front end lower
 

how do I lower my front end via the triple trees? and how far can I lower it?

Loosen the pinch bolts on the upper and lower triples and move them. As for how far you can pull them up, well if you have the stock set up in the forks, I wouldn't do it. If you have the spring rate and valving dialed in you can go 10mm before you start having ground clearance & stability issues. But of course YMMV.

I'm at about 1/2 inch with stiffer springs. So far so good. I tried 3/4 for a while. Ripped my header wrap off.

I have run with a tad over 1" for years with stiffer springs. Handles great.

Any lowering of the front while keeping the OEM springs will reduce ground clearance when cornering, so there's no "right" answer. It depends how hard you corner and value ground clearance.

When people pull the wimpy OEM springs and replace with springs suited to their weight, they usually pull the fork tubes up about 10 mm, but that just restores the original front ride height.

What are you seeking to accomplish by lowering the front? If you want quicker steering and a more nose down attitude without sacrificing cornering clearance, it's better to raise the rear end by placing a spacer above the rear shock.

You guys know that raising the forks also decreases the trail which will make the bike unstable if you go too far. If you go more than 10mm be prepared to buy a steering damper or you just might end up with the mother of all tank slappers..... but as always YMMV.

im trying to lower it for an overall more aggressive look is all. i dont ride aggressively as in hard cornering or super quick take offs or other things....just want it to look more aggressive is all.

Worst reason ever......................................

+100

I don't know, you guys. People do all kinds of shit to their bikes, some of it a lot more expensive than pulling up fork tubes, for no reason other than thinking it looks cool.

I am not talking expensive in initial cost. I am talking expensive as in surgury for broken bones or skin grafts after you completely ruin the stability of a 100hp sportbike & pitch it into a pole. Not to mention funeral costs for the family. Put some stickers on it for a more aggressive look. Dont do chassis mods for the......worst reason ever.......................

Yeah there's a point past which altering the fore/aft attitude of the bike will land you on your head, but there's leeway beyond the stock set up. Lots of guys have pulled up the fork tubes 10 mm (with stiffer springs) and at the same time put 4 or 5 mm worth of spacers on top of the rear shock, which has a greater effect than it sounds 'cause the shock is closer to the center of the bike than the forks are.

Point being- whether you do it to quicken the steering (like I did) or do it for looks is irrelevant as long as the bike rides stable.

i apologize for not stating that i would be lowering the rear as well. (which I will be doing to compensate to move the center of gravity throughout the proper "X" axis and not to just lower the front end only and cause dip/pitch on the frond end and affect the steering geometry).

"common" physics shows that if you lower the rear & front at the same overall ratios...then it will not cause the front end steering to be a problem. because you've lowered an even center of gravity throughout the length of the bike "X" axis...and not create a front pitch/dip.
thats common physics for everyday normal riders...not looking to be hauling @$$ on the roads. (which would be nice) but not on roads & streets...maybe trackside someday. just not now.

Bump! I need to raise the front since the previous owner had it lowered due to being short. Please help a newb with instructions on how to raise it back to stock :)

I had to do the same thing just a little bit ago. If you have an engine hoist it makes it easy.

put the bike on a rear stand (or have a friend sit on the bike to keep it stable while you preform the operation), Attach a tow strap to the top triples, remove the windscreen (wasn't necessary for me but a good safety step anyway), attach tow strap to engine hoist and lift front end a few mm above the ground, loosen pinch bolts on upper and lower triples (14mm on the lower 12mm on the upper) loosen pinch bolts on the bars as well if they need to raise with the triples, push fork tubes down with equal pressure on both sides so as not to bind them, tighten everything back down and your done

Thanks man! I also needed to have the tires/wheels balanced so I played hooky yesterday and went to the shop and just had them do that job and raising the front end as well. The bike handles and feels much better after these two items were done.

Any suggestions on where to buy stiffer springs and what kind?

DMr. Excellent reputation

Sonic springs are the best bang for the buck.

Thanks, which ones do you suggest for a 230 lbs rider. All I know now is that it it feels like an XR100 when I ride it lol

Racetech has a handy spring rate calculator on their website.

I'm 220 and need a .95kg/mm spring

Thanks for the info. Did you notice a difference when you changed the springs? Also did you lower it at all after the new spring install to compensate for the stiffer springs and ride height? How about the rear shock, and mods?

EDIT: I also ride with my wife often.

At 220lb you should run 0.95kg/mm springs. Do not factor on a passenger - you want to use only your weight. The only time a passenger should be considered is if every single time the bike is ridden they are on board. In my 13 yerars of doing suspension setups I've reun accross this once - so it is extremely rare.

Shoot me an email if you want some springs. I offer sets with pre-cut spacers so you know everything is correct when you install them.

Ride height shouldn't change and isn't really an issue.

the "flexi-flyer" 41mm fork with a 230lb rider with stock valving would be the weakpoint.

I'd toss the stock non-adjustable shock in the bin. Go for a DMR modified F4i rear shock, or start shopping around for a nice aftermarket option.

My hawk came with an Ohlins shock- Its not in the best of shape, but its fully rebuildable.

I have a question but the opposite of Speedie. My bike is lowered... a lot because I'm only 5'4/130lbs. Would you suggest stiffer springs in my case as well?

There is really only one way to correctly lower a bike - reduce the suspension travel. In that case the spring rate must be increased significantly. This is very rarely done (you can imply that all of the other ways are bad, which is true) so chances are you have a choice of either dealing with what you have to fixing it the right way. In either case the spring rate would need adjusted for the new geometry. Safety is the issue here.

Shoot me an email if you need more details on what spring rate to use for your bike.