Hi all

[BA80]

the old saying that every man has to decide on his wedding day if he wants to be happy or right, cause you don't get both.

and sometimes... neither
lol

I resemble both of those of those statements.

[DGXSER]

and sometimes... neither
lol

For at least three or four days a month it is guaranteed.

Me, I find when I try to argue my point I end up walking away wondering what in the heck we were talking about to start with and feeling my wallet got lighter.

[ddragon63]

Welcome Cuda, and nice looking bike you got there.

Don't feel to bad Tom, I married a chemist. And then a year later she decided to become a lawyer. So we spent everything I made in the first four years of our marriage teaching her how to take everything I am going to make for the rest of my life. It also just exasperates the old saying that every man has to decide on his wedding day if he wants to be happy or right, cause you don't get both.

Ya being right means the dog gets to sleep on your side of the bed, and you don't

[ddragon63]

For at least three or four days a month it is guaranteed.

Me, I find when I try to argue my point I end up walking away wondering what in the heck we were talking about to start with and feeling my wallet got lighter.

See we have an agreement here... The house is her's, the garage is mine. kind of one of those "if you live under my roof you live by my rules" things mom's like to say. Soooo when I don't like her rules I go out to my roof (over the garage) and now we play by my rules! Some times she follows me in there.... some times I just have to hide there till she goes to sleep and hope she didn't lock me in. good thing there's a radio and a Beer-fer in there

[Cuda 69]

thats to funny! Hey Wildkat,is there a forum on here about lowering your ride? As I am on the short side, is it just a matter of shorter rear shocks and springs in the frontend ? My last bike was a Vulcan 1500 and was real low to the ground but I felt it wasn"t balanced very well.(missed my Yammies anyway)

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Cuda,

Not a forum, just plenty of threads.

1)Shorter rear shocks, but not too short lest bottoming out!
2)Slide the front fork upper tubes a little bit in the Triple Trees, not using shorter internal springs.
3)Reshape the seat removing some of the foam cushioning..may need to replace with newer foam to retain comfort!
4) Taller boots/heels!

T.C.

I'm the contradiction here, I'm 6'6" and have essentially RAISED my bike's stance...4" longer front fork tubes, thicker seat cushion and stiff shocks, and I still have space between my crotch and seat when I stand up straddling the bike!

[Cuda 69]

thanks TC, I have the taller boot's.no help,except I now can barely touch both toes down,LOl.I think rear shocks are 12.5 now ,is that stock? I wonder if by just dropping the front forks alittle will help? hopefully not changing the handling of the bike. I'm only 5'9" and vertically challanged.LOL

[DiverRay]

To keep the handling, you will need to change front and back both. 11.5" rear shocks will help, as will letting the front fork tubes slide up the trees a little. The seat is an EASY way to take almost an inch off the height. It's not that hard for a "do it yourself", and only takes a little time. The trick is to take the square sides off the seat so your legs are not forced out. this should give you almost an inch of extra "leg reach".
As I have a 32" inseam, I also have a few problems with some bikes. The MNS fits, but my standards I've changed the seats.

[Wildkat]

thats to funny! Hey Wildkat,is there a forum on here about lowering your ride? As I am on the short side, is it just a matter of shorter rear shocks and springs in the frontend ? My last bike was a Vulcan 1500 and was real low to the ground but I felt it wasn"t balanced very well.(missed my Yammies anyway)

Along with what TC mentioned, there's also the handlebar risers.
I have the risers that also bring the handlebars back about an inch or so... I ended up going to 11.5" shocks as the 11" that we originally opted for allowed even less clearance in the turns.

If you do shorten your ride, keep in mind the side stand and center stand will probably also need to be shortened. John (my husband) was able to shorten both for me and I've had no problems with either...
Center stand was more for ease of raising off and on than anything, but the side stand is more of a stability issue.

We never shaved the seat but I don't have too many problems reaching the ground with just the changes that were made and I'm vertically challenged at 5' 5.5"
(yes, that extra half an inch IS important)
lol

[Cuda 69]

thanks for all the info,i'll have to think about all this,becauseI'm not sure which way I want to go.Did you just replace the rear shocks Wildcat,or lower the front forks too? I think if I just do the seat,that may just be enough.

[BA80]

I personally think that the way the bike performs when riding is more important than getting your feet flat on the ground when your at a stoplight.

I'm 6' tall and I cant flatfoot at a light either but I have scraped stuff (including boots) in tight corners. These bikes are pretty wide and need the clearance when you lean 'em over.

You'll learn how to be stopped, better to have the clearance than to try and ride a peg around a curve.

[RJFort]

Wildcat,
what kind of shocks did you end up going with? I am searching and searching for shorter shocks that have the same spring rate, but all i get are 12.5" shocks. 11.5" seems like they would be a good height. I was considering a hardtail, but have been convinced otherwise, now that I found options similar to what I wanted lookswise originally. If anyone else can give me any ideas too, that would be great. thanks

[Wildkat]

Yep... changed the forks too.

and IIRC (and I think I actually do... this time) I went with the shocks from Mikes XS.
I'll check a bit later and if they aren't... I'll post otherwise.

[Cuda 69]

I'm inclined to go along with Greg's thought's. I really don't want to change the geometry of the bike, and it would seem to me, that there is alot to change to drop it an inch by doing it mechanically.(ie. lowering,shortening the kickstand and centerstand.) I think the first thing I'll try is the seat. Thanks for all the input !John (Bert)

[Wildkat]

lol
Yeah well... I think lowering my bike was my husband's way of dangling a carrot in front of me to get me to ride her in the first place. My other bike (when it's running) is a bit quicker and it was down at the time. He caught me in a weak moment.


I don't have any real problem with the way my XS handles but taking twisties at high speed can be a little interesting at times... If you ride at posted speeds (or slightly faster), no problems.

But yeah, if you're only needing a little extra... I don't think it's worth the trouble.