| Author | Message | ||
     Growl |
Hello. Awhile back Jason had a thread about making a batch of lowering collars to lower the rear shock. I bought one for under $90. He provided really clear instructions with step by step photos. I installed it in a couple of hours, without any struggles, no special tools... using ratchet straps to compress the spring, as per instructions... Ride report... bike rides nice! Slithers like a slinky cat thru the curves. The inch or so of height reduction allows this 5' 10" dude to plant his feet flat on the ground... a very positive transformation. I had to increase damping for some reason to maintain ride quality. Went for a ride with my wife (me=180 lb, her=135 lb) over pavement, broken pavement and some groomed dirt roads with stutter bumps... never bottomed. If more sever conditions require, still have a lot of preload to add as I'm using zero now. So far I have not lowered the front - running zero preload there too. (Message edited by ulywife on August 06, 2011) | ||
| Brianinchicago |
What is Jason's username? I'd be interested in one of the collars if available. | ||
| Uly_dude |
Hey Growler, if I were you, I would lower the front just a tad by raising the fork tubes in the clamps. If you don't your bike is going to be out of balance with the way it was engineered to be. This could potentially be dangerous. Plus you'll notice the bike will be even lower and easier to put your feet down. | ||
| Growl |
Jasonb | ||
| Growl |
Uly_dude... I hear you. Yet, so far seems safe and stable. I probably will lower the front eventually, but I understand I'll have to shorten the kickstand. | ||
| Motorfish |
Other folks, with the collar installed, have lowered the forks, only to raise them back to the stock height. Some have said it did not make it handle better. | ||
| Growl |
Hmmm Motorfish... timely comment. I wrote that other stuff earlier today, but while riding home on a nice winding rural road, I was wondering if I should even bother lowering the front after all. Pretty happy with the way it is so far. Maybe will maybe won't :-) | ||
| Vecchio_lupo |
I purchased the MIZU lowering collar from a dealer in Germany for 100 euro, ouch (Thanks for lowering the value of my US currency Mr. President)and I am very happy with it. I have a 29" inseam so the 1" lowering was needed. I too lowered the front fork tubes to compensate, but was unsure about the snap rings being bypassed. The tubes were fine, but I didn't like the way the bike felt. I raised the tubes back to the stock position and have been happy for almost 6 months now. I found that the ride was very squishy with the collar in place, I cranked up the damper and it is fine 1 up, I am heavy at 240lbs. | ||
| Sagehawk |
I would like to try one as coudn't stand the 07 seat so bought the earlier tall seat - put butt up another 1-1 1/2" in the air. could stand to get lower again. I put a lowering kit in my 96 flhr 14 years ago, never jacked with height in front and have had no troubles with the way bike handles. it is a tank at 760# but still couldn't complain about handling. wife liked the fact i did not fall over in parking lots anymore. | ||
| Growl |
Speaking of wives, my wife noticed the difference with the ride height, says she feels much more secure as a passenger... she loves the Uly. | ||
| Ericcogdell |
Where can someone buy one of these? When I get back from Iraq in two months I plan on putting some miles on my bike. I'm challenged in the height area so I would love to lower my bike just a bit. | ||
| Uly_dude |
you guys realize you're not actually lowering the Uly, moreso, you're releasing some of the unsprung energy of the coil spring. What this does is it allows the bike to squat lower with less weight(sag) essentially making it feel lower when you sit on it. It's like when I have a passenger I can touch the ground even better. But when it's parked, the bike sits at the same height as it always has. What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well it could mess up your dampening and/or handling, I'm not really sure. I do know when they design these bikes, especially off road bikes, the sag is a very important part of the set up. The best way I think to lower the bike is to find a used XT rear shock. Myself, I bought a used X rear shock and am going to have the shock modified with a spacer inside to shorten the travel of the shock. But if you're not all hung up on the details, that collar solution is probably fine, especially when you factor in cost and hassle. Just my .02 cents. | ||
| Billyo |
Actually, when I did my Firebolt, it dropped 3/4". I did drop the trees about 1/2" to even it out a little but the front is still a bit higher in relation to the rear than before the drop. I also put marks on the tubes so I'll be able to see if they slip any. I've only been able to ride it once since the drop and I didn't flog it. I just wanted everything to settle and then check it all over for tightness but I haven't had a chance to get back on again. The handling felt fine so far. | ||
| Growl |
Uly_dude It is true that when there is no weight on the bike it seems to rise up to normal or close to normal height. When I sit on it however it sags lower than before... definitely feels lower when maneuvering at low speeds... and allows me to plant my feet flat on the ground... which it would not before lowering. Does this all compromise handling? In theory it should yet in practice much less than one might expect... If you don't need to lower it - don't mess with it! Bottom line for me is... I love the bike more with the collar on. It handles nicely. It hasn't bottomed out yet. | ||
| Clang |
I bought one of Jason B's lowering collars too. I have not gotten a chance to install it yet, but I can comment that the build quality appears very nice. Hopefully I will have time to install this weekend. (Message edited by clang on August 05, 2011) | ||
| Jasonb |
Thanks Growl and Clang for the kind words. I honestly only set out to make these to help the Badweb community out. I don't want to anger the powers that be because the info I get on this board is invaluable. I'll leave the word of mouth sell these. I rode for about 2 weeks before I lowered my forks. I noticed no real difference in handling but did tweak the settings a little as I rode and read my service manual for tips. I made the mistake of lowering the forks before I shortened the kickstand too. That proved not good to be a good idea. I pushed it out of my garage and started it to let it warm up while I put my gear on. It was sitting pretty vertical, but felt stable. I threw my leg over it, and before my right foot could get close to the ground, the bike stood up and continued right over. I had parked it close to the edge of the drive in case, and I caught it mostly, but it did end up in the grass. I cursed and talked about mothers and firetrucks, but honestly it was an easy set-down. Since then I have shortened the kick stand and love it more now then ever. I could write a walk through if wanted or needed. The suckiest part is removing the exhaust to get the kick stand off. I also added marks on the forks where the top of the triple trees are. So far, no movement. I also don't do wheelies or stoppies. I see no need for either. Thanks again for the nice reviews. | ||
| Beached |
I lowered my Ulysses using the Hyperpro lowering kit both front and rear because I do a lot of camping and found it hard to manage around the broken ground at a campsite while loaded. I can now flat foot it to push it backwards and it may even handle a bit better although there was problem handling before. Just completed a 19000k trip around North America, no problems and greatly pleased with the results. | ||
| Vecchio_lupo |
please explain the "Kit". Was the rear piece just a collar that allows the spring to sit over the shroud, or is it a link that changes the shock mount point. Is the front kit an internal spring kit or just a spacer for moving the fork tubes up in the trees? I have a collar on my Uly shock and don't like how soft it is even with full preload when I'm fully loaded or two up. | ||
| Beached |
It was the replacement of the original springs with progressively wound springs an inch lower. Both front fork and rear monoshock springs were replaced. To compensate for the loss of suspension length the springs become stiffer as the load force increases. Seems to work well, the bike is still well balanced and you can get quite sporty on twisty highways even loaded down with camp gear. The Hyperpro company may be better known to racers than to tourers. | ||
| Smokey3644 |
I installed the collar a couple of months ago and have noticed no difference in handling or other issues. I didn't lower the forks or shorten the kick stand, no issues. For me the mod was a good one and contrary to other opinions it does lower the unladen bike. I measured my friends 09 side by side with mine, about an inch and three eights difference. |
