Not sure if this is going to work or not at this time, but the initial results appear promising.

Dad is around 200 lbs and only 5'6" and the bike was so high he could not touch with either foot when he stopped.

So he wanted to go as low as we thought safe. I put on Speedy's lowering block today and Hyperpro's lowering spring, and then dropped the front shocks that inch or so down to the knurling.

This is what we have...about 3" clearance between wheel and fender with all of his weight on the bike (but not hitting bumps while driving...that is a later test).

He can now touch with both feet almost flat-footed.

Of course, the kickstand is useless until I cut a couple inches off, but that is a job for the weekend, and replacing all the fairings that I had to remove to get to the shocks.

You MAY note that Dad installed the spring upside down. I clearly labeled with a tag the top of the spring, the top of the shock, and told him clearly and loudly that it was IMPORTANT that the tops are top on both. Of course, he can be an idiot (hence, buying a bike that is WAY too big for him to touch the ground and laying it down 3 times on the way home from the store!!!). He installed it upside down. I don't think it should make a difference in performance.

Pics below...any feedback is appreciated, even if negative. I will test it out at low speeds and then take if offroad to make sure that there is plenty of travel before I let him ride it to work. I will let you guys know how it works out.

I am guessing I should set all spring settings to full up to start?

Went back out and cut off about 2" off the kickstand, so now it sits about right.

Also noticed that Dad had the spring at it's lowest setting, so I cranked it up to the highest setting, and with all weight on it, we now have 3.5-3/75" of travel.

At least he bought the Givi deluxe swing arm sliders (side cases) to protect the rear plastic :-)

How much would it have lowered it if you had retained the OEM spring?

Maybe you could jump it off the curb, two up, and check for rub marks. First make sure the engine and muffler clear the curb though. A good dip at an intersection might work well also.

I'm 5'7" with a 29" inseam, and 200 pounds. The low gel seat was enough for me. I can almost flatfoot it. The seat lowers the rider 2" without changing the geometry of the bike. My weight does the rest.

The muffler is what I am worried about most, since the shop manual told me to take it off before I messed with the shocks. It is still off laying to the side, so that is my biggest worrry at this point. Of course Dad will bend the damned pipes to make it fit (you may be able to tell by his "uniform" that he is a machinist, but for some reason, I don't know why, I have to do the work on his motorcycle, and I am a damned counselor for kids!!!).

I will put it all together, and since I am a little heavier than him, and live near a ditch with some trails on it. I will drive it around the roads and onto the ditches, and see if it bottoms out at all. He will just drive highways to and from work, so if it clears the ditches fine with me, it should be fine for his daily drive.

If I am not mistaken, the lowering spring drops 40mm, or about 1.6", and the lowering block is good for 1.8".

Then we came down about an inch in the front.

Of course Dad will bend the damned pipes to make it fit (you may be able to tell by his "uniform" that he is a machinist, but for some reason, I don't know why, I have to do the work on his motorcycle, and I am a damned counselor for kids!!!).



Sometimes you need those job skills at home. Be glad you still have a dad.

Don't forget to remind Dad to lube that chain every 300-400 miles. It looks a bit rusty already!

If he looks after it, he'll get 20k plus before he needs to change chain or sprockets. I've got 20k on mine and its going to be good for at least another 5k or more. Now tires are a different matter-coming to the end of my third set!

Machog

Yeah, the bike has sat in my backyard for 3 weeks or so while waiting for parts and time to install them. It has rained several times and been watered with the sprinkler.

I have oil, filter, and chain lube and going out right now to do those and put the bike back together, and test drive it.

Bob, I agree, my dad can be difficult sometimes, but I am lucky to have him around still.

OK, just got done putting it all back together and test driving it.

SUCCESS!!!

I rode around the block, then found an empty lot and drove up onto the curb, turned around and gunned it and jumped off the curb making a pretty hard landing. Then went to the highway and did a 0-60 in 4 seconds accelleration, and came back to the house.

No problems. I see no rubbing anywhere. And it rides even better than it did stock. Has a much better feel to the suspension, and seems to handle turns better, or at least feels less intimidating on turns, I guess because you are not 6 feet in the air when you make that turn...:eek:

Tomorrow, after I do the chain and swap out oil and filter, I will put mom on the back and see if it gets close to bottoming out while sitting, and maybe take her for a bumpy ride to verify for sure that these two mods CAN be used together. Of course, mom will NEVER get on the bike with dad, but I want to test it out in case anyone one here takes passengers and is thinking about combining these mods.

By the way, together they cost around $300, where I am hearing that the lower seat is $400. So this may be the way to go???

Well, guys. It has been great working with you, but I am pretty sure I am done with this forum. Giving the bike back to dad tomorrow, and unless he has some serious problems in the future, I don't think I will have to come back.

I might check in periodically. You are a great bunch of guys, and very helpful.

good luck in all your rides and pursuits:goodluck:

So it still has the original rear shock but with a Hyperpro lowering spring, and with Speedy's lowering block. So that's not so bad, and only $300. Hyperpro's progressive spring rate also helps improve the ride. It does have interesting coiling... Can you get a close-up pic of that trik purple spring?

Yes, original shock, just swapped out the spring from EPM Performance for $153 and Speedy's lowering block from Motowerk at $135, then dropped the front forks down to the knurling. So actually LESS than $300. And maybe 2 hours work for a novice. An experienced Versys rider could have done it in much less time.

That spring really does have an interesting look. Here is pics of the bike profile and the spring up close.

I will be putting the rest of the body panels on this morning before I take the bike back and give it to my dad, so it is quite bare looking.

Ok, put mom and dad on the bike together, for a total of 400+ lbs. I also grabbed onto the back of the bike adding my weight and we bounced it up and down as hard as we could, but never got the tire any closer than 1 or 1-1/2" from the fender.

So I would say it is safe to carry a passenger on the bike with both of these mods combined.

I will be interested to read your impressions of any changes in handling. With the rear end lower than even with Speedy's kit alone it will effectively increase trail, which normally makes the bike steer slower. On a Versys I do not think this will be much of a problem since it steers very quickly as is.

I thought it felt better than before. Not sure if it was because of changes in geometry and/or springiness, or just because I wasn't sitting 8 feet above the ground on the bike while making turns.

I have ridden bikes all my life, Harleys, dirt bikes, mini-bikes, and everything in between. And this feels much more responsive and you can actually "feel" the turns better. Not sure if that means anything to you all, but it does when you ride it. You can kinda feel the road better, and not feel like the road is so far away and out of control.

anyways, all my work has paid off. Dad just called and said he rode for over an hour WITHOUT FALLING DOWN and he is having a good time. So regardless of any doubts I or others may have had about combining these mods, HE is happy, and riding like he hasn't in 30 years...

Anybody have any updates on using Speedy's lowering kit and the Hyperpro lowering spring/shock together?

I'm 5'5" with a 29" inseam clocking in around 150lbs. I have the speedy lowering kit as well as the low gel seat, I can't flat foot, but have a solid feel on the ground(more than ball of feet but not flat foot). When I just had the lowering kit without the low seat, I didn't feel nearly as stable even though both balls of my feet were able to touch the ground.

I probably need to adjust my springs, I bought it from a guy who was about 5'7" or 5'8 but he was skinnier so he might have been 160...only a tad heavier than me. Unless he didn't dial in from factory specs either.