Triumphrat

Altamont · 09-17-2009, 10:08 PM

I have read all the posts pro and con for lowering, and I have decided to go ahead and lower my Speedie 1 1/2 inches. My legs are just too short and its just way too hilly where I live to tiptoe around when I am stopped or parking. here, though are my questions: if I lower the rear and the front fork 1 1/2 inches, I'll have to swing the handle bars back just a little so the extra "material" at top of the fork will clear. If I rotate the brake levers etc back up to where they should be, that shouldn't present a problem (should it?) or are there aftermarket bars that would be in order? second, the kickstand. it'll need to be shortened. or can I get a new one that is shorter? if I take it to a machine shop, do I have them cut off the bottom end and weld a new "puck" on it? or do I have take the material out of the middle and weld it back together? thanks for any suggestions. dont need any suggestions not to lower it though, read all those!!

blastap · 09-18-2009, 12:17 AM

I had to space the risers up with aluminum spacers that matched the bar with longer bolts. That allows the forks room to move up. In the rear I clearanced the spring perch to the top of the threads and moved the adjuster to the top.that gave me the stance I wanted. The kickstand issue, if you look at the kickstand mount you can loosen the top bolt and take the bottom bolts out. I put aluminum spacers under the bottom to bolts to essentially change the angle of the bracket to allow to allow a safer stance. I know you don't want to hear the downfalls BUT I drug the bottom of my lowboy arrow on the ground doing some cornering so it is a lot easier to drag body parts when it's lowered

Speed3 · 09-20-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altamont

I have read all the posts pro and con for lowering, and I have decided to go ahead and lower my Speedie 1 1/2 inches. My legs are just too short and its just way too hilly where I live to tiptoe around when I am stopped or parking. here, though are my questions: if I lower the rear and the front fork 1 1/2 inches, I'll have to swing the handle bars back just a little so the extra "material" at top of the fork will clear. If I rotate the brake levers etc back up to where they should be, that shouldn't present a problem (should it?) or are there aftermarket bars that would be in order? second, the kickstand. it'll need to be shortened. or can I get a new one that is shorter? if I take it to a machine shop, do I have them cut off the bottom end and weld a new "puck" on it? or do I have take the material out of the middle and weld it back together? thanks for any suggestions. dont need any suggestions not to lower it though, read all those!!

How tall, or short are you? I have a friend with an '08 speed Triple who is 5'5, who has no trouble keeping his bike up. Lowering a bike is not a good idea, IMO.

Altamont · 09-21-2009, 12:08 AM

then don't lower your bike.

DEcosse · 09-21-2009, 12:38 AM

I respect your choice Altamont, regardless of any personal preference.

One simple change you can make is to 'flip' the eccentric on the rear hub - that will give you some change without even buying anything.
Then you can raise the forks in the triples to balance out the same change in the rear.
Also be sure your sag is set properly - if too stiff, that will also keep the rear end higher instead of settling appropriately for your own weight. If you are proportionately light to go with your height you may need to back off the pre-load from the median setting.
You may just find that the sag adjustment and flipping the eccentric plus the front fork height will do it.

Good Luck

welshrob · 09-21-2009, 01:24 AM

You have obviously decided to do this, so I won`t attempt to talk you out of it, despite my reservations. So to answer your question, Yes, you will need to alter your sidestand, or there is a high risk of it toppling over.

A lot of Triumph parts are interchangeable, if you live near a dealer it might be worth parking your bike next to a few other models and looking at the sidestand on say, a Bonneville or Thunderbird to see if they are shorter and will fit.

Further to Decosse`s suggestion about the eccentric, worth a try but keep an eye on it. I`ve never actually tried it on a Speed Triple but that is how I first lowered my 955 Tiger back in 2002. After 10,000 km`s, the chain was starting to wear a hole in the underside of the swing arm because the lower chain run was a lot closer to it.

It handled badly and IMHO, dangerously, with the forks and rear end lowered. It had a few bad wobbles at high speed so I eventually put it back to standard and had the seat scalloped, which lowered it by about 1.5 inches without affecting the handling and steering.

DEcosse · 09-21-2009, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by welshrob

...It handled badly and IMHO, dangerously, with the forks and rear end lowered. It had a few bad wobbles at high speed ....

Geometrically, Rob, it should make little difference to the handling generally, if you lower both front & rear by the same degree.
Ground clearance is what suffers, but the general geometry will be relatively unchanged.
If you end up lowering the rear more than the front, indeed it should increase the stability - rake will effectively become less acute and the trail will increase.
If the front was lowered more than rear however, the converse would happen and it could indeed become 'twitchy'
From your description of the problem, I would have to presume the latter was affected in your case.

There's a good reason I don't ride Tiger!!!!

psmith · 09-22-2009, 10:08 AM

I used the Matisse lowering kit to lower my Speed Trip and haven't regretted it for a moment.

In addition to the kit itself, I ended up purchasing a complete set of bearings - I had reservations about taking out the stock ones and getting them back in without messing them up. I understand the New Bonnie kit already has them (bonus). I also changed out the front break lines. I already had handlebar risers so clearance with the fork adjusters was not an issue.

I did modify the kick stand as the bike sat straight up and down when on it. I took it to a local welding shop and had it cut and reattached for about 20 bucks. Alittle careful grinding and a coat of black paint, and you can't even tell it was shortened 5/8".

Other than that, it was a snap. The kit has been on for almost 2 years and so far so good. Good luck!

Silverhawk · 09-22-2009, 10:28 AM

I've thought about lowering my America just because I like the low slung ride, I had a chopper at one time. I'm 6'3" so it's not because of the length of my inseam.

My deterrent is the drop from my drive to the street and some of the speed bump heights I encounter.

Just something to consider when you do the lowering.

welshrob · 09-22-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEcosse

Geometrically, Rob, it should make little difference to the handling generally, if you lower both front & rear by the same degree.
Ground clearance is what suffers, but the general geometry will be relatively unchanged.
If you end up lowering the rear more than the front, indeed it should increase the stability - rake will effectively become less acute and the trail will increase.
If the front was lowered more than rear however, the converse would happen and it could indeed become 'twitchy'
From your description of the problem, I would have to presume the latter was affected in your case.

There's a good reason I don't ride Tiger!!!!

Yes, it`s possible that the front was slightly lower than the rear. By lowering the forks, you shorten the wheelbase and with the rear eccentric rotated 180 deg, the wheelbase is shortened even further, to get the chain tension right. It steered a LOT quicker but felt all wrong at high speed. Unlike the S3, the Tiger has a 19in front and 17in rear, so I honestly don`t know if this had an adverse effect with the shortened wheelbase?