Lowered spyder

[tweeder]

Is there any way to lower the rear of the spyder? I like the looks of Crucifieds, or is it the solid colour that makes his look lower? I know that he has air ride.
I don't want to spend that kinda money. I was thinking of a shorter shock and hopefully I don't bottom out on the tire.

[RoadHammer]

a softer spring rate or shorter shock will lower it a bit. but i doubt you can slam it like an air ride and still have it rideable without some adjustability factor that an air ride can provide.

[BillGargan]

I recommend that you consider the risks . . .

Whenever you change the geometry of a vehicle you are changing how it responds to the dynamics of motion -- including how the steering responds and how it responds to dynamic road changes, i.e. bumps and the like.

I am not an engineer. You may be. But, I doubt you have the skills, knowledge and evaluative tools to make this type of change safely.

You have lots of other ways to fuss with the Spyder -- like changing the shocks, shock rates, spring adjustments, etc. Those appear to me to be safe changes! Stick to something safe in an inherently unsafe situation.

Caveat emptor . . .

[bone crusher]

Is there any way to lower the rear of the spyder? I like the looks of Crucifieds, or is it the solid colour that makes his look lower? I know that he has air ride.
I don't want to spend that kinda money. I was thinking of a shorter shock and hopefully I don't bottom out on the tire.

Why risk safety of any kind for a certain look?

[SSG Bean]

I think you could use the air ride system to achieve the look you are after while the spyder is parked, and pump it back up to a suitable ride height while moving. You would certainly need a guage to get it to the same ride condition everytime, but it is doable. PM crucified and search his threads to find the details.

You should be able to have the looks, with a reasonable degree of safety. A small amount of lowering during ride conditions probably wouldn't make it incredibly unsafe. If you adjusted the belt tension to the ride height, it would be ok, and the only other issue would be to make sure the tire would not rub the underside of the rear end. I would think a lower center of gravity would make it slightly safer, but I'm sure the safety police will chime in with their opinions.

[2333]

Kewlmetal has an air ride system for the Spyder, but it is like 1200 bucks.

[bone crusher]

I think you could use the air ride system to achieve the look you are after while the spyder is parked, and pump it back up to a suitable ride height while moving. You would certainly need a guage to get it to the same ride condition everytime, but it is doable. PM crucified and search his threads to find the details.

You should be able to have the looks, with a reasonable degree of safety. A small amount of lowering during ride conditions probably wouldn't make it incredibly unsafe. If you adjusted the belt tension to the ride height, it would be ok, and the only other issue would be to make sure the tire would not rub the underside of the rear end. I would think a lower center of gravity would make it slightly safer, but I'm sure the safety police will chime in with their opinions.

That's some work for a bit of an aesthetic change...

As far as lowering your center of gravity, this is an aid when dealing with SUVs, which tend to have quite a high one (remember the Explorers when people were blaming the tires...that was only part of the problem...loading a SUV to its max raises its center of gravity, it doesn't lower it...this makes the vehicle more likely to roll!)...in regards to a motorcycle, it likely doesn't do much except make going over speed bumps a real hassle and potential danger to the structure of the bike.

[SSG Bean]

That's some work for a bit of an aesthetic change...

As far as lowering your center of gravity, this is an aid when dealing with SUVs, which tend to have quite a high one (remember the Explorers when people were blaming the tires...that was only part of the problem...loading a SUV to its max raises its center of gravity, it doesn't lower it...this makes the vehicle more likely to roll!)...in regards to a motorcycle, it likely doesn't do much except make going over speed bumps a real hassle and potential danger to the structure of the bike.

I agree totally when talking about a motorcycle that leans in the corners. The spyder, however, keeps the same height and gravity center while cornering. Ask anyone that's lifted a wheel and had the nanny kick in while turning, and I think they'd agree with my assessment. Is he going to gain much by lowering this thing by an inch or two? Probably not. But my statement is still correct. There is potential for slight performance gain by lowering the center of gravity.

[tweeder]

I know of the problem with the belt tension of the air ride, and thats what I wanted to avoid. With the air ride its all the way up or down. If you have it in the middle and set up the belt tension and you change it slightly or have an air leak then the belt tension changes with it. Thats why a shorter rear shock will give it the lower stance and lower center of gravity. I don't think lowering it would do any harm as long as I don't mickey mouse it hence the shorter shock. As for the handling, I would have to learn the handling of it all over again as I had to when it was new.

[Roger]

This is what i can share through my experience with the kewlmetal shock.
First off i can lower the shock all the way down and it will not hit the tire.
Now i did have my front shocks set at the stiffest setting so i back them down 2 notches this made a big difference as far as comfort. Having the air shock down is not very comfy but does look cool. i know some people are having a hard time finding the right adjustment on the shock and i can usually find where it works for me. This is my set up and the one recommended by kewlmetal raise the shock all the way up then hit the back pressure release for 2 seconds test the seat if it is still to stiff hit the button again for another second keep doing this and you should find something useable. :doorag:

[tweeder]

This is what i can share through my experience with the kewlmetal shock.
First off i can lower the shock all the way down and it will not hit the tire.
Now i did have my front shocks set at the stiffest setting so i back them down 2 notches this made a big difference as far as comfort. Having the air shock down is not very comfy but does look cool. i know some people are having a hard time finding the right adjustment on the shock and i can usually find where it works for me. This is my set up and the one recommended by kewlmetal raise the shock all the way up then hit the back pressure release for 2 seconds test the seat if it is still to stiff hit the button again for another second keep doing this and you should find something useable. :doorag:

Yeah but your belt tension varies with the pendulum effect of the swing arm.