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Lower front shocks

11K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  BIGIRON 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I hope somebody can assist. I recently bought my first KLR 650 and have enjoyed every minute on it.

The seat had already been cut out to accommodate a lady rider. In spite of this i am still a little short (5'6) and 2 weeks ago i had the misfortune of breaking my leg while out on a fun ride.

Stupid really, trying to dig my way out of soft sand and tried to prevent the fall when the back wheel kicked out to the left.

I have since gotten local info on the suspension link and should be able to fit it myself but they want a fortune to drop the front suspension by about an inch (25mm).

Can anybody tell me how i can do the front forks myself?

Regards,

Andreas

Jo'burg South Africa
 
#2 ·
I have since gotten local info on the suspension link and should be able to fit it myself but they want a fortune to drop the front suspension by about an inch (25mm).

Can anybody tell me how i can do the front forks myself?
Andreas,
It's really, really simple..:)

The forks are retained by 4 clamps, total. This includes a top and bottom clamp on each tube.
You'll need some sort of support for the bike's frame (motorcycle jack, bucket, stack of boards, etc.)

Loosen all the clamps and allow the forks to slide up in the clamps, until you get them where you want them. Make sure they're equal in length, as far as sticking up past the top clamps, and then tighten the clamps down.. Now comes the important part. You need to torque the clamps back down to the correct torque specs! In other words, you need a torque wrench for this. Too tight and you can damage your tubes, and too loose and the tubes could slide in the clamps..

I don't have the correct torque spec on me, as my book isn't at home right now, but I'm sure someone will give you the spec here on the site..

Anyway, when the bikes are shipped, they're shipped with the tubes very high in the clamps, and I know some who have ridden this way because the dealer didn't set them during set up and the rider didn't know any better. :)

Anyway, take a look at your clamps and you'll see what I'm pointing you towards.

Good luck, and let us know if it helps!!
 
#3 ·
Lowering front

I recently had my newly purchased (slightly used) KLR into a local shop and had the front forks lowered about 1 inch. The prior owner had lowered the bike using 1.5 links (from ebay) and the mechanic I used suggested 1 inch on the front. The mechanic said that the 1.5 links are good for about an inch of real measurement. I watched him do it -- took all of 10 minutes (similar to what was described above). He did NOT use a torque wrench so I might go back and check this. The bike does ride better with the front forks lowered.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
Lower ride height

Thanks for your help. The bike shop I spoke to told me that by extending the suspension link by half an inch (the only other size available locally) it will drop the back end by about one and a half inches. Is this a fair answer, or are they taking me for a "ride"?

Regards
 
#5 ·
Actual lowered inches?

I really don't know the answer as I bought my bike already lowered in the rear. Maybe somebody who measured their bike before and after installing the lowering links can provide us with a 'real' answer. Anybody have any experience with this -- if somebody installs 1.5 inch lowering links, do you really get a 1.5 inch drop?
 
#6 ·
I just installed 3" dog bones & lowered the forks 2 1/2 inches. It did lower the bike 3" & I'm now flatfooted. When you sit on the bike you also get the sag drop. With that much lowering you will have to shorten the side stand. I cut mine & welded the foot back on. There is also a short stand that you can buy but I don't know how much shorter it is compared to the stock one.
 
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