Effects Of Lowered Bikes Handling

[68gts]

I ride a ZX14 that i lowered very soon after purchased it because i liked the way it looked. Well the corning bug has bitten after a buddy showed me some really great twistys close to the house. I am going to raise the bike back up to improve it handing back to factory specs. My question concerns the front forks. I have read several places that it changes the rake when sliding the tubes up in the tripple tree and helps the bike turn in quicker. Should i raise the forks back to the factory setting or leave them lowered just a tad ,say 1/4 to 1/8 inch lower than factory spec,or just put them to spec and ride? Thanks

[faffi]

How much it will affect the handling depends on the actual bike as well as your way of riding the bike. Some will not notice a 1/4 in drop of the front height, others will find it makes a significant change. Best suggestion I can give you is to try it out and see what you like best. The only risk you're running is that the bike will have less stability with the dropped front end, but on a bike with such a speed potential, I doubt a drop of a 1/4 inch would be enough to cause much concern in that regard unless you try to corner near the top speed with significant lean on a bumpy road - although I cannot say for sure.

[68gts]

Thanks for the reply. I have been riding with the front droped 1inch in the front and 1 1/4 in the rear with no issues with stability thus far. The bikes focus has changed from mostly straight lining to all twistys all the time. I think i may leave the front 1/4 inch down when i raise the bike up in preperation for spring track days. It is a rather large track bike but i ride the wife and the daughter almost always so they love it.

[faffi]

Thanks for the reply. I have been riding with the front droped 1inch in the front and 1 1/4 in the rear with no issues with stability thus far. The bikes focus has changed from mostly straight lining to all twistys all the time. I think i may leave the front 1/4 inch down when i raise the bike up in preperation for spring track days. It is a rather large track bike but i ride the wife and the daughter almost always so they love it.

 

When you lowered both ends, and the astern most, you actually increased rake and trail, which are contributing factor for stability. Lowering the bike, OTOH, will decrease stability. Overall, the two probably more or less evened out.

 

I agree about leaving the front end slightly dropped and see how you like it.

[the razor]

Thanks for the reply. I have been riding with the front droped 1inch in the front and 1 1/4 in the rear with no issues with stability thus far. The bikes focus has changed from mostly straight lining to all twistys all the time. I think i may leave the front 1/4 inch down when i raise the bike up in preperation for spring track days. It is a rather large track bike but i ride the wife and the daughter almost always so they love it.

 

When you lowered both ends, and the astern most, you actually increased rake and trail, which are contributing factor for stability. Lowering the bike, OTOH, will decrease stability. Overall, the two probably more or less evened out.

 

I agree about leaving the front end slightly dropped and see how you like it.

 

I am not an expert on the subject. But I had my bike tuned up based on my weight and my type of riding. The sag, rebound and compresion were adjusted front and back. My question is, do you know the sag, rebound and compresion you have as of now. Remember the factory setting is set based in two person (rider and passenger). I personally will recomend you look for a place that does suspension and have it set up for you. Go and take it for a spin and come back for fine tunning. Good luck.

My two cents.

The razor.

[Cobie Fair]

I ride a ZX14 that i lowered very soon after purchased it because i liked the way it looked. Well the corning bug has bitten after a buddy showed me some really great twistys close to the house. I am going to raise the bike back up to improve it handing back to factory specs. My question concerns the front forks. I have read several places that it changes the rake when sliding the tubes up in the tripple tree and helps the bike turn in quicker. Should i raise the forks back to the factory setting or leave them lowered just a tad ,say 1/4 to 1/8 inch lower than factory spec,or just put them to spec and ride? Thanks

 

You could start with them at the factory height, then lower the front a little (or raise the rear) and see the difference.

 

CF

[DUNLOP-RTS]

I ride a ZX14 that i lowered very soon after purchased it because i liked the way it looked. Well the corning bug has bitten after a buddy showed me some really great twistys close to the house. I am going to raise the bike back up to improve it handing back to factory specs. My question concerns the front forks. I have read several places that it changes the rake when sliding the tubes up in the tripple tree and helps the bike turn in quicker. Should i raise the forks back to the factory setting or leave them lowered just a tad ,say 1/4 to 1/8 inch lower than factory spec,or just put them to spec and ride? Thanks

 

You could start with them at the factory height, then lower the front a little (or raise the rear) and see the difference.

 

CF

 

I will throw some advice in the mix.

 

Set it back to stock. That is a good baseline setting for most every bike out of the box.

 

Ride Ride Ride. Have fun doing it.

 

If you are not fast, making changes to the stock shock and forks usually just consumes your time without a payoff. When you start to go fast, get a race shock and fork upgrades. Then the time you spend adjusting things will actually make a difference and you will feel the changes and upgrade.

 

And get a good set of tires. Aggressive riding on stock or old tires always leads to unhappy faces. Your bike will feel like new with new tires on it.

[johnnyrod]

If you only lowered it for the look then I'd set it back to stock and ignore whatever minimal difference there is in looks. You won't look very cool tiptoeing round bends or running wide if you've upset the handling.

[68gts]

Thanks for the reply. I have been riding with the front droped 1inch in the front and 1 1/4 in the rear with no issues with stability thus far. The bikes focus has changed from mostly straight lining to all twistys all the time. I think i may leave the front 1/4 inch down when i raise the bike up in preperation for spring track days. It is a rather large track bike but i ride the wife and the daughter almost always so they love it.

 

When you lowered both ends, and the astern most, you actually increased rake and trail, which are contributing factor for stability. Lowering the bike, OTOH, will decrease stability. Overall, the two probably more or less evened out.

 

I agree about leaving the front end slightly dropped and see how you like it.

 

I am not an expert on the subject. But I had my bike tuned up based on my weight and my type of riding. The sag, rebound and compresion were adjusted front and back. My question is, do you know the sag, rebound and compresion you have as of now. Remember the factory setting is set based in two person (rider and passenger). I personally will recomend you look for a place that does suspension and have it set up for you. Go and take it for a spin and come back for fine tunning. Good luck.

My two cents.

The razor.

Thats 1 of the problems with a zx14 its horribly under sprung. Its set for 150lb rider and I'm 215lb. I need to respring it badly. Thanks for the reply.