lower your bike-rear shock

[Thumper]

We all know you can slip the front forks down a bit and lose a half inch of seat height or more, depending on your bike.

But dog leg adapters (longer) are typically used to drop the rear of the bike. This might work with the Templar bikes, The "doglegs" are welded to a steel cylinder (bushing). That bushing and other dimension will need to match. This is probably GOOD for stiffness in the suspension, but the doglegs can't be simply replaced.

But this is OK, because the shock itself has a lower mounting "opportunity".
In fact, here is a KTM replacement shock I found on AliExpress. There are TWO options for height (mounting on the lower linkage):

27823

The same thing applies to the OEM shock on the Templar, but you have to drill new holes. I don't have time this Fall to work on this, but feel free to get going on this simple mod if you have time and want to lower the bike:

27824

[pathn]

Does it look like you would have cut the excess off if you drilled new holes? From what I remember the lug on the bottom of the shock mount is just a stop for the head of the mounting bolt. I'm not really worried about the resale value, and lower would be really nice.

Was there room to get the shock out from above?

Mine is 2500 miles away, but that looks like low risk, easy and a good idea.

[Hap]

I like this idea Thumper! My new Templar X is very tall. My back is not as good as it used to be and throwing my leg over is a bit challenging. Thank you for sharing!

[Thumper]

The excess just points down, not even beyond the rest of the linkage. I would leave the original in place (just like that KTM has both positions) in case you ever need to raise the bike again.

And, make sure that you drill a hole with the exact same size, and that the hole is parallel. When I get around to this, I will set the thing sideways on a block of 2x4 under the bit on my drill press to make sure that the holes are at exactly the same position on each side.

If you drill to oversized hole, a bushing could fix it. The bolt/pin that secures it has a smooth area where it contacts the shock mount, and it is a snug fit (no play). But best to drill the exact diameter hole. Buy a drill bit if you have to.

Oh, and the lower hole has a raised flat end block to hold it in place while you tighten the nut. That is convenient, but as long as you use a good locking thread nut (like the one it comes with-teflon ring, as I recall), it should stay in place. It will just be necessary to get an adjustable wrench on that flat bolt head to get the locking nut tightened on. You can always get a new locking nut if needed.

Does it look like you would have cut the excess off if you drilled new holes? From what I remember the lug on the bottom of the shock mount is just a stop for the head of the mounting bolt. I'm not really worried about the resale value, and lower would be really nice.

Was there room to get the shock out from above?

Mine is 2500 miles away, but that looks like low risk, easy and a good idea.

[pathn]

Thumper,

Thanks, I like this a lot. Had not though of putting a block on the drill press table to locate the holes, I would have measured (I get it right most of the time..). As long as both "legs" of the mount are the same length (I am going to measure, but you would think they would be) I think using the block is good, and maybe/probably faster, and if you're me, some of the time, more accurate.

Thanks again.

Pat

[Thumper]

I really want try this. I need too remove the shock again. I think I pulled it out the right side after removing the head pipe and carb. That was during assembly.

I need to measure the swingarm pivot point to axel and distance to the lower shock mount to calculate the position to drill. If shooting for 2.5 inch lower, where do you drill?

It should be a simple proportionate amount of 2.5 based on the ratio of distances, assuming the new geometry does not significantly affect compression. My son can check the math. :tup:

[Hap]

We all know you can slip the front forks down a bit and lose a half inch of seat height or more, depending on your bike.

But dog leg adapters (longer) are typically used to drop the rear of the bike. This won't work with the Templar bikes, because the "doglegs" are welded to a steel cylinder. This is probably GOOD for stiffness in the suspension, but the doglegs can't be simply replaced.

But this is OK, because the shock itself has a lower mounting "opportunity".
In fact, here is a KTM replacement shock I found on AliExpress. There are TWO options for height (mounting on the lower linkage):

27823

The same thing applies to the OEM shock on the Templar, but you have to drill new holes. I don't have time this Fall to work on this, but feel free to get going on this simple mod if you have time and want to lower the bike:

27824

I love this idea! Appreciate you putting in the time and effort to sort this out. Do you guys know if a shock already exists on the market that would fit with those adjustments already made? Like the KTM shock referenced above. Thanks again Thumper.

[Thumper]

I love this idea! Appreciate you putting in the time and effort to sort this out. Do you guys know if a shock already exists on the market that would fit with those adjustments already made? Like the KTM shock referenced above. Thanks again Thumper.

I got the bike from under the tarp and it is siting in the garage waiting. I looked at it again, and it looks like the lowering will be essentially the same distance as the distance to the new holes I drill. It looks that simple. So I am going for maybe 1.5" lowering. I will try to get to this next week.

I will edit/add the photo of the new drilled hole (I posted it before in another thread). But useful to have this here. It needs a 10mm hole. This is aluminum, so it drills easily. Make sure you have the lower forks level on the drill press so you drill straight across the fork:

28263

[JerryHawk250]

I was looking at my KPX shock over the weekend. It has two set of holes in the shock already but was already set to the lower position. I don't have enough room to drill another set of holes to lower it any more. I wouldn't mind lowering the rear about another inch. Hopefully the springs will compress a little as the springs settle in. It already feels like it's setting a little lower than when new.

[Hap]

I was looking at my KPX shock over the weekend. It has two set of holes in the shock already but was already set to the lower position. I don't have enough room to drill another set of holes to lower it any more. I wouldn't mind lowering the rear about another inch. Hopefully the springs will compress a little as the springs settle in. It already feels like it's setting a little lower than when new.

I definitely want to lower my Templar using Thumpers method. But thanks to JerryHawk I have mastered the art of mounting and dismounting my bike! (With very little discomfort) It’s easy peasy now! :)

[Thumper]

I completed the lowering project this weekend. It resulted in about a 3" lowering of seat height, which is exactly what I wanted:

28249

I used loctite on the connections at the linkage.

28250


The first 3 inches of shock travel ("sag") happens when you sit on the bike (STOCK condition). That would put the rear tire closer to the rear fender with a shorter shock, SOoooooooo...

In addition to shortening the effective shock length by 1", I added more than 350lb to the PRELOAD to take up that 3" and now it BARELY SAGS when I sit on it.

I don't have the correct spanner tools to loosen the lock ring and turn the preload collar, and even if I did, that is a heavy spring, and you can gnarl up the collar badly (it is aluminum!). Those are aluminum threads as well, I don't like the idea of grinding them against a heavy duty coil spring anyway...

So, I used a coil spring compressor to make it easy to tighten the collar:

28251

[Thumper]

The coil spring compressor was designed for a wider coil spring, so I pinched the spring hook plates in the vice.

28252

The hooks aligned well enough now, BUT the hooks hit the threads (collar/cuff threads) threatening to damage them, so I used the dremel to cut of the excess:

28253

Now the clamps fit, and ready for use. You can see the gap between the collar and the top of the spring. Turning the collar/cuff was easy once the coil spring was pulled:

28254

I left the locking ring in place to keep track of how much I was tightening the spring. I ended up at more than 1", but here it is at about 1"

28255

[Thumper]

I used a 3/8" breaker bar to make the job easier. Pinning the shock on the table and against my waist with my left arm, and tightening with my right arm. It wasn't bad.

28258

Job done. I probably added more than 350 pounds of preload (you can see it is more than one inch tighter). Locking ring is tightened onto the collar. It is ready for reinstallation.

28256

28257

[Thumper]

It is much easier to mount the bike, and it sags about an inch when I put my weight on it (not 3+ inches sag with OEM setup!). I also dropped the front end to the sixth ring to lower the front. You can see the front fork drop in these pics:

28259

The kick stand is barely short enough now. In the garage, I put a block of wood under the rear tire (not level in the garage).


28260

I took it on my nearby single track and quad trails. The bike feels the same because I have essentially taken the sag out of the picture. The only noticeable difference is that the rear shock does not extend as far on jumps. I did also stiffen up the compression and rebound settings. I like this! It is less "springy", and stiffer. For me, it feels more controllable, and easy to get on/off.

This is a viable strategy to lower any of our monoshock bikes (if there is room on the lower mounting fork on the shock). I went 1 full inch, and got about 3" of lowering on the Templar. 5/8" or 7/8" might work better for some bikes, or if you want less lowering on the Templar

[Thumper]

I was looking at my KPX shock over the weekend. It has two set of holes in the shock already but was already set to the lower position. I don't have enough room to drill another set of holes to lower it any more. I wouldn't mind lowering the rear about another inch. Hopefully the springs will compress a little as the springs settle in. It already feels like it's setting a little lower than when new.

I got a pair of longer "doglegs" to lower my DL1000 V-Strom years ago. To test how long is needed, you could just replace them with a cheap 1/16th inch plate on one side only, or cut 2 if you are concerned about the linkage getting flexed straight. 3/4" wide plate should easily handle this for a test. Even 1/2" wide should work for this geometry testing.

Cut holes 1" longer than stock or so, and give it a try.

[J4Fun]

Is there a chance to have tire/fender contact? It seems like lowering these bikes is a catch 22 problem? Seems like to keep the clearance correct without limiting shock travel, you can’t lower too much, via shock. I’m thinking they are designed this way. Just thinking out loud smaller rims or a frame change would be the way to go for lowering seat height. Again just thinking out loud…

[Thumper]

Is there a chance to have tire/fender contact?

No. Not on mine at least. Read the description on post #15 for clarification. I compensated for the one inch shorter shock length with over 350 pound increase in preload on the rear coil spring.

As I mentioned, it used to sag more than three inches when I sat on it. Now it sags less than one inch. I also stiffened the compression damping.

As I mentioned above, the result is limited sag and it doesn't rebound to 37.5" anymore. Any hard core racer would not like giving up shock travel, but I don't do 20 foot jumps or huge woops ;)

It is just stiffer sooner. I could always return it to stock shock length and even relax preload, but this works better for my riding style, and it's easier to get on, get off... I love it:clap:

Stock setup has huge sag and lots of rear shock travel. That's what an enduro rider that makes big jumps wants. I just tightened up the shock and lowered it. It works nicely for moderately aggressive riding. I will not be able to compress this swingarm far enough to cause contact between the tire and fender. No way.

[mikew1231]

Thanks for the pictures and how to! I just got my Hawk 250 DLX put together today and I really want to lower it too. I think that your method will work for me too. I'm not sure I'll go for the whole 3", thinking maybe 1.5'

[Ina Ditch]

That is a good lookin bike ya got there Thumper !!

[Fast_Freddy]

I just lowered my Templar base using this method. I was able to drill the new hole after removing the dog legs for access. I marked and drilled one side then positioned the bushing in line with the new hole and used it as a guide for the second hole. The new holes are about 20mm above the originals. I didn't measure before and after but it appears to have dropped the rear 2-3". I'll measure the seat height soon. Anyway, I like it a lot!

Thanks for the very useful tip on the 10mm hole size. I ordered some new bits before starting which was prudent since I previously had only 9.5mm and 11mm bits on hand.

[zero_dgz]

I'm just going to go ahead and point out for anyone else reading this, re: spring compressors and all, that a suitable spanner wrench for this is like $13 on Amazon. You can use the same one for your steering stem nut in the future, too. If you're already committed to having the shock out and in a vise it's a doddle.



I was able to easily turn the rear shock locknuts on the shock on my Orion with one of these...


https://www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Adjustable-Steering-Wrench/dp/B004MZNP5Q/r


...Which is far fancier even than what you actually need. If you're worried about the threads and the contact area between the spring and the nut(s), just oil them up before you start.

[GypsyR]

From having had a few bikes in my time I have a few of those spanner wrenches. In the case of my '23 Templar, I can use none of them. Some fit, but they simply did not build the bike with room to access the adjustment. So if you have the same bike, you can skip buying the proper wrench unless you intend to remove the shock to use it. No doubt one would work fine on other brands and models.

[Thumper]

The spring is also really resistent to movement to the tune of 350lb/inch. And, the adjustment collar is aluminum and wafer thin. A hammer and screwdrive will just mall the adjustment collar badly, and turning the threads with that much pressure on them seems like inviting disaster (grind off the threads!)... Fortunately, it is pretty easy to pull the shock out the right side. Just one bolt on top and one bolt on the linkage end and it slips right out. Once it is out of there, I'd rather use the coil spring clamp and moved the adjustment collar by hand.

Yeah, it is a little more trouble than an adjustment collar tool, but the threads on that collar just barely seem strong enough for the spring as it is :wtf:

1 inch was too much, lowering the bike too much for me (maybe 3"). I sold that blue 6speed. When I did my son's new blue 6 speed, we went 5/8" on the new hole, and it worked out better
https://www.chinariders.net/showpost.php?p=408980&postcount=58

And we dialed up about 175 pounds of additional preload while the shock was out. Then I did the same on my orange 5 speed. Then took off about 1.25" from the kickstand and it leans over just right!
https://www.chinariders.net/showpost.php?p=409409&postcount=62