Raising the front
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 310
Likes: 169
From: Socal
Raising the front
I am thinking of raising the front with a kit from GP. they offer up to +2" in difference.
Big bear performance offers a +3" kit.
I saw some photos of raised fronts and i'm just wondering if they handle better or worse, and if so in what situations (i.e worse in corners but better on highway)
Also does it make you feel more sat inside your bike? I want to get comfy
Thanks
Big bear performance offers a +3" kit.
I saw some photos of raised fronts and i'm just wondering if they handle better or worse, and if so in what situations (i.e worse in corners but better on highway)
Also does it make you feel more sat inside your bike? I want to get comfy
Thanks
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 1,119
Likes: 779
From: France
I understand the desire to improve roadholding/handling, but personally I find that motorcycles with too much front and rear height are not very harmonious from an aesthetic point of view, they look like big grasshoppers, and we're moving away from the "low rider" concept, we should rather call it "high rider"...
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,312
Likes: 1,876
From: Conn.
I understand the desire to improve roadholding/handling, but personally I find that motorcycles with too much front and rear height are not very harmonious from an aesthetic point of view, they look like big grasshoppers, and we're moving away from the "low rider" concept, we should rather call it "high rider"...
Last edited by Durham man; Sep 30, 2023 at 02:34 AM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 1,119
Likes: 779
From: France
the name doesn't really matter, but we could discuss it, and 1" at the back doesn't change the aesthetics too much, but it does improve comfort a lot. It's when you put on a 13.5" that it starts to show a lot, and also if you raise the front.
Personally, for my driving style, that's enough. I might add a few cartridges at the front, but only to improve damping.
Personally, for my driving style, that's enough. I might add a few cartridges at the front, but only to improve damping.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 3,391
From: Seattle
I understand the desire to improve roadholding/handling, but personally I find that motorcycles with too much front and rear height are not very harmonious from an aesthetic point of view, they look like big grasshoppers, and we're moving away from the "low rider" concept, we should rather call it "high rider"...
150/70 front tire increased front ride height by .33inches.
13inch shock increased the rear ride height by like .5inch
I'm about to swap to a 260 rear which will raise the bike more, and when I put my forks back together today, I put them as low as possible in the triple tree clamps that would still securely hold them.
And now I'm looking at getting preload adjustor fork caps and taking them to someone who has a lathe to spin them and cut down the cap edge to match the OD of the fork because I can drop the forks another 3/8ths of an inch and not have a gap between the Fork Guards and fork sliders.
Ride height has given me lean angle which has given me cornering speed, which has made the bike even more fun.
And when I get that Hyperpro/SE monoshock, I'll be extending it just a bit so that it doesn't reach weird fender gap territory, yet still gives me even more ride height.
What good is all that Stage 2 Power if I can't turn it?
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,312
Likes: 1,876
From: Conn.
I've raised my Fat Boy a bit.
150/70 front tire increased front ride height by .33inches.
13inch shock increased the rear ride height by like .5inch
I'm about to swap to a 260 rear which will raise the bike more, and when I put my forks back together today, I put them as low as possible in the triple tree clamps that would still securely hold them.
And now I'm looking at getting preload adjustor fork caps and taking them to someone who has a lathe to spin them and cut down the cap edge to match the OD of the fork because I can drop the forks another 3/8ths of an inch and not have a gap between the Fork Guards and fork sliders.
Ride height has given me lean angle which has given me cornering speed, which has made the bike even more fun.
And when I get that Hyperpro/SE monoshock, I'll be extending it just a bit so that it doesn't reach weird fender gap territory, yet still gives me even more ride height.
What good is all that Stage 2 Power if I can't turn it?
150/70 front tire increased front ride height by .33inches.
13inch shock increased the rear ride height by like .5inch
I'm about to swap to a 260 rear which will raise the bike more, and when I put my forks back together today, I put them as low as possible in the triple tree clamps that would still securely hold them.
And now I'm looking at getting preload adjustor fork caps and taking them to someone who has a lathe to spin them and cut down the cap edge to match the OD of the fork because I can drop the forks another 3/8ths of an inch and not have a gap between the Fork Guards and fork sliders.
Ride height has given me lean angle which has given me cornering speed, which has made the bike even more fun.
And when I get that Hyperpro/SE monoshock, I'll be extending it just a bit so that it doesn't reach weird fender gap territory, yet still gives me even more ride height.
What good is all that Stage 2 Power if I can't turn it?
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 3,391
From: Seattle
I mean same can be said for my Fat Boy. In stock form I was throwing it left and right through corners.
But for pretty much any bike, if you can get more lean angle out of it, you can corner faster.
That's why those king of the baggers bikes are so tall, and have super tall seats. So they could lift those rear controls waaaay up to get more clearance.
But for pretty much any bike, if you can get more lean angle out of it, you can corner faster.
That's why those king of the baggers bikes are so tall, and have super tall seats. So they could lift those rear controls waaaay up to get more clearance.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,312
Likes: 1,876
From: Conn.
I mean same can be said for my Fat Boy. In stock form I was throwing it left and right through corners.
But for pretty much any bike, if you can get more lean angle out of it, you can corner faster.
That's why those king of the baggers bikes are so tall, and have super tall seats. So they could lift those rear controls waaaay up to get more clearance.
But for pretty much any bike, if you can get more lean angle out of it, you can corner faster.
That's why those king of the baggers bikes are so tall, and have super tall seats. So they could lift those rear controls waaaay up to get more clearance.
Last edited by Durham man; Sep 30, 2023 at 04:01 AM.