I want to start off by saying that I am average height (5’ 10”) but I am inseam challenged (29”). I am an engineer and am guilty of over analyzing just about everything I do. This winter I discovered the Strada and fell in love with it. A few weeks ago I went to our dealer and was able to take a test ride. I liked everything about the bike except for the seat height. I had to tippy toe and would not have been comfortable riding it this way. Not to be deterred, I set out to see what I could do to make this bike fit me. After several leads that didn’t pan out I found a website called KoubaLink.com. They manufacture lowering links for allot of products, but what caught my eye were two listings for the Husky TR650. They have a model that lowers the rear by 1.00 inch (HL650-1) and another that lowers the rear by 1.75 inch (HL650-2). From looking at the photos it appeared that I could slide the fork tubes up through the triple clamps and be home free. I had layed out the suspension in CAD and had calculated how much the forks would have to move for different lowering options. To keep the bike level, the forks would have to be raised 1.947 inches to work with the 1.75 inch lowering link. Baseline 1.00" Drop 1.75" Drop · I test rode the bike on Monday. · Researched the lowering options Tuesday – Wednesday. · Sold the idea to the better half on Thursday. · Ordered the 1.75 KoubaLink on Friday. · Bought the bike on Saturday. After I got the bike home I discovered that the way the fork tubes are machined, the forks could only be raised about 1.19 inches. TIME OUT! Unless my calculations are wrong, the 1.75 inch link was not going to be useable if I wanted the bike to be lowered equally front and rear. The people at KoubaLink were great and allowed be to exchange my -2 link for the -1 link. All of the new parts arrived last week and I was able to spend Saturday morning getting them installed. The link was easy and if you follow their instructions, it should only take about fifteen minutes to swap out the parts. Factory Link KoubaLink I had already planned on replacing the handlebars knowing that the bars would prevent the tubes from being raised as much as I needed. The game plan involved using clip-ons mounted on top of the triple clamp. The nicest ones I found are made by Apex and are available in 54mm. These bars offer the maximum amount of flexibility and the quality of workmanship is first class. I tend to be more of a sport rider and these let me get the feel I was looking for. Apex 3” Riser Clip-Ons Fork tubes raised to their MAX (1.190) Here’s the bike with the mods performed. I can now straddle the bike and have the balls of my feet securely on the ground. Total cost for the conversion, $360. The comfort/confidence it brings to me, priceless…
Nice job. Just because this was bothering me more everytime I saw it though...The diagrams are not 100% correct. The wheelbase will not remain constant from stock to the lowered height. As the forks raise up, the front wheel also goes rear ward in relation to the original position (to maintain the 26 degrees, when you remove from the hypotenuse, both sides a and b will decrease). The rear goes slightly rearward as it follows the arc from the swing arm pivot, but not as noticeable as the forks. So, the bike might maintain it's a level stance, but the wheel base will be shorter, so handling will be more crisp, and it will probably get nervous at higher speeds. So, if things seem a bit squirrelly, you can try dropping the forks a bit to dial it in.
Thanks for the kind words. msmith345 You are correct. The wheel base is shortened .488 for the amount I raised the forks. The details are in the yellow balloons on each drawing.
I did this last night and it felt fine on the ride in today. I did set the fork at 1" to the bottom of the cap with the 1" links in back.
Jughead this is close to the thread I was thinking of starting for people who want to ride their STRADA ( means street or road) on the road like me. The best way to drop the front , I feel, is to shorten the front suspension travel. Even rough tarmac roads don't need 190mm of travel. Also that much travel on the road makes the bike pitch under braking/accelleration. I have dropped the front end 50mm by making a couple of aluminium spacers for the forks that go between the top out spring and the underside of the cartridge top. Not quite that simple but not all that difficult either. And I was TRYING to steepen the front end as I dislike the tendency of the Strada to run wide on tight corners because of the oversize ( for a road bike) front wheel and the slack head angle. I haven't got my Kouba link yet but shortened it to see what it would be like. It is a revelation. The bike is MUCH more planted but turns way better. I like it so much I am now worried the lowering link will slop it up again. If anybody wants I can post pics of the fork breakdown and spacer insertion. I should point out here that I am an ex road racer and like harder turning bikes. 17" wheel would help heaps as well but that's another story.
Even if noone wants, I still think you should post the pics. The person who really wants to see those pics might not join this forum for a decade.
OK bad news. The pics have all been deleted. Copy pasted and deleted...wrong ones...doh. And my recycle bin is skagged and needs a fix so cannot recover them. I will take some more when I make the new spring retainer/preload pieces. I will describe the process now and post some pics later. I am writing up the process now and will try and get some basic pics for it. BTW I would really appreciate if you could draw up the resulting geometry for the 50mm lowered front, and a 50mm lowered front with a 45mm lower rear.
Greg, The dimensions you asked about are almost exactly what is shown in the drawing labeled "1.75 Drop". 50mm = 1.968" (drawing is 1.947") 45mm = 1.771" (drawing is 1.750") Your wheel base is going to be shortened by approximately .854". I had done the math on the increase in wheel base caused by the lowering of the rear (as the swing arm rotates counter clockwise the wheel base actually gets longer by about .035" until the swing arm passes over the centerline of the pivot).
What I am interested in is the effective head angle with only the front dropped most of all. I works really well and i would like to try and get back to it after dropping the rear. The bars look excellent. I am running my F800R alloy bars off the BMW and they are very nice. I prefer their feel to the stock ones and the Carbon ones I tried. For this bike on the road , the narrower is definitely better IMHO
lol your being hypercritical, i made a lowering link 10mm longer than stock cnc machinest there is a thread about it here somwhere, i didnt nitice any difference with the rake angle of the front end when i had the link on. what i did notice is the shock is now at a more leaverable angle so you need to reset sag and damper, unless you like it supple. nice write up at first i thought you were going to fabricate one seeing as your an engineer. glad you wernt put off by the height of the bike in the first place
Juicypips, In my younger days I was a machinist/model-maker and had access to about every machine shop tool you could imagine (remember punched paper tapes for NC equipment?). Back then I was able to fab about anything I wanted. Those days are gone and I dearly miss them. Back in '81 I bought a BMW R80/GS and turned it into a sport bike. I still have it and hope to get it back on the road soon. Here's a link to the parts I made during the conversion. http://s1249.photobucket.com/user/mhthrift/slideshow/Bikes/R80GS
http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/cnc-lowering-link-wr-360.29276/ thats the link i had made, i ment no harm. nice beemer isnt thst the one where you rev it and it feels like the bikes moving to the side? i would definatly be on my ass riding that, filing through traffic i can see those cylinders keeping your feet warm tho
Nice work juicypips! I have only just bought my first milling/lathe and haven't used a milling machine yet so keen to try. Already ordered my Kouba though. I also am lowering/roadifying a drz400sm for my very short girlfriend and want to lower AND reduce the rear travel so may have to redesign the knuckle so I can use the std spring . I is very soft std and she is 85kg.
