Front end lowering blocks

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationAny reason these wouldn't work on my '80 KZ550A? I believe it has the same fork tube diameter as the bikes listed in this ad, 36mm.

You can make your own with PVC.
Steve

swest wrote: You can make your own with PVC.
Steve

Well you could, but the problem is that if you spend the eBay lowering block price of $15.95 on 1" PVC you will end up with 40 or 50 feet of PVC left over (see link below). What will you do this all that scrap? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Ed

www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-x-10-ft-PVC-Sch...ipe-531194/202280936

You can buy short pieces or one stick.
Steve

WARNING: IGNORANCE REVEALED IN THIS POST!

I have long been perplexed by the desire to use lowering spacers on a street-ridden machine. If i understand them correctly, they lower the front of the bike by preventing full extension of the forks. Experts such as Paul Thede suggest that 30-35mm of sag is about ideal for a street bike. If a one-inch (~26mm) spacer is introduced, we are left with 9 - 14mm of sag, unless the springs are shortened to compensate. With so little sag, it seems altogether likely that the forks will reach full extension rather regularly, thus leaving the front wheel in the air rather than in full contact with the road surface. I also wonder if any long term damage might result from frequent slamming against the spacer?

It's been my understanding they are for stiffening up the forks. If a spring is to be removed to lower it then the front end would be less responsive to the road. My suggestion was to illustrate expensive blocks are not needed. Lowering the front end could cause handling issues as well but people will do things so it will look cool. I'd go the other way so I could RIDE it, not look cool. :whistle:
Steve

well, I'd like to lower it an inch because at 5' 10" I can barely flat foot it. I understand that it would alter the performance of the forks to some degree. What about dropping the triples 1" ? Fork would still be in it's stock form, just moved up the triple an 1". I should still have plenty of handlebar clearance.

swest wrote: It's been my understanding they are for stiffening up the forks. If a spring is to be removed to lower it then the front end would be less responsive to the road. My suggestion was to illustrate expensive blocks are not needed. Lowering the front end could cause handling issues as well but people will do things so it will look cool. I'd go the other way so I could RIDE it, not look cool. :whistle:
Steve

Raising the forks will lower the front end, though you may be limited by fork to handlebar interference, or possibly fender to exhaust interference under full compression. Quite a few folks do this without problem, just be sure to check before you ride.

Makes more sense to do it that way. Could lower the back too. I have some lowering blocks but I'll never use them
Steve

On damper rod forks, sometimes there's already a preload spacer between the top cap and fork spring. You can just take it out and place it under the top out spring.

Huge misconception: "Cutting fork springs will soften the suspension" No. It actually stiffens the spring. Think of a spring as a torsion bar. The longer it is the easier it is to twist.

Also, "Adding more preload to a spring makes it stiffer." No. All it does is removes any sag. You still have the same rate spring but you will be higher in the stroke.

Lowering 1" is pretty drastic and can cause issues at high speeds like headshake. Your bike will turn better though at slower speed. If you lengthen the forks/raise the front end, your bike will be more stable at higher speed but will loose some turning performance. To keep the same geometry of your chassis you need to lower/raise both ends of the bike the same amount. Take some measurements with the stock setup for your baseline.

Most fork height adjustments are within a few MM's. 3-7mm, etc. So going 1" (25mm) is pretty drastic.