proud owner of a 1996 VFR 750 ( lowering question )

Well, thanks to some good advice from this board , I did it. I just bought a 1996 VFR 750 with 13 000 miles in excellent condition. It's a U.S. model and i live on the West Coast of Canada ( Vancouver ). I traded in a 1999 kawasaki Ninja 600 with 45 000km. I wanted a bike with a more comfortable riding position and I couldn't resist the v4 motor. I am not the biggest guy at 5'4" or strongest at 160 pounds but i found the bike to be very easy to ride ( at times easier than my ninja ). I went on about a 45 minute test ride in heavy traffic with some open highway sections....absolutely love the bike....I did have my Dayton riding boots ( from my cruiser days ) which i hate but they have a 2" heel and a thick sole. I would prefer my motorcycle boots and shoes and am considering lowering the bike as it is a little tall for me ......Tippy toes at lights......I found on the Internet a company in the U.S. that produces a lowering link that lowers the bike 1.5 inches. My question is regarding the lowering of 1.5" ...is this too much for the VFR ? I know from motorcycles i have owned in the past that a lowered bike gives me the extra confidence level and riding enjoyment that for me personally is substantial....i would cut down both the side stand and centre stand, which i have down successfully on a V-strom 650 to compensate for the lowering of the bike....my bmw r1200r which is my present bike has a factory lowered frame and suspension and seems to work fine. ...but because of the sporting nature of the vfr i am wondering if 1.5 inches would be ok. i will try to post pics when i pick up the bike....the bike came with a high mount remus exhaust, zero gravity screen, heated grips and a locking cowl box plus a really comfortable sargent seat......and the sound of the VFR with the Remus exhaust is amazing....i don't think i will miss the little Ni

 

Nice! Cant wait to see the pictures. Hows Vancouver? I lived in Seattle for 7 years and went up to vancouver a lot..It was always a relaxing getaway.

 

Welcome to the madness
Here is the link to help you lower the bike, stay away from the lower dog bone type.
Use the Lust triangle
http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/37501-lust-lowering-triangles.html

 

Seriously, if the bike's too tall, maybe you shouldn't have bought it ??

Seems like many riders of new-to-them bikes want a lower seat height, but that's all due to unfamiliarity and lack of confidence.

I'm just about exactly your height and ride an '86 and '97, but it took a few hundred miles to get used to it. One foot down and solid is all you need.

Lowering a bike has a few effects which reduce handling capabilities, mess up the geometry, and reduce suspension travel, and really isn't recommended..........unless you're a GIRL.

Any newish bike feels too tall to begin with if you're short, but the longer you ride it, the smaller and more manageable it becomes.

Don't ever think you need a bike that you can flat-foot with both cuz dat ain't true.

Put 500 miles on that bike, gain more experience, and it will start to feel smaller and easier to handle.

 

Lowering vfr 750

squirrelman.....i have to agree with you, sometimes it's just spending the time on the bike to gain the confidence and familiarity with how the bike handles. After having the lowering links installed on my new to me bike (97 vfr 750 ) the bike was sitting way too low and after a test ride i wasn't comfortable on it....the suspension travel was so minimal that the bottom of the bike touched down going over a speed bump......i had the bike put back to stock height except for reversing or flipping the triangular plates on the suspension....this slight modification lowered the bike a very small amount and the handling and overall appearance of the bike pretty much remained unchanged. I am no where near flat footed on the bike but as you mentioned i lean the bike over slightly at a stop and the bike is very manageable. in fact the vfr is much easier to ride than my kawasaki zx 6r which had lowered suspension on it. the only issue is sometimes having to move the bike around in tight parking situations where a longer inseam would be an advantage.... anyways thanks for the reply and advice.

 

I made my own lowering links out of steel lowered the bike 2 inches. Man it still handles the same and I feel a lot more secure with both feet on the ground. If you would like to have the demintions I,ll post a pic and give you the measurements...

 

lowering links

thanks for the reply.....that would be awesome if you could post a pic...as well as the dimensions of the lowering links......cheers

 

I put a few pics up and I put a rough draft of the lowering link use 1/8 th steel very strong workd great.

 

lowering links

thanks....where can i access the pictures...don't know where to find them

 

I guess under members pictures for TNeal

 

lowering Links

Found the pics....bike still looks awesome......was wondering do you have any issues going over speed bumps in parking lots, or have you had any bottoming out issues....also how much did you have to raise the forks to compensate for the lowering. I have heard half the amount ( one inch ) or the full amount of the lowering ( 2 inches ). i am not sure which works best. My bike is currently lowered about 1 1/4 inches in total.....3/4 of an inch by reversing the triangles and around 1/2 inch by cutting down the seat. ( but unless you have shorter legs , cutting down the seat decreases the seat to foot peg position) I would feel a bit more comfortable with another 1/2 inch, but am not sure how to go about it ...i am really close. This didn't stop me from riding around 4000 miles this past summer. Also with big heavy soled boots its no problem, but you need comfortable light soled boots to ride a sport bike properly....there is little to no feel with heavy boots and shifting is a chore and feels awkward.