in same place as was with stock. Should note he races bikes at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, on R1 not FZ1. He claimed his FZ1 actually handled better after lowering due to the lower center of gravity. I just had concern about suspension travel. I think the lowering link says it can lower up to 4 inches on rear but i dont wanna go beyond 2. Im not trying to make a drag bike or a lowrider, just one i can flat foot at an interesection since i am vertically challenged, 5'9. I think bikes always look better a few inches lower too.
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I'm 5'7". I do ok. :)
 
FZ1inNH said:
That's the second failure I've heard of, but several here use them. According to Soupy, this can happen when the link is not properly torqued in AFTER the bike is put on the ground and the rear is bounced a few times, thus leaving some slop for failure.

My wife's is still on and still top notch!
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2 failures is more then enough for me,I ride hard at times and the last thing I would want is one of these breaking in mid corner, to me its a no brainer when you can get solid ones there`s enough thing`s out there trying to get you without adding to it
 
fisherman322 said:
2 failures is more then enough for me,I ride hard at times and the last thing I would want is one of these breaking in mid corner, to me its a no brainer when you can get solid ones there`s enough thing`s out there trying to get you without adding to it
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I hear ya.... but installed to spec, there is no problem. ;)
 
FZ1inNH said:
I hear ya.... but installed to spec, there is no problem. ;)
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maybe, I would not count on it? if some thing happened to your wife you would never forgive yourself, do you know what type of metal it`s made from? anyway it should not break even if it was not torqued properly
 
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fisherman322 said:
maybe, I would not count on it? if some thing happened to your wife you would never forgive yourself, do you know what type of metal it`s made from? anyway it should not break even if it was not torqued properly
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If I did not trust it, my wife wouldn't be on it. The stretch and break is from movement/freeplay from not being torqued in place. It's likely the OEM link would break the same way if not torqued properly.

It's not the link, it's the mechanic.
 
FZ1inNH said:
If I did not trust it, my wife wouldn't be on it. The stretch and break is from movement/freeplay from not being torqued in place. It's likely the OEM link would break the same way if not torqued properly.

It's not the link, it's the mechanic.
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There`s nothing to torque on the solid one except the nuts holding it on,and they are lock nuts so I can`t see them comming loose, not like the ones on both sides of the adjustment,anyway you seem happy with it but it would not last ten minutes on my bike before I replaced it.
 
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This is a pic of my Soupys raising link. It has spherical bearings at both ends that have to be lubed and properly torqed.


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