Re: Lowering R1100R

[plpklt@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: Lowering R1100R


In a message dated 5/22/06 7:17:27 PM Eastern  Standard Time, 
Toby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
My wife is thinking about  replacing her '78 R80 airhead with something a 
more powerful and  reliable.  The problem is that she is "inseam 
challenged" and we do  some of our riding on somewhat rough gravel roads 
(which require a little  more sureness in foot placement than flat smooth 
pavement).  She likes  my R1100R but even with the stock seat in the 
lowest position she need about  another inch.

Does anyone have any experience with lowering the R1100R  (we're not 
bound to that model, of course, but it does have the 3-position  seat to 
start with).  Options include tire profile, suspension  components, 
custom seats, etc.>>

 
I have helped a lady lower her 1100R.  She too is inseamed challanged at 5'3".  The first thing we did was
to have the seat padding narrowed.  the seat is wide and spreads the legs and robs a lot of
leg reach.  They also took a lot of the excess padding out but not so much as to rob comfort
 
The next most important thing was to replace the shocks.  I suspect your wife is also much lighter
than the designed person  which is an adult male  around 200 lbs.   She just won't depress the
suspension enough.  We went with works shocks, standard height but set for her weight.. It lowered
the bike enough for her to flat foot it.  We had tried even putting concrete blocks in her Jessie bags 
to see if we could deflect the suspension enough to make any difference.  Even with 4 full sized
concrete blocks ( which by the way actaully fit in a jessie bag)  there was virtually no change.
 
The lowering has not hurt the handling of the bike, infact it improved it for her.  I can't
even ride it now...
We then played with the windshiled and got that perfect to her.   He bike is now a
R1100R-gs... it looks like a GS for all intent purposes...she loves it, and has over 
40,000 miles on it in less than 3 years so it is worth it...
 
paige poole

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