Low Suspension discussion

pjstingray

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I am a little confused and hope for some input. I am looking for an F650 for my 5ft wife and factory low ones seem quite rare. I thought about getting a standard one and having it lowered, but have received many comments that this is a bad idea as it will change the bike's geometry and ultimately it's handling.

So my first question is, please does anyone know what BMW do to their factory lowered bikes? I am guessing that the actual frame is different rather than the suspension,as they offer no aftermarket option.

Secondly, if the answer is that they do have a different frame, then is there an option that doesn't affect the bikes handling?
 
pjstingray said:
.. please does anyone know what BMW do to their factory lowered bikes?
Click to expand...

I cannot tell you for certain, but my understanding is that there is a shorter rear shock installed and forks pulled up in the clamps to give the lower ride height and hence no main stand.
If you cannot see one of these machines in the flesh (or get any sense out of BMW!) then I suggest you skim though OEM parts, look under rear suspension, and that will list any alternate part numbers and descriptions.
HTH.
Brian
 
I'm 5'2" & my understanding is that the factory lowered versions have a different (cut down) frame so everything has been balanced by BMW.
Compare the tech specs of the new F700 which can also be purchased factory lowered & standard.

I bought a standard F650GS twin with a standard seat which was then lowered (the dealer wouldn't swap it for a low BMW seat). Most of the time, I'm fine with the height but find the side-stand a PITA and can't lean the bike any further over to the right due to its top-heaviness and lack of leg length.
So now plan to get it lowered further by replacing the standard shock spring & fork springs with a shorter ones (Hyperpro). BMW will not do this work - I was told they can't recommend fitting non-BMW parts to lower the bike. However, people on here have been pleased with Hyperpro (search this thread).

NB: leg length (and confidence) is more important than height so until you find one to try out, how will you know what she'll be comfortable with.... :nenau
 
I own a 650 with a low seat and I also wear Daytona Ladystar boots which raise you up 1 inch. Much better solution than trying to lower the bike. My friend has the super low 650 and when we put the 2 bikes side by side you can see the difference. You can't have a centre stand on the super low version

Lilian
 
we have a factory lowered 650 and a normal 650 in the household. i'll have a look and see if i can see any difference in the rear shock numbers and measure the front forks as the lowered one is not pulled through.

wont be able to do this until the weekend though

we've fitted a oem centre stand to the lowered bike as well, slightly heavy to get on the stand but not too much of a problem and an add that i'm glad we did.
 
If only ...

... you were a subscriber I would have sent you a PM containing details of where (in West Devon) you could bring your wife and try one out :)

Shorter shocks and stanchions is the basic answer, along with a low seat if needed, which it is for my 5ft (claimed) wife :rolleyes:
 
oblertone said:
... you were a subscriber I would have sent you a PM containing details of where (in West Devon) you could bring your wife and try one out :)

Shorter shocks and stanchions is the basic answer, along with a low seat if needed, which it is for my 5ft (claimed) wife :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Thanks olbertone, but she has already tried one as a friend has a factory lowered and she loved it. Still tempted not to mess with geometry - I may be wrong, but I feel that if a bike has been developed to work with a specific setup it may not be a good idea to mess with it.
 
dippy said:
we have a factory lowered 650 and a normal 650 in the household. i'll have a look and see if i can see any difference in the rear shock numbers and measure the front forks as the lowered one is not pulled through.

wont be able to do this until the weekend though

we've fitted a oem centre stand to the lowered bike as well, slightly heavy to get on the stand but not too much of a problem and an add that i'm glad we did.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply I would be very interested to know - I am getting the idea that the height reduction is partially to with if not totally to do with the frame.
 
wknight said:
I own a 650 with a low seat and I also wear Daytona Ladystar boots which raise you up 1 inch. Much better solution than trying to lower the bike. My friend has the super low 650 and when we put the 2 bikes side by side you can see the difference. You can't have a centre stand on the super low version

Lilian
Click to expand...

Thanks Lilian - I have already ordered the boots for her - she tried our friends lowered bike with some heeled boots the same height and was happy with that.
 
Top tip ...

... if you do go down the factory lowered route; most ladies (and possibly gents) who need the low bike have correspondingly small hands & feet, which can make the stock controls a bit of a stretch. We changed to adjustable clutch, front brake & gear levers which makes reaching for the controls more intuitive leading to increased confidence. Good luck :thumb2

ps - I have a spare low seat if it's of any use at some point in the future.
 
Things have moved on a bit now - I have bought a standard F650 twin for my wife now, with the advantage of already having the low seat fitted. So now I am looking at doing the suspension mod. One thing that confuses me still is which way to go. On the BMW website they specify that the lowered bike is 25mm lower, however on measuring my friends factory lowered next to mine we find that his is actually 50mm lower. We have measured from the foot pegs to the ground, as this seemed the best way to ensure the bike was level (obviously measured both sides to clarify this).

My dilemma is, that if I go this route and buy the OEM lowered shock and it only achieves 25mm then the bike will still be too tall for her.

Incidentally, it also interesting that, in comparing the forks, they are identical and do not appear any shorter. BMW have told me that the factory lowered has a different damper rod, but this is not evident.

Any suggestions/thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as it seems contacting 2 different dealers and BMW Motorrad UK was a waste of time.
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but have you considered a lowering kit?
 
Looking at the BMW specs, lowering kits on the gs800 and 700, knock 30 and 25mm respectively off the seat height.

I thnk that the Hyperpro kit as sold by motorworks takes off a bit more, 30mm for the standard full height bike and a further whopping 45mm for the bikes that have been already lowered by BMW.

Does anyone have any experience of using the Hyperpro kit on a lowered GS800?

I'm looking for to change to a 7/800 and am looking for a seat height of not more than 820mm (not higher than my 90/6) and are wondering whether or not to go for a lowered 800 V a standard 700
 
pjstingray said:
Things have moved on a bit now - I have bought a standard F650 twin for my wife now, with the advantage of already having the low seat fitted. So now I am looking at doing the suspension mod. One thing that confuses me still is which way to go. On the BMW website they specify that the lowered bike is 25mm lower, however on measuring my friends factory lowered next to mine we find that his is actually 50mm lower. We have measured from the foot pegs to the ground, as this seemed the best way to ensure the bike was level (obviously measured both sides to clarify this).

My dilemma is, that if I go this route and buy the OEM lowered shock and it only achieves 25mm then the bike will still be too tall for her.

Incidentally, it also interesting that, in comparing the forks, they are identical and do not appear any shorter. BMW have told me that the factory lowered has a different damper rod, but this is not evident.

Any suggestions/thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as it seems contacting 2 different dealers and BMW Motorrad UK was a waste of time.
Click to expand...

Not sure why you're measuring from the footrests to the ground. BMW measure from the top of the seat to the ground hth.
 
I lowered my 2008 800GS with Hyperpro springs and went down 50mm.
Together with the low seat, and now a cut down Sargent seat, I got a seat height of about 800mm (that's 30 on the seat plus the springs).
I have since realised that for my height & weight, plus the way I ride it, that I went a tad too far :blast and am about to go back up 25mm.
If you are not yet sorted I will have a set of Hyperpro springs, plus centre and side stands for sale quite soon.
Shout if you are interested.
SuperTed
 
roadrider said:
Not sure why you're measuring from the footrests to the ground. BMW measure from the top of the seat to the ground hth.
Click to expand...

As they both have identical frames and seats it seemed the best way to ensure the bike was totally vertical (by checking both sides) therefore 50mm difference from the footrests to the ground = 50mm difference from the seat to the ground.
 
Stands for sale!

Hi interested in the stands when you decide to move them on.:thumb


SuperTed said:
I lowered my 2008 800GS with Hyperpro springs and went down 50mm.
Together with the low seat, and now a cut down Sargent seat, I got a seat height of about 800mm (that's 30 on the seat plus the springs).
I have since realised that for my height & weight, plus the way I ride it, that I went a tad too far :blast and am about to go back up 25mm.
If you are not yet sorted I will have a set of Hyperpro springs, plus centre and side stands for sale quite soon.
Shout if you are interested.
SuperTed
Click to expand...
 
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