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Old June 19th, 2015, 02:12 PM   #1
Gears and Gasoline
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lowering the 250r

I've got a newb question.

I've been looking to lower my 09 250R for a few reasons,
-I don't like the obvious skinny rear tire, and lowering helps
-I have a fender eliminator and i think there's a huge gap (i want a tire hugger too)
-I'd like to lower the seat height even more (i'm a short guy).


However, everything i've read about lowering it says to not do it because it messes up the balance. I love how nimble the 250 is and i don't want to mess that up. Are there any good options out there for lowering it without messing things up? lowering the front and the back i guess?
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Old June 19th, 2015, 02:16 PM   #2
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Old June 19th, 2015, 03:01 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gears and Gasoline View Post
...everything i've read about lowering it says to not do it...
That's basically it. Can you physically do it? Yes. You'll have to completely retune your suspension, it'll still handle differently, but you can do it.

For reference, I'm 5' 4", 180lbs dry on a good day. I have to stand on my toes, but it's not that uncomfortable with the riding shoes I wear. I don't even notice.
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Old June 19th, 2015, 06:53 PM   #4
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Oh goodness, misdirection in this thread.

If you lower (or raise) the front and rear the same amount, the geometry will not change, only the height. Within reason (about an inch, I'd guess) you will be alright with suspension travel and not contacting body work if you bottom out. More than that, and I'd bet you'll touch the front fender on the nose, and we've seen people rub the rear tire on the undertail. As long as you don't get crazy on how far you lower it, you will not have to worry about the suspension at all, or changing the dynamics of the bike through changing the head angle.

for the rear: lowering links. some are adjustable, some are set.

for the front: lowering blocks. These go between the risers and the triple. I think an inch is it here. Go much further and you'll need longer cables and brake hose. You also could get 36mm clip ons and lower the forks in the triples.



Now, why exaclty are you lowering this? I see that you want smaller gaps, lower tail, and fatter tire. ummmmmm... well... okay. FWIW: it's a sport bike, general motto is face down, ass up, that's the way we like to... you get the idea. Most people seem to raise the tail, myself included. and lowering for smaller gaps; this isn't a ricer, dooood. It just isn't.


Anyhow, being short I can understand. I don't agree with it, but I can see a legitimate reason there. Think an inch will help? More than that and it can potentially get more expensive.
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Old June 19th, 2015, 07:52 PM   #5
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Don't you have to get a lower kick stand too?
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Old June 19th, 2015, 07:54 PM   #6
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try adding a gel heal only insole to your boots. it will help, I doubled up a heal and full insole.
I
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Old June 19th, 2015, 10:15 PM   #7
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Don't you have to get a lower kick stand too?
Kickstand mount allows a bit of flexion, a few inches shouldn't significantly matter. Not to mention that the bike is quite tilted to left side anyway when parked.
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Old June 19th, 2015, 10:20 PM   #8
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The front end of my bike was LOW. Quicker steering, but didn't change much else.
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Old June 19th, 2015, 10:28 PM   #9
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The front end of my bike was LOW. Quicker steering, but didn't change much else.
Did you measure how much of the fork was exposed from the triple?
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Old June 19th, 2015, 10:31 PM   #10
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Those woodcraft clipons were mounted on top of the triple. And it was about flush to the top of the clamps.
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Old June 20th, 2015, 09:45 AM   #11
Gears and Gasoline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by choneofakind View Post
Oh goodness, misdirection in this thread.

If you lower (or raise) the front and rear the same amount, the geometry will not change, only the height. Within reason (about an inch, I'd guess) you will be alright with suspension travel and not contacting body work if you bottom out. More than that, and I'd bet you'll touch the front fender on the nose, and we've seen people rub the rear tire on the undertail. As long as you don't get crazy on how far you lower it, you will not have to worry about the suspension at all, or changing the dynamics of the bike through changing the head angle.

for the rear: lowering links. some are adjustable, some are set.

for the front: lowering blocks. These go between the risers and the triple. I think an inch is it here. Go much further and you'll need longer cables and brake hose. You also could get 36mm clip ons and lower the forks in the triples.



Now, why exaclty are you lowering this? I see that you want smaller gaps, lower tail, and fatter tire. ummmmmm... well... okay. FWIW: it's a sport bike, general motto is face down, ass up, that's the way we like to... you get the idea. Most people seem to raise the tail, myself included. and lowering for smaller gaps; this isn't a ricer, dooood. It just isn't.


Anyhow, being short I can understand. I don't agree with it, but I can see a legitimate reason there. Think an inch will help? More than that and it can potentially get more expensive.
Okay, so these two items?

http://www.amazon.com/New-Kawasaki-N.../dp/B006M5KVEW

http://www.amazon.com/Kawasaki-Ninja...xgy_263_text_y

wont that raise my handlebars too? so I'd have to get something else to lower the handlebars back down.. I don't think I'll need to lower the bike more than an inch really.. I think taller shoes are just a workaround and doesn't make it much easier anyway. It's like walking on stilts, it's not as easy as walking barefoot. and don't flame me for this, but i'm not going to wear boots all the time, it's a commuter bike so i'm often in dress shoes (still wear a jacket, gloves, and helmet obviously).
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Old June 20th, 2015, 01:20 PM   #12
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Thinking about the lowering thing, if you slide the triple down the forks, and use a riser to offset that, the bars will actually be in the same place they were.



Wear boots. My wife probably would have lost most of her foot had she been in shoes.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=233444
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Old June 22nd, 2015, 07:16 AM   #13
Gears and Gasoline
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I'm going to get the riser blocks to lower the front one inch, and the link to lower the rear one inch. that should keep the ride the same, but the height one inch lower..
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Old June 22nd, 2015, 03:15 PM   #14
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I see I've been understanding lowering dynamics completely wrong then. I thought it would significantly alter the bike's handling.

I might just have to give this a go as well
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Old June 23rd, 2015, 11:38 AM   #15
Gears and Gasoline
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Yeah I think 1 inch is fine, 2 inches is probably not good..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emFS2RnVDRM
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Old June 23rd, 2015, 11:44 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gears and Gasoline View Post
Yeah I think 1 inch is fine, 2 inches is probably not good..
He is saying that stuff because he blindly lowered the bike without addressing the rest of the suspension settings, like preload and compression. And common... potholes are just that. Unpredictable at best.

Basically at a high level, if you lower the bike... your gunna have to account for suspension travel in BOTH directions. Otherwise, stuff like that happens.
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