Re lowering link and Rider Wieght

[Ciscomoto]

Hi All,  my new 2015 TTSE is very comfortable ergonomics for my 5’ 9” body and 29” inseam, except even with the low seat my feet are a little more off the ground than I would like. So I have purchased the 1" Lust lowering link. After installing the lowering link, I am feeling much more confident with getting nearly flat footed, the bike also feels lighter off the kickstand and moving around the garage, also, it is much easier for me to back up with confidence. However, I still have a few questions and things I need to play around with that I thought I would put it out in the forum for any possible guidance.  First, regarding the lowering link, we set the front fork to 14 mm as per the instructions, however, it seams logical to me that how much you lower the fork would also be dependent upon a riders weight. I weigh 250 pounds at the moment. Later, after I have been solo riding for a while I may want to ride 2 up. though, at the moment given my weigh as a solo rider, If I try lowering the front  little more I may get my feet a little more flat footed, however, with my weight being more that the average rider, am I taking too much a chance limiting the fork travel or are there any other concerns?  Or also, is it better for me to try to go the other way and raise the forks to gain more safety and travel like trying 12.5mm or lower? The time if took to lower the forks 14mm to my brother's help was about 15 minutes. On one bounce we lowered one side then the other side of the fork 10mm. Later we realized that maybe we should not have lowered it so much at one time. If anybody thinks that we should go back and lower it in lower amounts, let me know. Regarding the suspension settings I have been using the comfort setting with bags,  later I am going to try normal and normal with bags. The handling to me seems to be just as good, however, at this point I am not well enough qualified to really know what I like or what is the best.  For those of you who have installed the lowering links what are the setting you like to use in the twisties and on the highway? Also, do you think the lowering link change to the suspension makes the ride feel the same, softer or stiffer? I thinks I notice the suspension being a little more stiffer, but still good. It is now probably closer to the normal setting now. Again, at this point, I am not sure about my conclusions.  Also, maybe it is in the manual, but when the bike is adjusting after startup, what exactly is it doing and how may that affect and/or add to considerations? Thanks for any thoughts.

[trophied]

Every 50 cycles (I think, without looking at the manual) of the ignition key the Trophy re-calibrates the suspension in case the load has changed from the previous calibration.  I have Lust lowering links that are 20mm instead of 1" and the front lowered by 12mm and I really don't know that I'm sophisticated enough at analyzing handling to tell the difference from stock.  I don't see how lowering the front will change the travel or load calibration on the front forks since all you're doing is moving them up in the clamps.  The rear is a whole different animal.  I ride most of the time in "normal" on the back roads, because around here those roads are mostly a little too rough for "sport" and it feels somewhat harsh.  Highway travel gets "comfort" which is plenty comfortable.  I've had links on mine so long I don't remember what that felt like stock any more.

[ZShyster]

Timmymoto,

I have the 20 mm also and pushed up the front forks 12.5mm or 1/2 an inch as I measure.   

I always ride one up and normal.  It rides great.  When I first installed the links, I was trying to notice a difference in how it rode, and I could never really find one between before and after.

I am your size and link allow me to use a higher seat (Corbin) which gives my knees some relief and still get my feet to the ground.  The only problem I have is getting the bike on the center stand.  I keep a short piece of 1x4 in the bag to drive the back tire on when I need to put it on the center stand.

ZShyster

[EXMX]

Timmymoto,
I'm at 215 lbs., same height and inseam. I used the 20mm lowering links and also installed the knight footrests to relax my knees. The links definitely helped to get my feet flat on the pavement. I haven"t moved the forks yet and probably won't, It hasn't changed the handling at all for me, and I like to hit the twisty's hard. I have the suspension set at 2 up and sport. The only problem I am having is my feet rub on the ground occasionally in the twisty's, which is shaking my confidence a bit. But the footrest have not rubbed yet.

[Gar]

+1 to what EXMX said. Same situation for me. Only difference is that when I went to the Russell Day Long seat, it's so high up that I no longer need to lower the pegs. Downside of course is that when I stop I'm back to the balls of my feet but that's a trade off I'm willing to live with for the added long distance comfort of the Russell Day Long Seat. If I was to do a lot of city driving I can always go back to flat footing it with the low rider seat.

[Volfy]

If I'm guessing right, the long calibration is for the adjusters to travel to both end points so the controller knows where each setpoint should be exactly.  Between long calibrations, if you change your suspension setting, the controller just goes right to the new setpoint by counting motor rotations.  This count is not always spot on.  With each additional settings change, the actual landed position might be a little more off.  So the long calibration zeroes this error and finds the "home" position again.

Industrial automation systems with motor position control use this quite often.

As for lowering forks with lowering rear end, I would suggest leaving it at stock position and ride it as is for a while.  More than likely, you'll find the bike to be more straight line stable but a bit lazier to turn in.  That's because lowering the rear increases rake angle and trail.  If you are okay with it, leave it.  Any lowering decreases max suspension travel and therefore max load handling, which is spring rate x max suspension travel.

To do lowering correctly, you really should increase the spring rate to compensate.  In practice, if you keep the lowering to a minimum, you can usually get away with the stock spring rate... but only if you are not pushing anywhere close to max load.  Since I only ride solo and try my darnest to keep my weight below 180 lbs, I've lowered several bikes, typically about an inch or less, without re-spring.  More often than not, I stay at stock fork height and just live with the lazier turn in, as more stability is never a safety hazard.  A couple of times, though, I did raise the forks.  I do it no more than 1/4" at a time and stop when I've regained enough front end liveliness to be happy in the slice as dice.

For what it's worth, my TTSE came with lust links installed.  It's not bad but I tried it with the stock links.  My 5'7" frame found the stock height agreeable, so I stay stock.

[Donk]

I lowered the rear of my bike 12mm and started by leaving the front stock height.  For me it made the bike turn too slow which I didn't like.  I then lowered the front 10mm but that made the bike turn too quick which was fun but the bike also became twitchy on the highway  I ended by resetting the front to 5mm lower than sock which returned the bike to its original feel.  Hard to believe a big bike like the TTSE is that sensitive to such small adjustments but it clearly is.  I'm sure you'll find a setting that's to your liking.

[Oransay]

Originally Posted by Timmymoto

Hi All,  my new 2015 TTSE is very comfortable ergonomics for my 5’ 9” body and 29” inseam, except even with the low seat my feet are a little more off the ground than I would like. So I have purchased the 1" Lust lowering link. After installing the lowering link, I am feeling much more confident with getting nearly flat footed, the bike also feels lighter off the kickstand and moving around the garage, also, it is much easier for me to back up with confidence. However, I still have a few questions and things I need to play around with that I thought I would put it out in the forum for any possible guidance.  First, regarding the lowering link, we set the front fork to 14 mm as per the instructions, however, it seams logical to me that how much you lower the fork would also be dependent upon a riders weight. I weigh 250 pounds at the moment. Later, after I have been solo riding for a while I may want to ride 2 up. though, at the moment given my weigh as a solo rider, If I try lowering the front  little more I may get my feet a little more flat footed, however, with my weight being more that the average rider, am I taking too much a chance limiting the fork travel or are there any other concerns?  Or also, is it better for me to try to go the other way and raise the forks to gain more safety and travel like trying 12.5mm or lower? The time if took to lower the forks 14mm to my brother's help was about 15 minutes. On one bounce we lowered one side then the other side of the fork 10mm. Later we realized that maybe we should not have lowered it so much at one time. If anybody thinks that we should go back and lower it in lower amounts, let me know. Regarding the suspension settings I have been using the comfort setting with bags,  later I am going to try normal and normal with bags. The handling to me seems to be just as good, however, at this point I am not well enough qualified to really know what I like or what is the best.  For those of you who have installed the lowering links what are the setting you like to use in the twisties and on the highway? Also, do you think the lowering link change to the suspension makes the ride feel the same, softer or stiffer? I thinks I notice the suspension being a little more stiffer, but still good. It is now probably closer to the normal setting now. Again, at this point, I am not sure about my conclusions.  Also, maybe it is in the manual, but when the bike is adjusting after startup, what exactly is it doing and how may that affect and/or add to considerations? Thanks for any thoughts.

Wish I could help you with the bike Timmy, but it seems to be covered very well. BTW, please break up your long posts with a few paragraphs, much easier to read and comprehend, cheers!