Can an ST1300 be lowered?
- Thread starter xmikex98
- Start date
Being short myself... I am always interested in this topic.... but after the "Spencer Seat" mod which helped alot.... I cannot imagine getting it lower without affecting the design properties.... which in my mind is unsafe. If I felt uncomfortable stopping on my bike, especially with a passenger, I would look for something else. You "hate riding it around town" so if you cannot afford a second bike for in town.... get something you can enjoy all the time!!!!
Don-STOC237
STealer
Define inseam challenged. I've known people 5 feet 2 that have ridden these things. They did have to learn how to park so they didn't have to back up, but they did adapt and manage after awhile.
I know that didn't answer your original question, but lowering a bike like the ST is challenging and expensive, and you may not like the results when you finish. You'll decrease your cornering ground clearance, change your steering geometry, and introduce a lot of other variables.
You might be better off getting a shorter bike. Or maybe ride a VSTrom for a couple thousand miles. When you go back to the ST after that, it'll seem short.
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I guess a better term would be, the center of gravity is a lot higher than I would like. I've owned and ridden dozens and dozens of bikes from the smallest made to the biggest made. I even own a sidecar rig. Dont get me wrong, the bike does what it was made for very well, its just the around town part that I would like to improve. Sometimes I feel like a newb at a stoplight. I had a V-Strom and after lowering it an inch or so and getting the lower seat it was fine. Its center of gravity was lower for sure. Its really not that big a deal, I was just wondering if it could be done. It sure was easy on the V-Strom. A $20.00 pair of lowering links and dropped the forks an inch and that was that.
the Spencer seat mod saved my bacon ...plus its more comfortable....
30 inch inseam ..... the shock route is pretty expensive..
but I won't ride two up...
30 inch inseam ..... the shock route is pretty expensive..
but I won't ride two up...
I've got to chime in that the Spencer seat will lower you a titch.
Unfortunately for me, I need the ST to be higher. I guess we all have our issues.
Spencerizing your saddle won't do anything to change the center of gravity for the ST, though. It's a big, fat, beautiful pig. You may want to look at lighter ST out there. A Sprint comes to mind. Or, look at something like a VFR.
Unfortunately for me, I need the ST to be higher. I guess we all have our issues.
Spencerizing your saddle won't do anything to change the center of gravity for the ST, though. It's a big, fat, beautiful pig. You may want to look at lighter ST out there. A Sprint comes to mind. Or, look at something like a VFR.
The dealer who sold me the ST said he would include the lowering kit in the selling price. This week, he tells me he could not find a kit and would give me a price deduction. That still leaves me with a taller bike than I am accustomed to. I was riding a cruiser, this is the first sporty bike for me. I have not picked up the bike yet.
I think I'll keep the original height for a while to see. I am 5' 8", 30" to 31" inseam. My soles are flat on the ground, but the heels are up about 1". Do you guys think I would have any problem maneuvering the ST?
Anyways, I spoke to my regular bike shop who did all the work on my previous bikes. They can make a custom dog bone for the ST and lower the bike if needs to.
But from reading this thread, I think I'll check out the Spencer seat solutions first.
I'm 5'11" with a 30" inseam, I found my ST tall as well.
This may be silly to mention, as I'm sure everyone knows, but the ST seat is adjustable, I have mine all the way down (stock seat, no mods)
I also bought a pair of motorcycle boots with a thicker sole, and I can now flat-foot the bike with both feet.
Still not as easy to reach the ground as my old Valkyrie, but good enough.
I don't find the bike hard to maneuver around.
Getting the seat shaved (spencer mod) may help as well. I may still do this at one point.
This bike is not top heavy, but not as low slung as my Valk was either.
As for lowering the bike itself, it can be done, the dog legs can't cost that much to have custom made, and dropping the forks a bit is easy.
Tazmool
This may be silly to mention, as I'm sure everyone knows, but the ST seat is adjustable, I have mine all the way down (stock seat, no mods)
I also bought a pair of motorcycle boots with a thicker sole, and I can now flat-foot the bike with both feet.
Still not as easy to reach the ground as my old Valkyrie, but good enough.
I don't find the bike hard to maneuver around.
Getting the seat shaved (spencer mod) may help as well. I may still do this at one point.
This bike is not top heavy, but not as low slung as my Valk was either.
As for lowering the bike itself, it can be done, the dog legs can't cost that much to have custom made, and dropping the forks a bit is easy.
Tazmool
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I'm 5'6" 29" inseam. Used to be 30" but I'm on the other side of halfway down the road.
Anyway, I can't flatfoot and I don't mind. Never been an issue with this bike or others. To paddle around I can slide off the seat to one side to better push with that leg.
What I meant to post about is - what is the talk about dogbones? The rear shock mounts directly to the frame and swing arm. There is no linkage like some bikes have. Does this dogbone still work on the ST1300?
Anyway, I can't flatfoot and I don't mind. Never been an issue with this bike or others. To paddle around I can slide off the seat to one side to better push with that leg.
What I meant to post about is - what is the talk about dogbones? The rear shock mounts directly to the frame and swing arm. There is no linkage like some bikes have. Does this dogbone still work on the ST1300?
Corbin makes a seat that will lower the rider an inch or so. The weight of the bike will always be a challenge. For city riding, its probably not the best choice.
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I'm 5'8" with a 30" in seam. I love the bike all around except when paddling. I try to make sure I do not have to paddle up creek! And it really sucks when there are gravel or sand bars, almost caused me to dump it more than once!
Blrfl
Natural Rider Enhancement
Don-STOC237
STealer
A couple of guys have successfully lowered ST1100's over the years, and the ST1300 isn't much different in that department. The only way to do it right is how they did it, had custom shocks made for the rear and went to 17 inch wheels on the front, plus some other suspension work. It ain't cheap, and it ain't for the faint of heart, and it stuffs your cornering clearance too, not to mention destroying any resale value.
Get a shorter seat or platform shoes, it's a lot more satisfying and a lot cheaper, and safer.
Oh and like Mark didn't say, the dealer who "couldn't find" the lowering kit for the ST, and the shop who can "custom make a special dog bone" for the ST are both FOS. Run away!!!!
Get a shorter seat or platform shoes, it's a lot more satisfying and a lot cheaper, and safer.
Oh and like Mark didn't say, the dealer who "couldn't find" the lowering kit for the ST, and the shop who can "custom make a special dog bone" for the ST are both FOS. Run away!!!!
Don-STOC237, It was I who said the dealer could not find a dog bone and the custom shop could make one. After reading several complete threads in the forum, I have to decided to keep the bike as is and if needs to, I'll get the seat shaved to reduce the height.
I some way, I have to thank the dealer for BSing me into thinking the bike can be lowered easily. The riding height had deterred me from buying the ST for over 2 years. Now I am committed to buy the bike and I am happy that I did. I am picking it on Wednesday night.
I know now that the ST does not use a dog bone. The shop who made the comment about customizing a dog bone had not seen the bike. They have done fantastic work on my cruisers before. They actually do more work on sports bike than cruiser. I have full confidence in their abilities to look after the ST for me in the future. I am looking forward to chatting with the forum members, once I have a few kilometers on the ST.
Kenny, ST460
I some way, I have to thank the dealer for BSing me into thinking the bike can be lowered easily. The riding height had deterred me from buying the ST for over 2 years. Now I am committed to buy the bike and I am happy that I did. I am picking it on Wednesday night.
I know now that the ST does not use a dog bone. The shop who made the comment about customizing a dog bone had not seen the bike. They have done fantastic work on my cruisers before. They actually do more work on sports bike than cruiser. I have full confidence in their abilities to look after the ST for me in the future. I am looking forward to chatting with the forum members, once I have a few kilometers on the ST.
Kenny, ST460
I think you'll be fine. I'm a couple inches shorter than you and have been riding the bike with luggage and a passenger for nearly 6k so far this trip. I do like the corbin seat, both because it lowers me and because it is heated, which allows us to ride on days that would otherwise be too cold. Some people give the corbin a bad rap but others, like me, are very satisfied.
You're getting a great bike, enjoy!
You're getting a great bike, enjoy!
I'm just over 5'-6" with a 28" inseam and this has really been a challenge for me too. Here is what I've done:
1. I had Spencer to lower my seat and add the long distance gel core in it. This seems contradictory, but I put my seat height selector in the middle setting and force the seat to go into the lowest setting on the back tabs which gives the seat a little more tilt rearward. I don't understand the dynamics, but I can reach the ground better like this than I can with the front and rear both in the lowest setting. The Spencer seat mod was only like $100, so it's an inexpensive modification.
2. I cranked the preload on the shock down to as low as it will go and still be secure without the knob coming off. This allows the suspension sag to drop a lot when you sit on the bike which helps get you to the ground, but it be aware it also negatively affects the handling characteristics because the ride is really soft and mushy when cornering. If you do this, you have to remember to crank the preload back up when carrying a passenger. Hey, a free adjustment!
3. I got a nice pair of hiking boots to ride in because they have roughly a 1" thick sole that helps fill the gap from where the seat lowering and suspension adjustments fell short. While these may not have the "style" of a motorcycling boot or win you any points in a rider's fashion show, they're waterproof, have superior ankle protection, and can be worn casually when not riding.
While I wish I could put my feet feet flat on the ground, these adjustments have made it possible to where my heels are now only about 1/2" off the ground. It's not optimal, but it is much better than it was. When parking, I just make sure I park facing uphill which means some times I have to back into the parking place. I also pay close attention to where I stop my bike to make sure I don't stop where there's a low spot between the wheels beneath the seat. That's disaster. Whenever possible, I place my front wheel in the gutter when pulling out of parking lots which places a hump between my wheels and I can then flat foot the bike.
Good luck and hopefully these ideas will help.
1. I had Spencer to lower my seat and add the long distance gel core in it. This seems contradictory, but I put my seat height selector in the middle setting and force the seat to go into the lowest setting on the back tabs which gives the seat a little more tilt rearward. I don't understand the dynamics, but I can reach the ground better like this than I can with the front and rear both in the lowest setting. The Spencer seat mod was only like $100, so it's an inexpensive modification.
2. I cranked the preload on the shock down to as low as it will go and still be secure without the knob coming off. This allows the suspension sag to drop a lot when you sit on the bike which helps get you to the ground, but it be aware it also negatively affects the handling characteristics because the ride is really soft and mushy when cornering. If you do this, you have to remember to crank the preload back up when carrying a passenger. Hey, a free adjustment!
3. I got a nice pair of hiking boots to ride in because they have roughly a 1" thick sole that helps fill the gap from where the seat lowering and suspension adjustments fell short. While these may not have the "style" of a motorcycling boot or win you any points in a rider's fashion show, they're waterproof, have superior ankle protection, and can be worn casually when not riding.
While I wish I could put my feet feet flat on the ground, these adjustments have made it possible to where my heels are now only about 1/2" off the ground. It's not optimal, but it is much better than it was. When parking, I just make sure I park facing uphill which means some times I have to back into the parking place. I also pay close attention to where I stop my bike to make sure I don't stop where there's a low spot between the wheels beneath the seat. That's disaster. Whenever possible, I place my front wheel in the gutter when pulling out of parking lots which places a hump between my wheels and I can then flat foot the bike.
Good luck and hopefully these ideas will help.
Dewaine, thanks for the tips. I met someone who is of your stature yesterday riding a ST1300. He said he handled the bike just fine, that gave me a lot of confidence, since my inseam is a little longer. Time will tell, I definitely will post the number of times of dropping the bike.
Kenny
Kenny
Thanks I have made it to 64 so if I can make it for another 64 I will be happy I don't think I will but I would kinda like to see what the world would be like then LOL.............Thanks for the B/D wish