How Low Can You Go?

In the tradition of dirt bikes, this dual-sport enduro is plenty tall. Honda specs the seat height at 34.6", but it sure seems higher than that. (I think I have a 29" inseam.) Even just trying to keep ONE foot partially on the ground and the other on the bike is pretty impossible. But I bought the bike with a game plan :)

I wasted no time in working on the first part of the plan. I had done some research on just how much I can cut down on the seat. The bike came with a fancy expensive Seat Concepts premium comfort saddle, but I didn't mind shaving it down. I bought an electric turkey carving knife from Walmart and went to town on that seat. I took my time and was deliberate about my measurements and my cuts. The hardest part was getting the staples to stick back in the seat to hold the cover back on. Some areas took 4-5 tries, but I got it in the end. The entire project probably took about 3 hours with the going back and forth to the bike to try it out and all. I effectively cut just over an inch off the seat.

Part two of my lowering strategy- working with the suspension. I have looked at all the different options of how to lower that rear shock. Most popular are the lowering bones (because they're cheap), but they tend to change the leverage on the spring, therefore making it feel softer. Also some report that it enables the rear tire to bind into the fender, if taking a hard hit. The best option is probably purchasing a whole new shock that can be custom built "shorter", but the cost is anywhere from $600-$900. Yikes! The third alternative is to drill a different mounting hole in the shock bracket, therefore lowering the bike. Simple. This solution does not alter the characteristics of the shock or spring. And this mod is completely reversible! I just popped the bike on my stand, removed the rear shock, drilled the two holes (one on each side, so the bolt can go through). No need to remove any panels! The whole project only took just over an hour. This lowered the bike another 1.5"! I reciprocated with the forks by raising them 18mm in the triple clamps. This only changed the head angle from 27.5° to 27.0° a very nominal change!

Between the seat and the rear shock mod, I reduced the seat height by over 3"! Now, I can sit pretty comfortably on the bike with one foot almost fully flat on the ground or two toes on the ground! I'm not looking to flat-foot both sides (that would be utterly ridiculous!), so this is going to work out just fine for me!