Motorcycle Lowering & Lift Kits

If you want to enjoy motorcycle adventures full of thrill and comfort, you should find a bike that fits you perfectly. However, it’s not always an easy task. And here’s the reason why. Many bikes such as sport and dual-sport have a high seat height, which makes them uncomfortable for shorter riders. If a motorcycle is too high for you, you’ll be standing on the tip of your toes at a stop. And as a result, you won’t have enough balance to safely control and hold your bike. To increase your safety and make your riding experience more enjoyable, you’ll need a lowering kit that will let you reach the ground comfortably, making it easy to maintain balance when stopped in traffic.

Along with improved footing, stability and control, lowering kits also offer many other benefits. When you lower the ride height of your motorcycle you also lower the center of gravity, which ensures better handling and turning in many conditions. Lowering kits are also the perfect way to reduce drag for better fuel efficiency. Plus, they give your motorcycle that sleek, custom look many riders are looking for. However, keep in mind that lowering your bike decreases the ground clearance. This also significantly reduces the amount of lean angle making leaning the bike or riding over bumps and curbs dangerous.

Motorcycle lift kits are the way to go for taller riders who want to increase ground clearance to handle road imperfections and avoid contacting the pavement during aggressive cornering. They are particularly beneficial if you often tend to drag your muffler, floorboards, or other bike parts at stock ride height. Lift kits also allow you to carry heavy loads safely by preventing rear end sagging. On top of that, with a lift kit, you may experience a more comfortable and smoother ride. But, while lift kits offer plenty of benefits for most types of bikes, keep in mind that they can reduce handling and stability at high speeds.

No matter whether you’re lowering or raising the height of your bike, you must lower or raise both the front and rear ends to maintain the chassis attitude. Otherwise, you’ll change your bike’s suspension geometry which can lead to serious handling and cornering problems. But if you’re intended to modify only one end of your motorcycle, it’s better to choose the rear end. Nowadays, you can choose from affordable and easy-to-install lowering blocks that will help you reduce the ride height making it easier to get on and off your bike. However, they change the lever ratio of the rear shocks making the shocks stiffer and affecting riding comfort.

Lowering links are another cost-effective way to lower your bikes rear end from about half an inch up to two inches. They are designed to relocate your shock mount closer to the ground. But before buying lowering links make sure that the rear fender clearance they offer is enough for your specific bike to prevent the rear tire from touching the fender. Also, keep in mind that the lower you position your shocks the more they are exposed to road impacts. When it comes to the front end, it’s not recommended to modify it without modifying the rear end since you will unbalance your motorcycle which can lead to all possible problems with handling and steering.