different suspension question.

[thetank]

I want to raise my 96 up in the front and rear...mine doesnt seem to haveall the Iissues that most have. No wobble at all. I came from an r1 and want to yo back to a rear set and clip ons but I want to raise the front and the rear atleast an inch. Is there a way on the front?...I just want it to lean forward more and get its ass up....already removed rear fender and put on integrated tail light and drag bars but I want more....any suggestions?

 

[MaxMidnight]

'Scuse me if I'm being a bit dense here but if you raise front and rear that won't get the back end up.

Wouldn't it be easier to drop the front?

If you want to place yourself lower then you could always fit clip-on bars (I know of a good physio who will be able to help with the back and wrist issues....:biglaugh: )

 

[Fire-medic]

I want to raise my 96 up in the front and rear...mine doesnt seem to haveall the Iissues that most have. No wobble at all. I came from an r1 and want to yo back to a rear set and clip ons but I want to raise the front and the rear atleast an inch. Is there a way on the front?...I just want it to lean forward more and get its ass up....already removed rear fender and put on integrated tail light and drag bars but I want more....any suggestions?

Sure, get 1" longer downtubes from Forking by Frank, install 1" longer spacers to keep the springs functional, and look to get longer shocks in the rear. I think this will detrimentally affect handling, but you can do it.

 

[thetank]

'Scuse me if I'm being a bit dense here but if you raise front and rear that won't get the back end up.

Wouldn't it be easier to drop the front?

If you want to place yourself lower then you could always fit clip-on bars (I know of a good physio who will be able to help with the back and wrist issues....:biglaugh: )

If I raise the rear only off the ground then it will lean the bike forward abdscrew up the geometry of the bike right? Sorry I am used building trucks......so I figured tthatif I wanted a taller ride height that I had to raise both evenly to keep the frame as level as possible.

And if it will screw up my ride then why are my 3 otherbikes way taller and handle way better.....is it the weight?

And if I raise both itwill still give me more rear wheel clearance....I love the look of the lowriders.....just not the feel.

Dont get me wrong...I love my max.....it get rode way more ther my other bikes...I wanted the only trus cross8ver but I just want to have it a little more sportier

 

[Redbone]

I have been told that you want to keep the front/ rear within 1" of each other. I had my front end lowered 2" (to quicken steering) with stock height (13") rear shocks and it handled great. I switched over to radial tires and found the front end a little too quick so I raised it up 1" and it is much better/ handles soo much better than stock now.
The rear end and front end would be easy enough to do as FM mentioned but I'm not sure of the handling results. It may work great but I have not heard of anybody going longer on suspension parts. The lowered bikes can be a compromise in handling with decreased ground clearance due to parts hanging lower, but not sure what the handling (geometry wise) will do with increased suspension lengths.

 

[thetank]

So I already have progressive 440s all the way around and I have no reason to change them so does anyone know of any shock extentions for the rear? And another ?....pros and cons for a taller front tire? I like night dragons but they dont come in a comparible front tire...if I get a taller can I reconfigure my speedo like I can a truck? If not is there an affordable alternative?

 

[Fire-medic]

So I already have progressive 440s all the way around and I have no reason to change them so does anyone know of any shock extentions for the rear? And another ?....pros and cons for a taller front tire? I like night dragons but they dont come in a comparible front tire...if I get a taller can I reconfigure my speedo like I can a truck? If not is there an affordable alternative?

I believe you may be saying, "I have rear shocks, P.S. 440's."

Do you also have the P.S. front downtube springs?

The only shock extensions I know-of are when someone runs a longer swingarm, and uses longer shocks, w/o relocating the shock mounts to keep the stock shock length.

So are you suggesting a 19" tire? I think the Viragos used a 19" wheel, but it may be a WM2 width rim (1.85"). Pretty-narrow. It should quicken the steering. I have a Virago rim like that but since I went to radials and they work so-much better than stock, I haven't bothered doing anything such as that Virago wheel swap, even as a trial-fit, no-reason.

Your speedo is purely-mechanical. I think there are convertor boxes, or maybe a good speedo shop could make it work, buy I think the latter would be pricey, and you would have to search for the convertor box.

 

[thetank]

I mean an actually taller tire...have a 110 80 18 and pirelli doesnt make a night dragon like that...the closest they have is a 130 80....which is 5.1 wide with a 4.1 inch sidewall instead of 3.5 which i have now, which will give me an extra half inch in the front but I will have to remove my front fender....which I dont mind....have no rear either....that will make the front of the frame about 1 1/2 taller then the rear so in theory I could run 2 inches taller in the rear and it would be within 1 inch difference...guy before me put a radial on the front and a bias rear and I can make it work...lol I dont like it but I dont get left behind by any means

 

[[email protected]]

I can see the guys point. Taller would be more nimble.

Longer shocks would be the easiet. PCW makes a shock relocation bracket for the differential side of the swingarm. The stock bracket is just cut off and re-welded on the other side.

Google "cycle one off" and look on their webite for fork extensions. He doesn't make them for conventional forks but I'm sure he could.

 

[Fire-medic]

I mean an actually taller tire...have a 110 80 18 and pirelli doesnt make a night dragon like that...the closest they have is a 130 80....which is 5.1 wide with a 4.1 inch sidewall instead of 3.5 which i have now, which will give me an extra half inch in the front but I will have to remove my front fender....which I dont mind....have no rear either....that will make the front of the frame about 1 1/2 taller then the rear so in theory I could run 2 inches taller in the rear and it would be within 1 inch difference...guy before me put a radial on the front and a bias rear and I can make it work...lol I dont like it but I dont get left behind by any means

I'm not-sure where the extra inch came-from in the front, I see the 0.6" difference due to the 130/80 tire. You mean, if you got one inch longer downtubes? And added the taller tire and that?

There have been a few instances where the factory actually did mix & match radial and bias-ply tires, but they have been exceedingly-rare. Most dealer shops will not mount radial/bias ply tires on the same bike. I once mixed two radial tires from different manufacturers on a literbike sportbike, thinking it could work, and the handling was horrible, I tried to live w/it, but ended removing the cheaper one, and replacing it w/the same brand/series as the rear. Never-again!

 

[thetank]

It isalmost an inch higher right now....then I add another half inch tire....then 2 inches in the back and the front of the frame will be 1/2 inch lower then the back of the frame....only problem with the bikes handling right now is that the rear tire tries to slide out on fast tight corners...half the time I end up just drifting them...lol

 

[davesax36]

I think bracing might help you if you're sliding around corners all the time. Solid motor mounts, frame braces, and a braced swingarm. Racetech up front and progressive rear (or ohlins if you have the cash) and you might not care about ride height.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Redbone]

What rear tire are you using? What mods have you done to the bike? (besides removing rear fender/ integrated taillight and drag bars)
The seat is 2.8" lower (Vmax = 30.1"/ R1 = 32.9") and the handlebars 1.5" higher (Vmax = 46"/ R1 = 44.5") on the Vmax in stock configuration.
The Gen 1 could be set up with clipon's to get you in a position more like the R1.

 

[davesax36]

Your other bike is also taller because it's built in a totally different manner for a totally different purpose. Are you dragging hard parts when riding aggressively? The bike is sprung for a 140 pound Japanese guy. I don't know how much you weigh, but most of us here are certainly not that small. The front springs have a rate of .39, many of us running other springs are running .9-1.2 depending on weight. The damping in the shocks is also not that great.

You may also want to consider the face that your R1 has a tranverse mounted motor, different exhaust routing, frame material/geometry/concept... pretty much everything except the fact that it has two wheels and some lights on it. There's also a lot more weight on the front, so it feels so much more controllable. There are a lot more things other than ride height that need to be changed to get a V-Max to handle the way it seems you want it to.

If you just want to change the geometry, look for some ZRX1200 shocks and lower the front an inch, either internally or by sliding the tubes up in the trees. Sorry if this is pretty much what I said earlier. I just know the feeling of going sport bike-> V-max.

 

[thetank]

What rear tire are you using? What mods have you done to the bike? (besides removing rear fender/ integrated taillight and drag bars)
The seat is 2.8" lower (Vmax = 30.1"/ R1 = 32.9") and the handlebars 1.5" higher (Vmax = 46"/ R1 = 44.5") on the Vmax in stock configuration.
The Gen 1 could be set up with clipon's to get you in a position more like the R1.

I completely agree...I love my max...just want the bars a little lower and the back up a little higher and a good rearset and I would be set....mine is just jetted with 4 to1 hindle header to a single chamber flowmaster...440 progressive rear and I thinknprogressive front or so I was told. Want to be on my toes then I will start all my other mods....just need a base...and how it feels under me is the base I want to build from

I dont like pretty or shiny....want it to look and feel like a functional machine...so I decided that I am starting with custom brackets for the rear and I will go from there....still dont know about the bigger tire in the front....any opinions of pros and cons?