Corkus Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 My wife had to give up riding pillion due to a bad back. That's certainly bad news but there might be a silver lining. She might be able to ride her own bike and she's interested in the idea. So am I. She cannot ride in any kind of slumping position, she slumps on an RT. In no time that hurts her back badly. However a few rides on the back of my sport bike indicate that a forward lean might not be bad at all. Because of the no-slumping requirement, all cruisers are out of consideration, no Rebel 250's, Harley sportsters, etc. Of the standards, I think the Ninja 250 is a good possibility. It is among the shortest and lightest standards. I sit completely upright on the bike but she is in a nice gentle forward lean. It might be a perfect riding position for her back. Next thing, my bride is short, 5"1" with a 27" inseam. I had her sit on a Ninja 250 today. It is a bit amusing but I was genuinely surprised that she barely touches her tiptoes . "Hey Doll, you have short legs" . For reference I borrowed a photo of Ginger's leg here, (that's ok isn't it Ginger? ). My wife's foot is not this close to the ground, she would need to be 1 1/2" lower to reach this far on an EX250. Tiptoes won't work. I estimate she needs to be 3 inches closer to the ground to be comfortable and steady. There is possibly 1/2"-1" in boots with a heel and thick souls, and another 1/2"-1" in a lower seat. Every bit lower helps but that's not enough lower. How about lowering the forks and rear suspension of the bike? I think that sounds promising. Here's a lowering kit that might work. How in the world does this kit work? I couldn't tell from the web page. So suggestions please, and if anyone can explain those kits, that would be cool too. Thanks. Link to comment
Motorrad4fun Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I lowered an EX500 for my wife a year back. You can drop the rear suspension by adjusting the shock. The front we took to the dealer and he lowered the forks abou 1.6 inches. All in all, the bike dropped about 2 inches at a cost of $25 In most cases the dealer will have the right answer. May not always be the cheapest, but will be safe. Link to comment
JerryMather Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Cory- The lowering kit is for the rear only. Not knowimg your bike I can't explain where it goes exactly but you should be able to figure it out pretty easily by looking at the rear shock and swingarm. The kit is bolted to the shock where your ride height arm is. You can adjust the height because the ends are left handed and right handed threads. Thus screwing the two end pieces one way it will shorten the whole piece. Screwing it in the other direction will make it longer. To lower the front you'll need to support the bike and loosen the fork clamps and move the tubes up evenly. Measure them from the top of the triple tree and the top of the fork tube. Make sure they're the same on each tube. Take measurements of both the front and rear before you do any work. Lower the back first and retake measurements for the rear. Use the difference to come up with the amount you need to lower the front. Link to comment
Corkus Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 Jerry, I think I get what you're saying about the lowering kit. The kit is a link that moves the shock out of the place it normally attaches. This device is placed between the shock and the mounting point for the shock. Make the distance bigger between the shock and the mounting point and the bike gets lower by that amount. Right? More questions: If the front is lowered, say 2" and the rear is set to match, is the suspension geometry (rake, trail, wheelbase) still the same? (I'd guess the wheelbase gets shorter.) I know cornering clearance would be reduced, clearance over bumps too, and side/center stand angles would be less useful, but how would the handling geometry be effected otherwise? Can a bike pick up an instability if it is lowered the same amount front and back? Or would it be more stable? Clearance issues aside, is the overall handling improved? Maybe because of the lower center of gravity? Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I can't help with lowering the bike but a suggestion for the back pain. Try the so called kidney belts. They help in keeping the lower back straight. It might even help to make riding as a passanger on the RT more acceptable. Link to comment
Corkus Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 Paul, I think I'll suggest my wife try a kidney belt. If she used one, her posture would improve on a bike like an RT and that might make a significant difference. I don't know if she'll use one though, I can hear her complaining that it's "uncomfortable". Of course I'll point out that back pain is not comfortable either, but I don't know. We'll see what the lady thinks. Good suggestion. Thanks. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Tell her it makes her waist even slimmer. They used girdles for the same effect... Link to comment
JerryMather Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Jerry, I think I get what you're saying about the lowering kit. The kit is a link that moves the shock out of the place it normally attaches. This device is placed between the shock and the mounting point for the shock. Make the distance bigger between the shock and the mounting point and the bike gets lower by that amount. Right? More questions: If the front is lowered, say 2" and the rear is set to match, is the suspension geometry (rake, trail, wheelbase) still the same? (I'd guess the wheelbase gets shorter.) I know cornering clearance would be reduced, clearance over bumps too, and side/center stand angles would be less useful, but how would the handling geometry be effected otherwise? Can a bike pick up an instability if it is lowered the same amount front and back? Or would it be more stable? Clearance issues aside, is the overall handling improved? Maybe because of the lower center of gravity? Cory- The shock is not where it mounts to. On the Ducati my ride height bar is between the rear shock upper mount and the swingarm. On a Buza the arm attaches on the lower shock mount. Send me a pic of the area and we can talk more about where it goes. By lowering the front and back egually the geo. is changed little. If not, the setup is different and can be dangerous at high speeds. I lowered the front and increased the ride height in the back on the Duc so the turn in is faster. Also more unstable at high speeds if done to much. This would have been a question that could have been answered last weekend by the guy that did my bike. If you have questions, give Lindemann Engineering a call to help you make the correct decision with this. He may have answeres that I haven't thought about. Link to comment
Corkus Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 I found photos of the lowering kit on the 250 Ninja Discussion Board. This would work if the bike is not unstable. The travel in the shock isn't effected. That's cool. The kit installed: The rider on the lowered bike: Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 I can't help with lowering the bike but a suggestion for the back pain. Try the so called kidney belts. They help in keeping the lower back straight. It might even help to make riding as a passanger on the RT more acceptable. Yup. In particular, try the Back-A-Line, available from many sources. It has a lumbar cushion that helps maintain correct posture. As a longer-term solution, she should try Pilates, preferably using the reformer and other apparatus, rather than just mat work. I've got two herniated disks in my lumbar-sacral region, and Pilates has worked wonders for me. It'll strengthen her core muscles and teach her how to use them to support her back. Link to comment
sgendler Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 People lower bikes all the time. So long as you lower both ends a moderate amount and lower them by roughly equivalent amounts, the geometry isn't going to change in a manner that is overly detrimental or dangerous. Keep it as tall is physically possible, though. I've only got a 29" inseam and I ride around on a GS, so bear in mind that as she becomes a more experienced rider, handling a bike with just tip-toes (or by only using one leg, solidly planted) becomes much easier, especially on a light bike like the 250. --sam Link to comment
JohnJC Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 I've got the same issue. Wife just got her license(completed MSF course this weekend). So, now we're hunting down a starter bike. She's 5'2" with a 27" inseam, and fits the bikes just as you described. We found the SV650 is about the same height as the Nija, and only a tad wider. I think the 650 will make a better starter bike with more low-end grunt(less shifting), better brakes and suspenders. Of course we're also looking at lowering kits. The setup you found looks great, but probably a bit of overkill. A set of dog-bones should do the trick for less than half the price. They aren't adjustable, but some have two holes for -1 or -2 inches in height. Most dealers can get them for you, or you can find them online. Link to comment
Corkus Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 Dog bones? Got a photo or a link? Link to comment
JohnJC Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Here's some, but I don't see the Ninja listed: http://www.cyclewareables.com/pages/street_motorcycle_lowering_kits/lowering_kits.htm They call them Lowering Link Bars, but I've always heard the term Dog-bones(that's what they look like) I think you can get them for most bikes. They replace the stock links, right were your adjustable ones fit. They're just fixed length. Link to comment
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