How Low Can You Go !!!
 

I bought a new 2009 DR 650 for my wife because I believe its the right bike for a South American trip and I was under the impression that I could lower it enough for her but at the moment I have not been succesful getting low enough I need between 30" and 31"

So far I have lowered the rear suspension and slid the front fork up an inch
as well I bought a corbin seat .

I read something in Thumper talk about changing something in the front forks and someone mentioned reducing the the diameter of the the front wheel.

Any input would be great.

Freedom Rider

I thought your Suzuki dealer could supply a kit.(?) Even including another sidestand...Or at least they do here in OZ. Go ask them. Good luck Boot.

Dear Buniyp01

I did lower the rear suspension and added the shorter side stand is there
some kit you can buy as well.?

Freedom rider

Hey Michael,
My wife and I also own DR's for a similar trip. Both are '08's. With her's, we had lowered (at time of purchase), got a suzuki gel low seat and now she is comfortable. She's 5'4" if that matters and she went from an xt225 to the DR.
Another idea that may also work - a friend of mine had his motorcycle boots built up so that he can keep his Dakar upright. I think he's about 5'6" or there abouts.
Hope that helps.

Thanks BlackBeast

I will talk to the Suzuki dealer my bike just arrived and maybe they can
modify mine and I will switch with her.
How comfortable is the Suzuki gel seat and how much lower is it than a stock seat.?

Freedom Rider

I don't know the Corbin seat but for me as I am short I always get the seat scooped out on my bikes (so far!) and get a thin gel seat inserted.
I did this again on my new Versys (84cm seat) and it did a big difference. I eventually fitted also a lowering kit to the rear shock and lowered the front forks by about 2 inches.
Overall it probably lowered the seat by about 3 inches in total, more or less.

I find the gel seat fairly comfortable despite being thin (but then being a woman I have some padding down there!). I have sometimes spent up to 12 hours riding and I was fine.

Thanks maria41
What did you do to lower your front suspension.?

Freedom Rider

Hi Michael,
We managed to bring her bike down about 3" from stock height. She really doesn't mind the suzuki gel seat and has never complained on any of our long rides. Her break in ride on the bike was a 700km ride in a day & she was totally fine. Me on the other hand, I couldn't spend more than 60mins on that seat. I've put a Renazco seat on mine. I guess I'm just a bit more delicate than she is.
Daryll

BlackBeast

Could you please tell everything you did to get 3" lower so far I have been
unable to get that much.

Thanks
Freedom Rider

Chapter 5, page 47 in the service manual explains the lowering procedure. You would need to get the shorter (grey) suzuki side stand or modify the stock version. Gel seat, lowers further.

Michael, it is fairly easy to do:

get the bike on centre stand to remove weigh from the front forks.
Unscrew the 2 set of triple clamps that hold the front forks (do this one side at a time if you do not have centre stand or if your bike weigh on the front because if not the whole thing will slide forward and turn to disaster!)

Slide then the fork through the 2 sets of clamps, one at a time, upward, by as much as you want. Note that I did this in both my F650GS and my Versys. On the Versys the forks are inverted but the principle is the same.

Really that's all. Tighten the forks. Look in your workshop manual to ensure the right torque. (Always put the right torque this is important!)

You should be able to lower by 2 or almost 3 inches. Remember than when you do this, the side stand will have to be adjusted (cut) or the bike will sit to much upward and risk to fall. ALso if you lower the front but do not fit a lowering link in the rear shock, it will affect the handling of the bike.

Actually check it out here good photos. This apply to the versys but take you step by step: http://motowerk.com/Documents/Web%20...Suspension.pdf

Good luck!

Thanks Blackbeast

The items you have mentioned have already been done but the result has not lowered enough.
So I'm looking for other things I can do.

Thanks maria41

This is something that I have also done but still not enough but one thing
I did over the weekend was to make new longer cushion rods ( dog bones)
I found if you lenghten them by 1/2" you can drop the bike by around 1 1/4"
it amazed me.

Freedom Rider

That's very good! I will keep that in mind for my next travel bike. I am thinking an XT600 or 660, but at 86.5 or 89cm seat I will need every little trick to lower!

Michael,

Have you checked the manual for the factory lowering procedure involving the fork internals? Factory lowering front and rear and a gel or shaved seat should make a big difference. Here's a link to the DR650 FAQ at TT, scroll on down for links to the online manual:

Dr650 Faq - ThumperTalk

Sarah

Thanks for the link Sarah

The one thing that I have not done yet is some internal changes to my
front fork , when I have read enough info on how to do the procedure
then I will give it a go.

Freedom Rider

The FAQ provides detail on making a simple "special fork tool" though not as simple as the broom handle we used which worked fine for us. The fork job is not nearly as bad as it sounds and helps so much. Best of luck.

Sarah

Freedom rider,

Was it difficult to lower the rear / front shock - something the dealer should do? What was the cost of the lower side stand, or did you cut the original.

googlefish

(soon to be owner of a 2006 DR)

Just remember that changing the fork height will alter the way the bike turns as the steering angle has changed.
The rear should be able to be lowered by changing the link on the suspension.
Changing the preload on the suspension to lower the seat height is NOT the right way to go.
Ifyou are not sure on how to go about the above I suggest that you enlist the help of profesional, otherwise you might end up with a dog of of a handling bike.

Cheers