My wife is short. Her 2009 TW is too tall for her to reach the ground comfortably (I too am short but at 5"8" I easily flat-foot my 2008 TW). I would like to reduce the seat height on her 2009 such that she can place both feet firmly on the ground while on a level surface. She needs at least 2 inches of height reduction. One thought that I've had is to simply remove foam from the seat. I am looking for any thoughts or direction on this issue. Thank you, Brad
My wife is short also. I put a VStar 1100 rear shock in and pushed the forks up a 1.5" and she loves the bike.I got all the info from this sight. Good luck
You can drill a second set of shock mount holes lower in the swingarm and keep the stock shock.. Search the old forum for pics. It's fairly easy to go overboard with this, so check the forum for hole placement first.
TW seats suck already. lol. She might hate you if you shave it.
My wife is short also. I put a VStar 1100 rear shock in and pushed the forks up a 1.5" and she loves the bike.I got all the info from this sight. Good luck
Loosen the bolts on the triple trees and slide the forks up in the trees, then clamp the bolts down. This lowers the front of the bike to match the drop from the shorter shock in the back.
Loosen the bolts on the triple trees and slide the forks up in the trees, then clamp the bolts down. This lowers the front of the bike to match the drop from the shorter shock in the back.
So be sure to do a before and after measurement of the rear from the center of the axle to a reference point like the bottom edge of the seat so you'll know how much to lower the front.
So be sure to do a before and after measurement of the rear from the center of the axle to a reference point like the bottom edge of the seat so you'll know how much to lower the front.
Easy enough. Thanks for the advice. Looks like I can drill about 3/4" on the shock mount ... this will lower the seat by 2-3 inches??? Then, I'll lower the front by a similar amount.
My wife is short. Her 2009 TW is too tall for her to reach the ground comfortably (I too am short but at 5"8" I easily flat-foot my 2008 TW). I would like to reduce the seat height on her 2009 such that she can place both feet firmly on the ground while on a level surface. She needs at least 2 inches of height reduction. One thought that I've had is to simply remove foam from the seat. I am looking for any thoughts or direction on this issue. Thank you, Brad
I'd like to drill the holes in the swingarm and lower the rear shock to lower the seat height for my wife but I can't find any old posts with pictures or any details. Can anyone help me with this?
My local shop did this. Since I'm short, I got it dropped two inches. They drilled a hole by the shock, and then chocked up the handlebars. Best thing I've done. I'm a hell of lot more confident, and Im now flat footed. It made the bike for me much more enjoyable and just all in all very happy, plus hey its safer.
I installed a rear shock from a Vstar 1000 (1100?) from ebay (around $50). I'm 5'3" and can comfortably touch the ground but can't plant both feet flat. It's also the least permanent of these options. Also, I didn't lower the front and have not had any issues with handling.
Justin, how far is the new hole in the swingarm rear shock mount from the old hole. Like an inch down? Can you take a pictuce and post it. I would really appreciate it.
Tickboy, So the Vstar 1100 rear shock will bolt right in tight with no mods needed?? I see 2 for sale on e-bay for $50 each. I can't believe they sell for that cheap. There not new are they?
Justin, how far is the new hole in the swingarm rear shock mount from the old hole. Like an inch down? Can you take a pictuce and post it. I would really appreciate it.
Tickboy, So the Vstar 1100 rear shock will bolt right in tight with no mods needed?? I see 2 for sale on e-bay for $50 each. I can't believe they sell for that cheap. There not new are they?
The vstar upper shock bolt is the same size as stock and the mount fits perfectly. The lower vstar shock bolt is also the same size but the mount is more narrow than on the stock shock so I added a pair of custom made washers made from delrin. You could also use a few plain washers. This just prevents any excessive lateral movement of the shock on the lower bolt.
You may have to adjust the preload on the shock. I found that big bumps would make the tire hit the underside of the seat (I weigh about 180lbs). Tightening the preload adjustment (compressing the spring) made for a stiffer ride but eliminated that problem.
I paid around $50.00 for a used, serviceable, shock.
I installed a rear shock from a Vstar 1000 (1100?) from ebay (around $50). I'm 5'3" and can comfortably touch the ground but can't plant both feet flat. It's also the least permanent of these options. Also, I didn't lower the front and have not had any issues with handling.
sure I'll take some pictures today and post them. I'm 5'3 and I really suggest if you can afford it to do what I did. I used to ride a Honda CRF 100 . That bike was very easy for me to throw around due its height. With the lowering, I'm not almost flat footed. Coming to stops at red lights and trailriding is so much more improved and confidence in much more now.
sure I'll take some pictures today and post them. I'm 5'3 and I really suggest if you can afford it to do what I did. I used to ride a Honda CRF 100 . That bike was very easy for me to throw around due its height. With the lowering, I'm not almost flat footed. Coming to stops at red lights and trailriding is so much more improved and confidence in much more now.
Please excuse the dirt, I had gone trail riding yesterday and hadn't cleaned the bike yet. You see the drilled hole, then the front bars are lowered as well.
My wife is short. Her 2009 TW is too tall for her to reach the ground comfortably (I too am short but at 5"8" I easily flat-foot my 2008 TW). I would like to reduce the seat height on her 2009 such that she can place both feet firmly on the ground while on a level surface. She needs at least 2 inches of height reduction. One thought that I've had is to simply remove foam from the seat. I am looking for any thoughts or direction on this issue. Thank you, Brad
I am 5ft, 2.5in tall, without my boots. My 2009 TW has the lowest seat height of any bike I've ridden, all of my bikes before it had much higher seats. My solution, instead of trying to modify my bikes, was to get Daytona "Lady Star" motorcycle boots. They add up to an entire inch of height to my legs, right where I need it. http://www.helimot.com/shopexd.asp?id=73
Good boots, worth the expensive price even without the added height.
Unless your wife plans to never ride any other bike besides her own TW, added height to her boots and her getting used to not being able to put her whole foot down flat is likely to serve her better in the long run. As someone else on this thread said, any boots can have height added to them by a good shoemaker. It might be worth a try before investing in anything expensive or doing serious modifications to the bike.
My wife is 5 feet even. I did the shock replacement with the the VStar 1100 shock. Cost me $40.00 delivered on Ebay. It was easy to replace - I used 2 M12 metric washers on the bottom mount to take up the play, otherwise it fit right in. I also cut the seat foam to lower the seat.
The seat height is now 28 inches. She is solidly on the balls of her feet, but not quite flat foot. Very happy with the results.
Does anyone know if you can saw off the nipple on the exhaust? Does it serve a purpose or is it just a leftover from 1980's styling? I'm just looking for a cleaner and slightly more modern look.
I love this damn bike! I’d like to be a little more stealthy as I live in Montana and there’s lots to see if you’re quiet enough. What’s your best ideas/solutions for a replacement exhaust system that gives me the best muffled noise reduction I can find. Here’s a pic of my playground this...
Hi,
So it seems everyone likes the Shinko 241 on the front.
Unfortunately I don't think we can get them over here in the UK. :(
So I was wondering what other options there are in the UK for something a little more off road bias than my current Bridgestone TW203.
Nothing extreme that will be...
I extended my swing arm 14 inches, but haven't ridden it yet. Does anyone have any experience with this much extension? What will I have to change on the rear shock? Thanks
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