Resurrection And Lowering Link

[pyrofitr1368]

Good morning. I have been the proud rider of a Y2K for six years. I love these bikes and the Honda V-Four. I was told there are two types of riders; been down and waiting to go down. In June I became a "been down".... A nasty concussion, fungled rt. thumb and shoulder. I will tell you that the concussion is the biggest issue; five weeks of doing nothing...and I mean nothing. My doctor is very serious about letting the noggin' rest and heal. I am still getting some crazy effects from the concussion. I will say this, Arai proved it's cost as far as I'm concerned. I managed to find a barely used Signet-Q for $250...Score!

Just a heads up, no pun intended, the latest issue of Motorcyclist ( Sept. 2015) has an article called "Reality check" in the street savvy section. It is ironic for my situation. Basically it talks about having a realistic outlook on our riding skills; most of us ,without riding school, are not as good as we think. I over estimated my skills; I rode when I was tired, irritated and in a hurry. It cost me. To quote an old rap line," check yo'self, before you wreck yo'self". So, here I am finally able to use a computer and do small tasks. If you get a chance, it's quick read and a good reminder.

Anyhow, the bike was totalled, but I bought "her" back and I am gathering parts to rebuild her; mostly left side(go figure) cosmetic damage...and front wheel.

My lovely lady of eight years, and counting, would love to join the ranks of VFR riders. She has been awesome to me and I need to mellow my arse out. I am getting a 2006 ST...like I said , love the Honda V-4. I can't seem to locate where and how to lower the bike to fit her better. I remember reading about lowering links. Does anyone have a link, tips or experience? I know this will cause a loss of clearence, but she is not the type to be draggin' body parts or scraping pegs. She just wants to,as she put it, say she had a sport bike. I know how this reads and makes me cringe a little, but she really has earned the privilege of VFR enjoyment. BTW, as long as we have the VFR, it will remain under my loving care.

Any help would be appreciated. Stay safe out there and watch out for tht Cagers.

[ScottyAdams]

Lowered my '99 by an inch. Leaned it over to left and right all the way to edge of tyres (Avon Storms) without dragging anything. You'll need a different side stand. I purchased the adjustable type. That was a wise move. I started out lowering .750" but that was not enough. I lowered another .250" and that was perfect. I can flat foot now, and it has done wonders. Tippy toeing was causing other problems because it caused me to over focus on stops. I started target fixating, and trash like that. I've over come that problem, now.

I rotated the shock link backwards 120 degrees, and purchased a SLUGGO lowering link which is adjustable. I used a micrometer to measure everything (to lower forks equally to the lowering of the rear). No clearance issues. Only thing is it's impossible for me to get the bike on centrestand by myself. I have a Pit Bull stand which helps me get the bike on the centrestand, if I choose.

I've been riding for 39 years, and I know I'm not that good. I'd love to go to a school to enhance some lost skills.

I have had 5 concussions and they are a bitch. They take weeks to get over if they are bad enough.

Enjoy fixing the bike. Machines know.

[Duc2V4]

For lowering links, checkout www.lustracing.com They have stuff for lots of bikes but not sure about the ST.

Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you get better soon and get your bike back up and running.

[pyrofitr1368]

Thanks for the response. I just found one of the links I knew were lurking in the background.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/66287-need-to-lower-my-vfr-for-my-wife/?hl=%2Blower+%2Blink

It mentioned increasing the boot soles to add height without changing bike geometry. That may be another option I will consider. I already called my girlfriend and she thinks that's a decent idea.

I rode an ST last year and really enjoyed it. Granted it isn't the excitement machine like the VFR, but I now understand the statement," I need a different bike. I'm gonna kill myself on this one." I used to laugh at that. I used to think,"just use common sense." Well, that didn't work for me. I found that the ST caused me to mellow out and enjoy the world around me more. Sorry, but on my VFR I wanted to sh*t-n-git..... .....all the time. I just got a good b*tch slap and it's time to change my MO. I'm just thrilled it wasn't worse. I got off relatively easy and I'm learning from it.

[lanesmatb]

I'm 5' 6" and rotated the shock triangle and dropped the forks about 3/4" which allowed me to "nearly" flat foot the bike. This should keep the geometry stock. I would try this first (cost's nothing and easy to do) and see how that fits. No ill handling effects whatsoever and not dragging hard parts, but I'm not putting a knee puck on the ground either. I still use the stock kickstand though I'm more careful on parking; it will still work but you need to check the balance if parking on slopes. Still use the centerstand, but it takes a pretty good pull to use it.

Scott L.

[pyrofitr1368]

I've seen in other posts about rotating the triangle..what's that all about? What direction,etc.? thanks

[lanesmatb]

Search for: "Lower a Gen 5 for free" on the Modifications section (for some reason I can't cut/paste the link). Read Ratfink's posts - it should tell you how to rotate these plates. If you need to verify that you put the plates on correctly, measure the distance between the floor and the axle with the bike on the centerstand before and after rotating the triangles. The tire will be roughly 3/4" higher off the ground if you have correctly rotated the triangles.

Scott L.

[pyrofitr1368]

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/10853-lower-a-gen-5-for-free/ found it. Thank you.