I need to lower my '06 Interceptor the greatest amount possible. I will be giving this bike to my wife. She stands 5'4". She must be able to sit on the bike some what with both feet planted firmly on the ground with a slight bend at the knees.Her current Magna has a seat height of 28". If I could get the VFR seat height to 29" it would really really be cool.This would mean lowering the bike aprox. 3". She is not an agressive rider as far as the twisties are concerned. Can it be done?
and drop the tire psi to 10 will get you another 1/2 .... just kidding .... you will probably have to raise the forks up and get a different spring for the rear shock for it to be close
Have you come up with a way to lower the bike?? I'm in the same boat. My other half started on an Intruder and now I have her on a 92 vfr. She can reach the ground but just not flat footed. She has drop it twice at stops and now the plastic is scared up. I'v even thought about getting shoes built up for her. They be cheeper then a new shock. Man there high. If you find anything please post it and I'll do the same. Thanks Robert in SC
There is another thread here on the site somewhere where someone is offering a shortened rear shock link that effectively lowers the bike. How much I don't recall but they were looking for the same result. Try a seach for lowering link or short rear shock link and you should find it...good luck.
Go to the forum and search under lowering link. see if this works first http://vfrworld.com/forums/modifications/1207-lowering-link-vfr800.html?highlight=lowering+link The link replaces the factory one, its 11mm longer and lowers the bike 1-1/2 inches. Not sure if this guy is still making them or not but worth a try. Other then that you can let off all the pre-load on the spring of the rear shock. That got me an inch. Also remove the seat and sit on frame and see if that will get her any lower. Might be you can use a thin foam seat. I looked in to that myself but the width of the frame did not allow much, Last thing, platform shoes. It took a 3-1/2 inch heel with 2-3/4 platform under the ball of the foot. The arch is normal thickness. Shifting up is normal but she will need to pick her foot up a little more for the brake and down shift. With time and practice it will become normal to her and no problem. My girl is getting better the more she rides it. My biggest problem is keeping her under a 100 mph now. LOL
OO this has been a heavy topic in another forum concerning lowering any bike. as it throws the whole why it is what it is in jeopardy. Yea be nice if. But think about what your asking. Yea raise the forks a bit in the triple then get an after market rear shock where you can screw down the ride height. then do the seat mod, then get another side stand and cut off the foot take out a section and have the foot welded back on. might as well take off the center stand too as it will be useless now. Hate to say it but iId go get another bike that fits better from the start, not raining on your thoughts, it is what it is.
RVFR is totally right. First off, You can't just measure the seat height(you've probably thought of this)to compare apples to apples as the Magna is so much narrower. My FZ1 was alot narrower at the tank than the VFR. And chopping up the VFR to make it fit... just sell it and get another unit that will work the way designed, its pretty heavy anyhow for a shorter rider. The best narrow/low seat height/light bike we found was a hopped up FZR600 (more ass than an EX500!!!)up to like 95' after that the YZF's were wider&heavier. Or you could lower an R6 with different dogbones but they handle for shi!t. good luck, any way you cut it you're luckier than me my wife won't ride at all!:yo:
Buy her a Ninja 650R. I had one for about a year. It's a great commuter bike and it's good enough to inspire confidence if she doesn't get too spirited in the twisties as you say. If she does, then the only thing I'd do to the Ninja 650R would be a better set of front forks, as they are not adjustable at all. But the bike has torque, as it is a Kawasaki and that's what they do, so it can easily go 135mph or so. It's a VERY light bike. It's a very flick-able bike! Very trick with the muffler under the frame. And it is a VERY sharp looking ride with a narrow, low seat height. Very cheap as far as sticker price goes too. It's a bike that's going to gain in popularity very quickly. Because of it's super low weight I believe she would have no problem keeping up with you on your VFR. I had fun with mine while I had it and no problems whatsoever. It's a flawless machine. If you buy it for her I'll send you a Zero Gravity touring windscreen in dark smoke that I still have! No charge. Stan
Sell the VFR and buy something else with a lower seat height, and something that is lighter. The VFR is a pig <10mph and very top heavy. Not something that is going to be easy for a short female to handle.
Why does she need to be flat footed with a bend in the knees? sorry, but this is the wrong bike - get her a Hardly Sportster.
