Lowering my cb400f, rear shocks question

[timeconsuming]

Hey everybody. So, my current shocks (the stock shocks) are pretty beat, according to a mechanic in my area (Trophy Motorcycles in San Diego).

I want to say they're supposed to be 12.75" stock from what I've gathered online, but at this point they're 12.5" (off the bike) and with my weight they sink to about 11.75" (I'm about 155lbs).

I measured what I thought to be the gap from the tire to the fender (along the line of the shocks) with just the weight of the bike and it looked like I had at least 3.5" of travel before bottoming out.

So! I'm a short guy, looking for a bit more foot on the ground, and am considering some 11" short shocks.

First question: did I go about measuring correctly? aka should I be worried about bottoming out on 11" shocks?

Second question: these are the most affordable shocks I could find and they happen to be from a reputable source (http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-suspension-parts-eye-to-clevis-279mm-11-inch-chrome-shorty-shock-absorbers-damper-32-1152.html)

Any other tips for where to look for shocks or should these have me good to go (best deal possible? i'm a new biker on a budget)?

Thanks!

 

[Big R]

Stick with reputable shocks to have the best handling bike you can get (not cheap ones from Dime City). And lowering a 400F isn't usually a good idea.....hard parts scrape much sooner in a turn.

As far as ride height goes, look more into having the seat foam shaved down - the stock seat has A LOT of padding.

 

[timeconsuming]

Fair enough. This bike is a commuter so I'm mainly looking for comfort rather than racing/performance. 400f's have a reputation for low slung bits scraping on turns? if so what parts should I be most concerned about scraping do you think?

The shocks I'm currently running are apparently 'shot', so I figured anything new would be an improvement. No?

I've been considering ripping the seat up but it's in great condition so I'm a bit hesitant. But as far as I could tell it had about 2 inches of foam sitting on the pan, so there is definitely room to trim.

Thanks for feedback!

 

[Big R]

The muffler, and probably the center stand.

While the shocks from DCC are about $100, some decent Hagon shocks are probably double that.....but suited to fit you and the bike. Well worth it, especially if you plan on riding a lot.

And if you take the seat to an upholsterer, they can do a great job for a good price.

 

[timeconsuming]

Fair enough (again).

Thanks for your response, I'll keep those things in mind.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Shorter shocks have less travel, so rather than things happening like the tire hitting the fender, you have a much harsher ride.

Get some boots with a little more heel. <G>

 

[VonYinzer]

Also... You can't lower the rear of the bike without lowering the front. Well, you can but its a great way to turn a bike with decent handling into one that sucks to ride. Have to imagine the bike as one machine made up of the sum of its parts. Can't modify one thing without it affecting something else.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

You can't lower the rear of the bike without lowering the front. Well, you can but its a great way to turn a bike with decent handling into one that sucks to ride. Have to imagine the bike as one machine made up of the sum of its parts. Can't modify one thing without it affecting something else.

True to a point, but lowering the rear simply increases steering head rake a little, not enough to be concerned about. It might handle slightly differently, but it is not enough difference to make it handle badly. It would actually be more stable in a straight line, but require a little more bar pressure to make it turn. Still, it would turn better than a lot of bikes I have ridden in bone stock trim.

A bigger safety concern is loss of ground clearance, but the biggest noticeable effect on the bike will be a really rough ride. Personally, I would never go with less than 12" shocks. But then, I an old and not a hard-ass tough guy who thinks everyone should be riding a hardtail. I hope to get at least another 40 years of use out of my spine. <G>

 

[timeconsuming]

Haha, thanks guys.

I have enough room to slide my forks up a few inches before it gets in the way of the bars, so I was considering sliding them up the same length I drop the back end, if the change in handling bugged me enough.

I'm not all that worried about the harsh ride, like I said I'm pretty light weight, and also don't intend on having passengers. I mean, the rear foot pegs are mounted on the swing arm... so whoever would get on the back would be in for a miserable time regardless.

I'm not taking corners at insane speeds so I think I will be ok with the reduction in ground clearance if it means I'm more comfortable moving the bike around.

But who knows, I'm still holding out on dropping money on something I don't necessarily need. Thanks for your responses!

 

[Clifton]

On my 400 I shaved the seat. I bought an extra for $40 off Ebay. I too could not cut up a good one. I also lowered my front forks 1". I don't run a center stand. I am running some SW (?) 12.75" rear shocks. I weigh about the same as you. With just me, leaning pretty good, not quite to the edge of the tread but very close to it, I have not scraped. With a 105 lb passenger I can scrape the collector on the factory header pretty easily when pushing. I do have to lean it pretty good for it to scrape, canyon pushing it not left turn lane in traffic. I hope this helps.

 

[Green Goblin]

I purchased some RFY shocks from Ebay for about $90 shipped. I know they are made in china, but I couldn't justify spending more on something when the whole bike was getting torn down and rebuilt within the next year or two. I rode on them for all of last season, and I was happy with them. I can only compare them to the busted stock ones that came on the bike, so I'm sure if they were compared to an expensive set of european shocks they would lose horribly, but for the price, and the fake external reservoir, I would recommend them for people building a bike on a budget that aren't taking it to the track or pushing their limits on the street.