Side stand too long?

What are the disadvantages of having lowered the bike in this way? Is there any consequences to the suspension? Were you able to put the kit in yourself and if so what special stands or equipment is needed to pull it off?

 

I have lowered my 3rd gen about an inch and had similar problem with too long side stand. My solution was to cut a bit of the stopper part of the stand so that the stand goes bit more foreward than as stock. I'm not sure how the stand looks in your newer bike, but this is how I did it with no cost at all.

 

biggest advantage is it is customizable to you and not a one size fits all. Also the lowering dogbone that is sold for our bike is a one shot drop no adjustments. If it doesnt fit you there is nothing you can do but sell it. I installed it with a friend, but I used the shops lift that I work at on days off. only took about 15 mins to do. I would suggest that you get some one to help just because it is easier to sit on the bike and have some one else turn the wrenches. Beats the hell out of hopping on and off over and over to get it right. The major flaw i found is that when i go over some bumps that it scrapes the stand or the cat. I plan on taking it off soon anyways. I need new headers.

 

I have a '96 model but I use the exact same GIVI setup as you do and I also find the bike standing up way too much especially when touring and the cases are fully loaded.
On more than one occassions the bike dropped over because it was standing up too much and I didn't notice.
Apart from that I always have to look around when I'm parking the bike for a slight dip on the pavement because even the slightest of inclinations will make the bike either stand up or not allow the stand to extend at all.

Clearly this is not good at all and I have been looking for a way to solve this. It seems that the "easiest" option would be to add a few sims on the top linkage although that entails removing the battery box etc (which I hear can be a bugger to do).

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the height issue, but I started noticing the problem more after I went for an aftermarket Wilbers rear shock. Could it be shorter than the stock item? If anything it is stiffer so it shouldn't allow the bike to sag so much under the weight of the cases.

I think I'll have to add this to the winter list of to-do's. Any suggestions about how what type of shims I should get? Would standard spacers from a hardware store do the trick?

 

I know where you're coming from mate, but things are a bit more complicated than that.
If anything the bike handles much like a sportsbike and you can flick it around very easily with very little effort.

Partly that can be attributed to the Wilbers suspension that I have on. However all Wilbers shocks come with a custom spring set specifically for the owner's weight. As I bought the suspension 2nd hand from the UK and being around 160 pounds with my gear on I am guessing that the spring is just too stiff for me.

With that in mind the stiffer spring should keep the bike from sagging too much loaded up, but the preload is probably set a bit too soft. So I basically get the worst of both worlds ATM. A very stiff spring for my weight when unloaded and too soft loaded up due to the preload being a bit low.

So why not change the preload then?
Well the thing is that I can't change the preload at all. It's as simple as that.
This suspension -although it is the top of the line model- doesn't come with a remote preload adjuster, so you are stuck with turning the collars on the shock with a C shaped ratchet.

If this was an easy thing to do I wouldn't mind doing it the old fashion way; however on the VFR there is extremely limited space to move around so turning the collars is next to impossible.

I will return the suspension to the factory at some point to have it matched to my weight and to add the remote adjuster but I just can't afford it now. In any case I've always felt that the bike rides a bit too low, so it would be nice to increase the height a tad.

Question in point: are the front forks slightly dropped in the clamps from the factory? On my bike the top of the forks are about 2 cm heigher than the top clamp. Do they come like this from the factory?