Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Lowering quick Q

I've tried searching the forum but haven't found what I was looking for.

I want to lower my bike !", front and rear. Is it possible to lower the front 1" by cutting down the spacer 1"? The spacer is pretty long, and I reckon that cutting a little bit doesn't completely ruin the preload, or am I way off?

Hoping I don't need to buy the lowering kit, 'cause I don't want the wrench that much in case I don't want it lowered after a while.

For a quick fix you could just slide the forks up in the clamp like the sport bike kids do. You can get maybe 3/4" or so before you get too close to the handlebars but that ought to let you know if the lowering idea is working for you. Gonna have to buy some shorter shocks, tho, since StreetBoogie quit making his lowering blocks.

Yeah, but lowering the front is another beast than lowering the rear. I've read posts here that says that progressive 11.5" lowers the rear close to 2", that's why I've been looking at the 12", only 0.5 lower than stock. So I feel that rear is easy enough, the front not so much.

I cut the spacers and it made the front end too soft and bottomed very easy. I actually made shorter spacers and then put the stock ones back in. I think sliding the fork tubes up in the trees is a good way to see if that is what you want. I think it looks cheesy though and if you wanted to keep it that way get the lowering kit.

Thanks guys.

Oldroadie: I asked Fast Eddy about the drop in kit some days ago and progressive told him (Ed) that they didn't fit our bikes. Hope they do make them for Triumph soon...

Both bikes use 41mm fork tubes so it's probably just a matter of winding the shorter main springs to suit our lighter machines. I'd be willing to bet that the lowering spring would work just fine on one of our stock springs that was cut 1" but obtaining that spring is another matter altogether.

I'm with you roadie.i've lowered way to many cars, to not say this. Cut the spring 1" reinstall it. And it should all work very nicely, if it isn't your "cup of tea" Stock springs seem to be in abundance.Any altercation to stock, suspension will change the dynamics of the factorys plan for these bikes ,and their ride qualities. But like they always told me:just depends on how good you wanna look goin down the street!!

No Bob, you misunderstand, Ed meant to install the lowering spring at the bottom then cut the stock spring.If you just cut the spring you will make the front end too soft.

Yep, I meant to say: install their compensator spring (but at the top where it goes in the regular "new" kit) on a cut regular spring. Because I'm guessing the shorter Progressive main spring is the issue with the kit and not the compensator. That said, I've been wrong before and the compensator spring might be the issue and not the shorter main spring. I think it's worth asking Progressive to get a real answer...

Compensator spring.....that is the real short one in the bike bandit schematic....right????????

Not at all. In the new "drop in" lowering kit from Progressive there are two springs per fork; one for suspension and the other to lower the bike. The difference is that you don't have to disassemble the fork and place the second spring under the rebound damper to shorten the tube's effective length. It's a trick installation idea to put a softer spring under the preload tube to lower the bike without making the suspension too soft or mushy. Check it out: http://www.progressivesuspension.com/dropin/index.html

For what it's worth, I will soon have a set of good condition Progressive 412's for sale. I'm on the road on business right now, so I can't check, but I believe they are 11.5 inches. I know the front is lowered, more so than some other bikes (2" maybe?) and I hate it. Even the dealer warned me that the bike is unsafe. So she will soon be returned to stock height with Hagon Nitros and Intiminator up front.
The Progressives will probably go on sale in late May.

When I posted I was under the impression that the 2nd spring still went under the dampener, I had no idea they changed the kit.