I’ve owned my RSVR for almost a year and have tried loads of things to lower it so I can get my feet on the ground. The stock height (on paper) is 810mm but they’re actually 830mm when you measure them in the shop. For someone who’s only 5’4” this meant I couldn’t physically ride the bike at its stock height. The first time I sat on the bike, I did just that; I sat on it and my legs dangled into oblivion.
Of course the seat height on my bike wasn’t 830mm for long. We managed to lower it a whopping 20mm by winding the Sachs shock’s ride height right down, dropping the front forks through the triple clamp, and putting a (lower) Rider custom seat on it.
Even with an 810mm seat height I was still tippy-toeing on both sides. After almost a year of riding this way, I’d mastered sliding over to stop but still found stopping, starting, and maneuvering the bike a real challenge. We all know it’s difficult (read “almost impossible”) to move a tall bike whilst sitting on it, and it was interesting holding it up at intersections when the wind buffered me from both directions.
If I rode somewhere where I’d struggle to park the bike (such as a narrow parking lot that required a three-point turn), I’d park the bike and Cajun would turn it around for me and put it into a position so I could ride out again.
Anyway, that’s all in the past now! The trigger for lowering the bike wasn’t actually the height of it (we initially considered dog bones but couldn’t find anyone who sold them); instead, the trigger was the Sachs shock leaking oil. This left us with two options: buy another Sachs shock ($200 off Trade Me) and have someone make the dog bones or buy an Ohlins shock.
I’m not too keen on dog bones, and although my GSX-R1000 had them, I was too much of a pussy to notice the bike’s handling. Plus, if we went for the Ohlins it wouldn’t only fix the shock but it could lower the bike too.
I decided to bite the bullet and contact Robert Taylor to find out what would be possible. I’d dealt with Robert before when he refilled the oil in my Sachs shock, and the seal that started leaking was COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT of the part that Robert had fixed. Back to my enquiry, Robert advised there was an Ohlins for the RSVR (piggyback reservoir type with independent rebound and compression adjustment), which also has a length adjuster. The standard adjuster only allows it to go in a longer direction so Robert kindly offered to pre-shorten the shock to achieve the desired ride height.
All I can say about dealing with Robert is that it was an absolute pleasure and this man’s a legend. There were a couple of hiccups getting the right seat height and I was astounded by how he handled this with nothing other than utmost professionalism. I can think of several businesses that could learn from the customer service you provide so 10-out-of-10 for you Robert!
The shock arrived in Tauranga on Friday so we fitted it that evening. The seat height is down by a good inch, and unfortunately, I couldn’t ride the bike to test it because it was sitting bolt-upright on the side stand. A breath of wind almost could’ve blown it over. We took the RSVR to the workshop yesterday morning and cut roughly 1.5 inches out of the side stand. The bike leans over far more than it ever has, which is a good thing because I always had to lean it to the right to flick the stand up. It now clears the ground nicely.
With the stand sorted, I could actually take the bike for a spin and test the new shock. It’s a miracle – I now have the balls of both feet planted firmly on the ground! You’re probably thinking “so what, that’s bugger all”, but I’m comfortable with that and it gives me the control I need. Plus, I rode my VTR and GSX-R1000 like that for years without ever dropping them.
I’m stoked I spent the money on the Ohlins (the price is not for the faint-hearted or poor) and the bike definitely handles better because of it. Mind you, what did I expect with a full Ohlins kit? (The bike already had the Ohlins front and steering damper.)I thought the Sachs shock was superior to what I had on my GSX-R1000, but man, this Ohlins blows it out of the water and the whole bike just feels so firmly planted on the road. Today’s ride was a bit wet so I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to test it in fine weather.
Moral of the story: Don’t buy a bike that “fits”, buy the bike you want and make it fit!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by MotoGirl
I'm thankful that I've been financially able to chop and change things to make them suit. It'd be terrible to be stuck with a bike when I couldn't afford to modify it.
Bookmarks