Lowering front of FZ6

l3hmanj78

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Anyone lower the front end of their FZ6? I was talking to the dude at the motorcycle shop and he said it would be fine, but it would cause the bike to handle more "aggressively." Basically, the longer the forks, the longer the steer, hence, the shorter the forks, the more aggressive the steer. Anyways, I was thinking of lowering it by maybe 1/2 to 1 inch.

Your guys/gals thoughts?

Jeff
 

Bikebiz

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Plenty have. IMO the magic figure is 8mm. I went to 10mm and it was turning in just a little too fast.

If you went as much as 1", I'd be checking to ensure clearance between the lower triple and the front fender.

Mod well worth it, highly recommended.
 

tomari

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on a 2006 with stock forks at 21mm the fork seals just kisses the lower triple. u have to brake realy hard for this to happen (its just before the endo) but if you happen to brake that hard in a real situation you might want nothing to compromise your braking performance.

bikebiz how much do u weight ? i found that 8mm is the magic number for me too! what is your rear shock setting?
 

Bikebiz

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I'm 80kg (not geared up though), and have put 15w oil in the forks. The rear I'm using 5 at the moment. Contemplating a rebuild of both though, as I'm finding the rebound and compression still too loose when you hit a bump mid-corner. The bikes moves around far too easily.
 

l3hmanj78

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Awesome, thanks for the feedback all. I will go ahead and drop it a little less than an inch. Did you guys just measure it out, or did you have spacers made? You can change the oil in your forks??

Jeff
 

Bikebiz

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No spacers, just measure with a metal rule.

Of course you can change fork oil! Changing the oil weight will speed up or slow down your fork action (ie rebound and compression at the same time). It's a good band-aid fix if you need to make an adjustment but don't want to spend on new internals/springs etc.

You can also change the level at which the fork oil sits in the fork to modify their behaviour.
 

AdamDJ

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How are you lowering it? New springs in the forks? I have been thinking about lowering my bike a little bit for a more agressive look.. I saw a lowered FZ1 a few weeks ago and it looked AWESOME
 

Popeye70

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Mine is lowered 1" both at the front and the back, so the stance didn't change. Being 165 cm tall/short, the new height gives me better control when standing still. I can't say that the handling changed much on my bike, but if you only lower it at the front you should be able to feel the difference.
 

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When we say lowering, we are simply loosening the bolts that hold the forks to the bike, and letting the front of the bike drop, then tightening. You needn't touch your fork internals at all.
 

tomari

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I'm 80kg (not geared up though), and have put 15w oil in the forks. The rear I'm using 5 at the moment. Contemplating a rebuild of both though, as I'm finding the rebound and compression still too loose when you hit a bump mid-corner. The bikes moves around far too easily.

im 70 and have the stock oil isn't that a 5 ? im thinking of putting 10w oil and try to preload the springs a little (isn't that possible with spacers or something? please anyone advise) until i buy new.
 

REDHAWK22

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When we say lowering, we are simply loosening the bolts that hold the forks to the bike, and letting the front of the bike drop, then tightening. You needn't touch your fork internals at all.

Yes & that's my plan. 1/2 " maybe? How do you lower the rear? Is that even possible? I have my setting at 4.
 

rino60

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Mine is lowered 1" both at the front and the back, so the stance didn't change. Being 165 cm tall/short, the new height gives me better control when standing still. I can't say that the handling changed much on my bike, but if you only lower it at the front you should be able to feel the difference.

What did it cost? Very interested in doing the same...
 
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pascal1973

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im 70 and have the stock oil isn't that a 5 ? im thinking of putting 10w oil and try to preload the springs a little (isn't that possible with spacers or something? please anyone advise) until i buy new.


I swapped my front springs for Hyperpro's. They came with W20 oil, dropped the front 10mm, and OMG that's one hell of an improvement! Rear spring is stock and at 5. I weigh 85 kg,and this mod just makes the bike so much easier to ride.
 
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