I did it: lowered links on the TT

[Trumpet]

The links from LustRacing are pricey but very good quality. They are actually neat looking compared to other links I have installed.

[Trumpet]

And here is how its done: these boards act as a fulcrum. You step on the board that is playing the see-saw role in order to lift the rear tire enough so that the lower bolt of your link will lose the tension necessary to remove it and re-install the new links.

Afterwards, you leave a 2X4 board sitting on your garage. You run over that bad-boy when you come home and the bike is easy to put on the center stand.

[Trumpet]

First let me say: what a pain in the ass it is to put a freaking pic on this forum...

REVIEW ON THE LINK: Mind you, I have never been a fan of lowering kit though I have done it several times.

I just took the bike around the block because its late. Certainly changes the handling. It takes away the flightie-feel away...I mean that very light-touch characteristic of the TT. The front end, as expected, gain a little more heaviness to it. I actually like it better in a way because I like heavy feeling front ends that sit well on the freeway. Of course, that is the contrary of nimble easy transitions handling bike.

I must qualify this here. At least given my experience, the change in the handling is no where near that of say, the Concour C14. First, the C14 is already a heavy handling bike despite what its owner say. The C14 handles like switching from a Porche to a truck. The TT handles much easier than other bikes with this lowering kits. So its all relative. One would have to try for themselves to judge how it befits ones' own preferences.

In my preference, this may be the first time ever that I actually do not detest the handling of a bike after being lowered. It seems quite the appropriate choice for those leg-length challenged folks who can't quite reach the ground at stops.

The other thing I need to evaluate is the suspension dynamics. I hit a hole in my short ride and it seemed like the rear shock did not take it well. Lowered bikes screw up the pre-load on a shock/forks so we 'll see how that goes.

Tomorrow I will hit the freeway. If the bike sits more stable on the tarmat at around 80 or 90, I might leave it on. I also may experiment with lowering the front a wee-bit just to see how it feels.

Dont be surprise if I take them off. My MO is to try these things for a time and then I usually end up taking them off because I liked the way the bike rides stock better.

Ultimately, this mod comes down to an individual taste.

...will continue my review later tomorrow after more riding.

...please, no flaming!! if you consider it sacrilegious to lower a TT then go to church and pray for me... but no flaming!

[Berber]

I like the idea that lowering removes the lack of 'feel' if that is the right word, of the bike. I sometimes think I not at one with the bike when riding it. It sometimes feels that it is separated from me unlike the CB1300 which always felt at one with both me and the road. That said, I bought the bike as it was the best tourer around. That hasn't changed. Sarah is happy therefore I am.

If using these links puts some feel back into my riding then I may well consider them.

Please let us know how you get on with them.

[Trumpet]

I have posted before that it took me a while to get used to the lightness of the handling.  I am used to it now and enjoy the TT handling. We ll see how this  new feel works out for me over time... interesting post Berber

[Trophy 59]

 

Well done, well written Trumpet. Like you and Berber, I wouldn't mind taking a little bit of the flightiness out of the steering. If that is the gain, without any other penalty, I'll be lining up for a set.

Keep us posted after a couple hundred clicks (miles) on the new links.

[Trumpet]

These are my perceptions and may not necessarily be yours:

I rode around 90+ on the freeway. The handlebar certainly feel more firm, but the front end still feel rather light, though not as light.  I just think this bike rides light on the front and that's all there is to it. The antithesis of the TT front end feel would be an 1800 VTX with a 150 front tire, or any of the heavy Harley longer fork cruiser, the GL.

The suspension tricked me out. It felt harsher. I figured since lowering the rig caused a loss in sag (per-load on the shock) I would make up for it by using some of the electronic setting that take into account harder pre-load. So I tried going from 'comfort' (which is what I was using prior to the lower links) to 'normal', then I tried 'sport' setting. This latter seemed to make a bit more difference. I then tried to set up the profile to 'two-helmets', that is two up, and use the 'comfort' load. Actually, this seemed to bring it back to my OEM 'comfort' one up setting prior to the lowering. I am about 186lbs and the two-helmet/comfort was the one that seemed to have brought it back to my original one-up/comfort.

The thing is that, using the two-helmet setting then heightens the pre-load so that the bike almost feels like OEM height--not quite, but something like that. So I put it back on one-helmet setting and 'normal' load.

If you did all these nonsense you would have to experiment until you found your preferred setting.

In conclusion, I think its a waste of time/money to lower the TT (as I have judged all previous bikes I lowered, and I expected would judge this one). The only justifiable reason to lower the TT, in my opinion, is if you can't reach the ground.

I will probably leave mine lowered as is now for several months and then put it back on the OEM links...just to get a more clear feel for the differences between the two.

Two things that I find beneficial is the bike is lowered and easier to peddle around at parking lots etc...and the steering is a bit more heavy adding a sense of stability...at the price of less quick transition on turns...which on this bike is almost indistinguishable. The windshield can function to my taste even lower, because I am sitting lower.

One more thing, I am not going to raise the front fork (lower the front end) cause I dont want to deal with more radical alterations to the front suspension.

[woody]

I have and do worked with some very smart engineers far more intelligent than myself from all over the world, whose job it is year after year to design develop and produce some very complex mechanical machines and equipment of all sorts. I know how many millions of pounds or dollars get spent on research and development without anyone knowing years before a model or product is even released.
Everything is balanced and yes you may get something to go a bit faster, higher or work harder but what you also do is shorten the lifespan, stability or compromise a condition and without knowing the full details you will never be in a position to make fair judgment. And as a time served precision engineer I never tinker with my bikes as I know I couldn't do any better than the men and women who designed it.
Also as it's a brand new bike I would be careful about affecting the warranty.
Remember Mr Bloor and his heavies could be watching!