Lowering the front end on a GS650?

[csw55]

Done!

I finally got around to doing the job! I machined a couple spacers at school (i'm in a machining program) out of aluminum. A lot of people i see online use 1" OD 3/4" ID pieces of PVC, and even though I'm sure they'd work fine, i just felt more comfortable using aluminum. I wasn't sure how low to go, but I eventually decided on 2.5".
Here's a pic of the spacers after I machined them on the CNC.







You'll need to cut about the same amount as the spacer off the top of the spring. I cut 2.25" off the spring, that way I had a little preload.




Here's the first fork I did, next to the other stock fork.




And here's how she looks now!

[Steve]

Looks very good.

Hope it works as well as it looks.

I am glad it's your bike, it would never fit me.

.

[hillsy]

Seeing as you have lost some travel in your forks, you might want to make up some spacers for the upper springs and cut off a few more coils.

The fewer coils you have in the springs, the stiffer they become.

[csw55]

Seeing as you have lost some travel in your forks, you might want to make up some spacers for the upper springs and cut off a few more coils.

The fewer coils you have in the springs, the stiffer they become.

Could you explain? I guess I'm not sure what you're meaning.

[Crankthat]

I think what he is trying to say.
You have less travel/room for your front end.
More likely to bottom out/jar and cause damage or failure.
Less coils but space taken up with spacers will cause stiffening of springs=less likely to bottom out/jar as the now stiffer springs will flex less with impact and thus less chance of reaching the bottom out point.
Not sure if he is correct in that but it makes sense to me.
How stiff is too stiff though?

[csw55]

That makes sense! I used some heavy weight fork oil, and left the spring a little long, so when I put the end cap back on the fork, it'd have some preload. It seems pretty stiff. Stiff enough to not bottom out. And honestly, I don't care at all if it's stiff. I'm not building this bike expecting it to be a couch on wheels, ya know what I mean?

[Crankthat]

The time I bought the wrong fork oil for my Seca.
That did not last long at all.
Did not know what I was doing back then.
I have a bit of a better idea now.
I ride mostly back roads here.
Some of them are kinda crappy.
Keeps others off them though.
I have had my rear jump out on me many times.
Takes a bit to get used to the feeling.
Don,t think I would want that to happen on the front though with out enough cush to keep it from skipping/bouncing.
Though the rear only really bounced after kicking out once.
The pavement was real bad on that corner and more the pavement being chattered then my shock settings.
Do not know how the front would react on something like I experienced without some cush to soak it up.
Just make sure you have it where you want it before you get aggressive on the road.

[csw55]

Just make sure you have it where you want it before you get aggressive on the road.

Will do! Thanks for the advice!