how do you lower the front?

7

75xl350

New Member
im working on a honda xl 350 and i got the back lowered but how do you go about lowering the front? theres no room to slide the tubes up in the clamps because of the handle bars. and info or pics would help. thanks.
 
Need to do the same thing with my XL250. You could do the spacer trick in the forks (I think?)
 
75xl350 said:
im working on a honda xl 350 and i got the back lowered but how do you go about lowering the front? theres no room to slide the tubes up in the clamps because of the handle bars. and info or pics would help. thanks.
Click to expand...

That's the thing with bikes, you change one thing and in turn you have to change something else. There's always something in the way etc you've got to get everything working together.

You may need to look for different bars if you really want to drop the front, ever thought of using clip-ons?

here's an xl350 with clip ons:

75XL350_lft.jpg


You won't want to cut the fork tubes.
 
The correct way to lower a fork is to add a spacer or a spring to the rebound spring on the underside of the damper rod. Then you have to adjust the main spring preload by shortening the spacer at the top of the fork, or shortening the spring if there is no spacer.

There will be plenty of people who will simply say to shorten the main spring spacer, but leaves you with saggy forks that have no preload. It's a setup that is far from ideal from the standpoint of handling.
 
ADC's approach is perfect for a drag bike or one that has too much travel (like a dirt bike). Probably a more suitable way for normal bikes (without a lot of travel) is to buy shorter forks or to machine the tops and springs shorter.
 
AlphaDogChoppers said:
The correct way to lower a fork is to add a spacer or a spring to the rebound spring on the underside of the damper rod. Then you have to adjust the main spring preload by shortening the spacer at the top of the fork, or shortening the spring if there is no spacer.

There will be plenty of people who will simply say to shorten the main spring spacer, but leaves you with saggy forks that have no preload. It's a setup that is far from ideal from the standpoint of handling.
Click to expand...

This is THE way to do it. Take the fork leg apart and put in a spacer to shorten the damper rod travel. That way you have the same or slightly preloaded springing which is good. and the fork will not compress any further than it did before.

This is the same way any pro does it on a cruiser or a racer on a flat track bike. It may take some extra work, but it will be worth it when your front fender isn't dented and your forks still adequately stiff to deal with actual riding on real roads.
 
teazer said:
ADC's approach is perfect for a drag bike or one that has too much travel (like a dirt bike). Probably a more suitable way for normal bikes (without a lot of travel) is to buy shorter forks or to machine the tops and springs shorter.
Click to expand...

Unless you add the spacer or shorten the damper rod the fork will travel still have the same travel and will likely be far enough to hit the fender or tire on the triple clamp.

If you machine and shorten anything it would be the damper rod. And machine time is probably at least $65-100/hr.

Spacers are cheap and easy, yet are still suitable for a flat tracker who will be going from 50-60 mph on a short track to 100 on a half-mile or mile. If it's good enough for them it will serve fine on some cafe or brat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DTT Light or Dark

  • DTT Light
    • www.jadusmotorcycleparts.com
    www.lostapostle.ca/
    www.sparckmoto.com

    Spread the Love

    Back
    Top Bottom