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Cruiser
Posts: 59
Woodstock, GA | Is anyone aware of a way to lower the rear of the Vision? I don't want it to drag or anything, but it could definitely be about 2" lower and be fine. Does the adjustable shock in the back move that much? Can an air-ride be put on the bike?
Again, not trying to do anything that takes away from the bike's balance or handling, would just like a lower, sleeker profile when riding around town. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 48
Oakdale MN | I know what you mean I would like mine lower to ,but I think any thing a person does to lower the bike will somewhat effect the handling of the machine. I know from my Harley days that lowering a FLH bike the ride is not to bad at 1" lowered front and rear but at 2" front and rear or 2" rear 1" in front the smooth ride it had stock was surely compromised.
I did talk with the people at Arlen Ness and they are working on a lowering kit unknown of when it may be released.
If you search the web I thought I seen one somewhere that they installed an air ride suspension in the rear , but I'm sure it was a custom job and very costly. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 117
South of Houston Tx | Dump all the air out of the rear suspension and put a load of bricks in yer trunk!!!
I just aired mine up a couple days ago, after about 6500 miles the air all leaked out, I noticed it was riding a little rougher than normal for a week or so, but when it got down to 0 psi, when I put my feet down at the red lights my knees were bent nearly as much as when my feet were on the boards. Seemed like it dropped it a couple inches! Since I put some air back in, it seems to be holding. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 141
Cumming, GA | Check out the original Ness bikes. Both of them were lowered, both in frame and by cutting some of the foam from the seat. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | One of the things that attracted me to the Vision was the handling and the ride.
It its crucial not to screw with the geometry when lowering a motorcycle unless you really know what you are doing and why. The general rule of thumb is to lower the bike the same front and rear to avoid unpleasant handling consequences.
Lowering the suspension significantly (2" would be significant considering that the front suspension only has 5" of travel to begin with) also usually means having to stiffen it up to keep from bottoming out, this obviously makes the ride less plush. On forks with air adjustments this is easy to do. On conventional forks (like those on the Vision) its a little trickier. The springs control the downward rate of movement while rebound is controlled by the fork fluid viscosity and the size of the holes in the "valves". If you stiffen up the springs you must slow down the rate of rebound as well or you get a pogo stick ride.
My '91 FLHTC is lowered 1.5" front and back, it's handling is less than stellar. I tend to drag the floor boards in tight turns; which is a disconcerting thing for passengers. I ground out the frame regularly on speed bumps at slow speed and often drag the expensive Vance and Hines mufflers when exiting a parking lot. It also rides a little too harshly to be comfortable two up.
But, it sure looks great. Care to guess which bike gets ridden daily? Know anyone who wants a well used Harley?
Proceed with caution. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | I was a little tired when I posted last night - In light of the grounding issue on things like speedbumps in parking lots I would surely consider a "bash plate" to protect the cases since there is no frame under the engine on the vision.
This would reduce your ground clearance a little more but keep the cases protected. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 59
Woodstock, GA | Thanks for the replies. I also saw that Ness now offers saddlebag extensions that go below the bottom of the pipe - that would give the "illusion" of lowering. Anyone have any thoughts on these? It's really hard to tell what they look like from a single picture. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 59
Woodstock, GA | Here's my answer on the saddlebag extensions - check out the photo from the gallery...you'd be draggin...
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=99&ph... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 102
Madison, AL | I lowered my M109R and it looked good and I sat on it better, however, I did lose the ability to take tight corners, and scrapped the bottom all the time. So, lowering the bike has pros and cons. I am not going to lower my Vision since I love the handeling. Adjusting the air in the rear does make a big difference. I would try that first. |
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Lowering a Vision?
