Dropping Your Forks

[supersport]

Howdy- Just bought a 2020 Tracer GT here in SE Idaho and am ready for the 600 mile oil change. Decided to change a few things after 600 miles of riding and from reading this forum, so ordered a Madstad screen and  Seat Concepts seat kit and installed a fender extender, radiator guard and bar risers.

I got the risers from MotoPumps and in the instructions he discusses allowing for cable slack and says it's common to drop the forks 10mm on these bikes and that it improves turn-in. Anyone here done that on their Tracer? I've done it with some of my other road bikes with positive results.

[TTR Ignition]

10mm is a big first step. It will improve turn-in, but it also reduces steering stability. As with any suspension adjustment, make small changes, test, and take lots of notes!

[betoney]

@supersport - The common adjustment is to LOWER the FRONT by RAISING the FORKS in the clamps.

I raised my forks in the clamps about 5-7mm and the front feels nicely planted. 

Do one side at a time, loosen the pinch bolts on the top and bottom triple clamps and using a back and forth wiggle motion, twist the forks upward until a few mm are showing above the top clamp.  Make sure the other side is even height.

[supersport]

Thank you. I'll start with 5mm to see how it feels.

[koth442]

I went down 5mm on my 2015. Your bike has a longer swing arm than mine. Not sure how that will affect your results, but I like the improvement. 

[texscottyd]

16 hours ago, supersport said:

Thank you. I'll start with 5mm to see how it feels.

Baby steps...  you'll be surprised how much of a difference even 5mm can make.  

Is there a specific concern you're trying to address, or is this more of a curiosity exercise?   Just my opinion, but if you haven't already, it's worth playing with preload settings to get you in a rough ballpark baseline before you start changing the physical geometry by moving the forks in the clamps.   If the bike is moving around a lot on the springs - especially if it's unbalanced front/rear - the geometry is constantly changing...   moving the forks is just another changing variable when you're trying to nail Jello to the wall.

[supersport]

More curious than anything. I heard it was a common thing to do on these bikes, but I wanted to ask in the forum. I know some bike models get more positive results from doing this than other models do. 5mm made a night-and-day difference to a 2002 Honda RC51 I once had.

Just got the bike and haven't even set the sag yet, but have been paying attention to how the suspension feels. I stiffened the rear preload a bit. You're right- I need a baseline. I think I'm gonna drop the yokes 5mm, put preload back to stock setting, set the sag and go from there.

[2and3cylinders]

If you do raise your forks, it may be a good idea to also then follow the procedure prescribed in the shop manual for aligning the forks after a wheel reinstall.  Instead of pumping the forks, I use a variation whereby I have the bike on front and rear lifts, loosen the axle, lower triple tree clamps, and axle clamp, then spin the wheel / tire as fast as possible then gently but quickly / firmly grab the front brake.  The wheel will stops hard and "shocks" the entire front end into alignment.  I do this 3 or 4 times then tighten things up per the manual.

BTW, I tried raising the forks 6 mm before and after revalving and springing them along with installing a K-Tech Razor R on my fastest Red 15 but went back down to 0, as with "proper" tuning turn-in is then, for me, fast enough.  Front and rear tire profile, construction and pressure also have a major impact on turn-in.

[supersport]

And that's why I joined the forum. Thanks, 2/3.

[2and3cylinders]

You're more than welcome.  You're in a beautiful part of ID, I'm jealous. Are you in the High Country?

[supersport]

Yes, sort of in the high country. I moved here from Madison WI after retiring last year. I'm at 5600 feet and it's a 25 minute ride to town (Pocatello) on the twistiest road ever. I hope to spend the rest of my time exploring around here. I also have a DR650 that gets me camping to some out-of-the-way places.

My friends are all in the Midwest and they sure get lots of snow up here (we used a plow truck and front-end loader for the 300" we got last winter) and it snowed three times in June, but the view from the house never gets old. Non-Chicago Illinois visitors are always welcome.

 

 

[2and3cylinders]

I see you can do day loops to Grand Teton NP and even Yellowstone, and of course Craters of the Moon.  I'm not sure with my spine, shoulder and elbow issues I could handle 300" of snow.  The only selfishly good thing about global warming is that winters here have become a lot easier.  Madison is a nice town, my youngest just graduated from the UW vet school but had to move to Manhattan NYC when she was matched to the ASPCA for her internship.  What a shock in lifestyle. What's up with the Chicago dig?  Not that I was raised in the City (I'm a farm boy) but for big cities it's probably the friendliest and cleanest per capita.  We too however can't understand or at least believe there isn't a better way to reduce the cycle of violence. 

Enjoy your GT!