That "raise the rear" mod....*results*

Discussion in '3rd & 4th Generation 1990-1997' started by LayinLow, Nov 26, 2018.

  1. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2010
    Messages:
    114
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    18
    I haven't posted in a very long time, but I felt like I needed to, given how happy I am with one of my recent mods. I've got a heavily modified 94VFR naked bike, and I've always wished the suspension had a bit more edge to it. My rear shock has been rebuilt by Jamie already and it's been awesome. I cheaped out when I needed fork seals last, and just went with heavier weight oil instead of RaceTech springs. Next time around I'm putting .90 springs up front. ANYWAY...I had read about people lowering the front end or raising the rear, so I decided to try it. I went with a 1/8 inch "body shim" from Auto Zone (looks like a little horseshoe with a tab on it)...this translates to a teeny bit more than the 3mm washers people recommend at the rear shock. According to what I've read, this raises the rear about 1/2 inch at the tail, but with a 32inch inseam I can still flat foot it. It slightly raises center of gravity, and lowers rake and trail....all moves in the sportbike direction instead of the touring direction. Those who are short, or want to preserve the lower center of gravity/stability for touring should consider lowering the front instead.
    Now to the point- ITS FREAKING FANTASTIC:batman:. I seriously can't describe how much of a difference that measly 1/8 inch at the shock made. It's noticeable everywhere...in the city...in the mountains....on the highway..everywhere. I didn't measure...so I don't know for certain but I think it also might stiffen up the front just a hair...possibly starting the forks a teeny bit further down in the travel due to weight distribution. Whatever is going on...I absolutely love it. It should have been the first or second mod I did on the bike 8 years ago.

    For people who have said that it makes it "too twitchy", I would recommend a diaper change. If you've ever ridden an r6/r1 or a gsxr...this is nowhere near as twitchy as a true track bike...it's in my opinion PERFECT. Maybe closer to F4i feel for example. The first time I had it in the mountains after buying new rubber, I came back with only 1/8 inch chicken strips. Thats nearly using all the tire surface. Not once did it get squirrelly. Still has that same old solid Honda feel. DO IT.
     
  2. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2007
    Messages:
    6,120
    Likes Received:
    853
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Desert Southwest
    It is the best modification for a 6g and it's easy to do. If you have access to a chassis geometry measuring company, such as GMD Computrack or RaceTech, I highly recommend having your chassis measured. Upon conclusion, you will know if your machine suffers from any misalignments that need to be corrected and they will also provide you with "sweet numbers" that give you options to get your chassis setup and performing razor sharp. I won't go into all of the details that they provide, because it is too much for one post. In back to back tests, stock vs. Computrack tuned, it is hard to believe that they are the same model of machine. I have a 30" inseam, and yes, it took some getting used to, but adapting to the setup was well worth it.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Thurn Motorsports makes it easy to tune the rear ride height with link plates with varying amounts of rise that can be swapped in and out to change the geometry. Once you have the Computrack numbers you can order the correct link plates and then it's just a matter of raising or lowering the fork tubes to attain the recommended rake and trail numbers. If you are really going for the perfect tune, even incorrect chain tension can have an adverse effect on suspension action and feel.
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
  3. oisface

    oisface New Member

    Country:
    Ireland
    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2012
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Map
    Thanks folks, I've been looking for a solution to raise the rear and have been drawing up link plates on fusion to send to a CNC op, but the ones from thurn are cheaper than it'll cost me to get them made up and will be suitable, so saves me a lot of heart ache. Next on the list is brake and clutch mc rebuild and braided lines for both
     

Share This Page