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Lowered Versys Handling Question

15K views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  kawdog 
#1 ·
I'm a short rider (5'4 120lbs 29"inseam) and was looking at getting a lowered Versys. But I did a search and no one really mentions how they handle lowered.
Some feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Some background before people start asking: I've been riding over 15 years. Ride both street and dirt and have owned several bikes including an f650gs, Ducati Monster and am moving from my 2nd Ninja 650r. My husband owns a V-strom so our routes are not always paved. While the Ninja handles it with surprising grace, I was looking for something with a bit larger touring farkle availability and a bit larger fuel tank.

Again, thanks for any and all feedback on the subject.
 
#4 ·
I can only comment on my '15 V1K .. @ 35mm down on the rear unchanged at the front. Handles fine.. I wring it's neck, can scrape the center stand and the pegs if I try hard enough and it still sticks like ****e to a blanket :) ..

If you ride like Casey Stoner ( probs a bad example given his Suzuka efforts :( ) You need a ZX10 .. for the rest of us altering the geometry of the V a little wont make a too noticeable difference ..

Couple of other options would be a seat mod and Daytona Lady Star boots ..
 
#5 ·
Thank you all for your input. This helps me greatly as I was a bit concerned about lowering it. The Ninja was a complete turd lowered. It handled great, but you didn't want to ride it because you took a stock crap suspension and made it crappier. I understand the Versys has better suspension to start with. So that's already a plus.

And thank you, I actually have a pair of the Daytona M stars! Fantastic boots! Well worth the money! 5 years old now and still look fairly new. Plus, they allow me to ride the Ninja unlowered.

We talked about also modding the seat if necessary. Spencer seat mods in Florida did a fantastic job with my first Ninja seat. He's at greatdaytoride.com I got the long distance foam and could go about 300 miles before I Started feeling it.
 
#7 ·
About 1/3 of members (from survey) are vertically challenged for one of the tallest, if not the tallest bike around. There are many things: lift kits, (Lowered) gel seats, shortened Progressive shocks, and more.

All bikes are supported with lowered height kits, especially the Vs. 650 since it's so tall. You would be at the far end of the anatomical height spectrum, but that just means you would have to do everything available. If you go product by product for lowering solutions, you should get a lot of feedback. This really is the best motorcycle site there is from my experience so that is another reason to dive in.

The shortest I know of is Rimfire (who also rides dirt bikes) at about 5'-7" and I think she has done a lowering kit and a lowered gel seat: but she does not give any feedback and has just been trying to get her brand new 2013 dialed in while working a stressful job. Try to get a thread started with her and she can give you a lot of information you desire, and then others can jump in too for their own lowering solutions. ONLY someone close to your height that would use the same lowering options as you would be able to answer your handling question for sure.

From the Ninja 650 to the Vs. 650, you will love the midrange cam for a safety feature of getting out of the way for idiot cars (unless you enjoy doing over 130mph on you Ninja frequently :) Drive Safe!
 
#8 ·
I'm a 5'4" woman with a 28" inseam. I have used Speedy's lowering links and the OEM gel seat on my 2008 Versys. That and lowering the suspension fore and aft brought it down from 33.5" to 29.5." The gel seat isn't great for long rides; I have to add an Airhawk, which puts some height back on. I have acquired some hip/leg issues, so I have to take more conscious care at stops. There is definitely a sense of "catching" the bike at certain stops, and the Versys will quickly remind you that it is top-heavy if you aren't paying attention. (Squats and lunges, squats and lunges, squats and lunges. Helps a lot pre-season.)

But I haven't found anything yet that I would prefer over it. Maaaybe the FJ09, if someone makes good lowering links for it, or the Versys 1K, since it has a centerstand. (It is the only drawback to my Versys. I don't believe the newest iteration has changed that, either.)

Hope this helps.
 
#9 ·
Thank you MZ33 , that does help.
I think I'll be lucky and just have to do the link and fork drop as the Daytona boots give me about 2". I sat on a lowered one yesterday and was pleased to find I flat footed.
I did notice they're top heavy. Alot like my hubby's Strom. But I love the engine on my Ninja 650r so am looking forward to a similar one on the Versys. Also looking forward to more long distance rides again.

It's always good to get input from women though as we handle things like weight and height differently from men. Maybe I'll refrain from filing that 5 gallon tank up all the way right away. Haha. Happy riding. Thanks again!
 
#11 ·
I had Speedy's lowering link + front suspension dropped as far as possible. Handled fine. I wanted to upgrade the suspension to Hyperpro Springs and found out they make lowering springs. I decided to go that route, so I removed the lowering link and had different springs installed front and rear by Klaus at EPM. The forks are still raised in the triples, just not as much. We played around with different springs to achieve some lowering and a nice ride. It's not lowered as much as with the link, but it's enough for me. I'm 5'4" with approx 31" inseam.

Also, Sargent makes a lowering seat. I opted for the regular height.

Bike handled fine with the link. Handles great with the different springs, too.
 
#12 ·
And Progressive makes a lowered shock too for half the cost of a Hyperpro, but you are getting custom handling attention for free. I'd always wanted to go with Hyperpro on my BMW F650 ST, but my weight and their cost/shipping (even on ebay) are concerns. But since Progressive does not make a shock for it, I really don't have an alternative. They look very high quality though.
 
#18 ·
Thanks for all the valuable info, kawdog :thumb:
Something to consider should I decide to upgrade the shock. For now, though, I'm pretty happy with my set up. Klaus indicated he could also build me a Hyperpro shock with a spring designed to lower. Right now, I'd say it's only lowered maybe 1/2 inch. Works fine for me! Yup, I'm 5'4", but most all of my bikes have been on the tall side, so I'm used to it. Never owned a cruiser. Sportbikes all had seat heights around 32 or so. The V was just a bit too tall to manage, especially given that the pegs are right where I want to put my foot down, lol.
 
#19 ·
Update:
I picked up a beautifully maintained 08' Versys this week. It came loaded with racks, windscreen, bar risers and kick stand plate. I was actually incredibly surprised at how well I could touch with just the addition of wearing my Daytona boots. I'm not flat footed, but I can atleast get the balls of my feet down most of the time. Which means I usually just stop with one foot down ,doing the 'Captain Morgan's' stance as we called in in dirt biking.

We dropped the preload, but the bike doesn't really register that I'm on it, so unsure how much that's helping. Maybe if I put an extra 50lbs. In my luggage. :p But this bike handles great! Loving the engine and the upright seating. I just put on the lower foot peg brackets so I get to try those out tomorrow. If nothing else, they'll atleast stop the foot pegs from getting hung up on the top of my boots. (Yeah that's fun,not. ).
Lowering link also arrived so I'm just waiting on the shorter kickstand to arrive before installing it. I thank everyone for their input. Y'all have been super kind and informative. It's definitely appreciated.

I have to say Motowerks - holy fast shipping batman! I just ordered these things 2 days ago. And you're on the opposite coast. Great job!
 
#20 ·
Congrats! The stock shock is pretty stiff. Adding the lowering link will actually kind of soften it up, due to the change in the angle of the shock. With the link, I had mine on preload 4. It was better on 1, but the undertray came in contact with the hugger I'd installed. Something to be aware of.
I had the same issue playing around with the different hyperpro springs; had to find one that gave a good ride, but not so soft that bumps caused contact between undertray/hugger.
 
#22 ·
Motowerks says for huggers, use the abs version lowering kit. I'm contemplating a lowering kit. These D#$* multitaskers in Walmart parking lots do 45mph and will run over you. I can squat 450 lbs on a machine, but only a quarter of that on my toes :-(

From what I understand, comparing Motowerks with Metisse (a more expensive Euro company), (I think) they both lower it 1.6" and 1.85" with the front tubes lowered. My regular Progressive 465 already lowers up to 1/2" anyway, so I like the jacked up front look. I also like the Roaring Toyz lowering kits with 15 different positions, but they don't make the Versys 650 model.

I'll have to give Progressive a call to see what they can do for me. Unfortunately, low speed handling is the most treacherous on the Vs. 650 with a high seat and 17" front wheel: it's like a frickin' unicycle when you change directions quickly.
 
#26 ·
mine's lowered and she handles great...I chase sport bikes all of the time and occasionally scrap the pegs (a harley rider refused to believe I could)...I've never ridden her without the lowering link..so I can't say if it degenerated the ride any..but I'm thinking no...

:wink2:
 
#29 ·
I lowered my Versys but put the front back to normal. Liked it better that way. Also had a PowerBronze Hugger. Got the ABS Lowering Kit and had to cut the hugger just a bit...

IMG_3277 by weljo2001, on Flickr
 
#30 · (Edited)
Thanks! A pic really makes things much clearer! I really don't mind bike and body leaning, and I do it all the time even though I have never come close to scraping. So like Joe said, the lower center of gravity is 100% of the ride and the most important handling factor. Just doing the back lowered (w/o lowering the front) will just be 1.6/1.85" and tilt it back so I won't bump into the tank too. There are a lot of interactions going on, and I want to keep the HD Progressive shock no matter what. I've got my side-rear stand and front dual triple-tree pitbull stands on the way, which will be better work-stands than the (25 lb) centerstand anyway (and my adjustable PackJack is on the way too, lol.)

My Progressive rear shock may have lowered my rear end 0.25" to 0.5" which likely caused the slight chain contact (it's all real tight assembly tolerances around the drive train.) All Twisted Throttle is going to do is eat my phone minutes up anyway, and they are not going to pay anything back. If I'm the only one, then my Progressive shock may be the reason, so I'll sell it to someone who just has the oem shock and no lowering kits of any kind.





 
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