Lower the Vmax

[santhyago]

How can I lower Vmax? Is there a kit for this? Or could I just adjust the suspension to lower the bike by 3 or 4 cm?

 

[MaxMidnight]

The rear ride height is fixed by the length of the shock absorbers although reducing the pre-load might allow it to settle down a bit more.
You will need shorter shocks for the rear.
Front can be lowered by dropping the forks through the yokes of by installing lowering blocks. Note that if you just drop the front you will reduce the castor effect and the steering will be more sensitive to input.
Additionally you should note:

• If you drop the front too much it is possible for the mudguard to contact the radiator under heavy braking.
• Getting it onto the centre stand will require Herculean effort.
• Ground clearance will be reduced.
• Degree of lean will be reduced.

 

[santhyago]

The rear ride height is fixed by the length of the shock absorbers although reducing the pre-load might allow it to settle down a bit more.
You will need shorter shocks for the rear.
Front can be lowered by dropping the forks through the yokes of by installing lowering blocks. Note that if you just drop the front you will reduce the castor effect and the steering will be more sensitive to input.
Additionally you should note:

• If you drop the front too much it is possible for the mudguard to contact the radiator under heavy braking.
• Getting it onto the centre stand will require Herculean effort.
• Ground clearance will be reduced.
• Degree of lean will be reduced.

Thanks, Max, I'll try it.

 

[ouchez]

The rear ride height is fixed by the length of the shock absorbers although reducing the pre-load might allow it to settle down a bit more.
You will need shorter shocks for the rear.
Front can be lowered by dropping the forks through the yokes of by installing lowering blocks. Note that if you just drop the front you will reduce the castor effect and the steering will be more sensitive to input.
Additionally you should note:

• If you drop the front too much it is possible for the mudguard to contact the radiator under heavy braking.
• Getting it onto the centre stand will require Herculean effort.
• Ground clearance will be reduced.
• Degree of lean will be reduced.

Send your seat to Morley, he can redo it nicely and drop it by an inch or more with better comfort.

 

[santhyago]

Send your seat to Morley, he can redo it nicely and drop it by an inch or more with better comfort.

I'm in Brazil. It's impracticable to send my Vmax seat to him. Sadly.
However... What is he going to do with the seat? Will it need to remove some part of the plastic or just the foam?

 

[MaxMidnight]

You would remove some of the foam padding but that will have three consequences.
i) Less foam = less support for your backside which may affect how far you can ride before needing to restore blood circulation. You may be able to mitigate this somewhat with a gel insert.
ii) The original cover won't fit properly although you may be able to correct this when re-fitting.
iii) Smaller distance between seat base and footrest will require more bend of the knees which, for some, could be an issue.

 

[Parminio]

Degree of lean will be reduced.

And that's the killer, right there.

I can see lowering a bike if it's going to be a dedicated drag bike, but why on earth anybody would lower a street bike is beyond me. It absolutely guts your handling.

Situations that were iffy at stock height become a death sentence.

 

[Davelaf]

So, the stock shocks are 13? Inches. So to lower bike, get some stiffer 12s, or I'm 170 lbs. I would think normal stiffness would be ok. 11" ??.
How about doing it old school and either cut or heat up the spring on factory shocks.
I'm going to rebuild front forks soon, any tips ahead of time. The kit I got doesn't have a lot of parts, seals and I can't remember or find it right now, else.

 

[Fire-medic]

Anything in the rear measuring less-than 11.5" O.C. eye-to-eye will have you dragging the bike in even moderate turns. Even that 11.5" measurement will find you scraping. You could end-up grounding the bike parts so-much that the rear wheel loses pavement contact, and down you go!

Rear-end changes are usually available in one-half inch increments, so, OEM/13", 12.5", 12", 11.5".

The Progressive Suspension front spring kits have a couple options for lowering the front of the bike. A rule of thumb is to reduce the bike by the same amount at the front and the rear to maintain handling. The length of the fork pre-load has something to do with the bike's front end, and a bit of experimentation with pre-load lengths can match your riding style to the pre-load. Race-Tech Suspension has many choices for the front-end fork springs, and you can tailor the fork springs to your ready-to-ride weight, riding one or two-up, and your riding style.
https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/race-tech-yamaha-vmx1200-v-max-93-07-fork-springs/

https://racetech.com/hi-performance-springs/

The Race-Tech Gold Valves make the front end damping superior to the OEM damping rods, and if I was modding a VMax, they would definitely be part of the process, along with fork springs. A wave-washer stack replaces the function of the damping rods, greatly increasing compliance and feel.
https://racetech.com/product-search/#14

I don't know what year or downtube/slider size you have. 1985-1992 is 40mm while 1993-2007 is 43mm.

 

[Davelaf]

So, the stock shocks are 13? Inches. So to lower bike, get some stiffer 12s, or I'm 170 lbs. I would think normal stiffness would be ok. 11" ??.
How about doing it old school and either cut or heat up the spring on factory shocks.
I'm going to rebuild front forks soon, any tips ahead of time. The kit I got doesn't have a lot of parts, seals and I can't remember or find it right now, else.

So, the stock shocks are 13? Inches. So to lower bike, get some stiffer 12s, or I'm 170 lbs. I would think normal stiffness would be ok. 11" ??.
How about doing it old school and either cut or heat up the spring on factory shocks.
I'm going to rebuild front forks soon, any tips ahead of time. The kit I got doesn't have a lot of parts, seals and I can't remember or find it right now, else.

Yeah I kinda figured that.lookefd at kit, just four seals in it. Bike only has 15k on it, but forks took a hit when rammed into curb by car. Surprised front end was ok, or at least looks and
feels ok. Those seals should fix leaks and spongey front?

 

[Fire-medic]

Look at the fork stops, I've seen them snapped off from a front end accident.

 

[MaxMidnight]

Yeah I kinda figured that.lookefd at kit, just four seals in it. Bike only has 15k on it, but forks took a hit when rammed into curb by car. Surprised front end was ok, or at least looks and
feels ok. Those seals should fix leaks and spongey front?

Short answer - no.
If it has the OE front springs and damping then at best the performance of the suspension is average.
If you want something that can perform better than most riders can take advantage of then re-read the advice from Mr Medic in post #9.

Also consider the Racetech single rate springs that can be matched to your weight and IMO is less of a compromise than with progressively wound springs.
Mr M mentions preload and it is this which will alter the static sag. Getting this right will ensure that you are getting the best performance from your front end.
You should aim for something between 25 to 30 mm depending on how firm you like the ride.

If you still want to lower the bike then re-read #2

 

[TnVmax]

Am I missing something? This lowering post is in the Gen-2 section.
IF you have a Gen-2, then a lowering link is all you need for the rear, and sllde the front forks up in the triple tree.
I have very short legs, and the Gen-2 stands taller than the Gen-1, and it's also wider making it more difficult to touch the ground.
So, I had to lower mine using this method. (I can't remember if I chose the 1" or 2" kit). But, if you have the 240 wide rear wheel kit, the 2" lowering link will require alot of under fender cutting/modification.
The best method used to be the Yamaha "Y" lowering kit, which included a new rear shock but it is unobtanium now.