Thinking about a lowering kit. Need some advice

TheBucket

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Sep 14, 2021
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St. Louis Park, MN
At 30", I am inseam challenged. Currently at balls of feet or tip toes. I have no more leg height to give.
The seat on my bike just does not fit my ass very well, and after about 60 mins, my buns are burning. I'm looking seriously at a Russell Day Long seat, and that will raise me another 1-1.5"...a height adjustment I cannot afford.
I will NOT be doing any heavy off-road riding, so the loss of ground clearance is not that big of a deal for me. I realize I'll be giving up some lean angle, but again...not a huge factor...I don't think.
Any arguments for/against doing this.
Any thoughts on Soupy's vs. Lust?
I think I'm leaning towards Soupy's as it gives me an adjustable capability that Lust does not.
 

HiJincs63

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Apr 2, 2021
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West Central Georgia
I'm barely 5'8" with about a 28" inseam, 180lbs, and 63 years old, so Big Blue is a real tall, heavy beast for me. I bought a 2014 Non ES in California and road it over 3800 miles back to Georgia. It had an aftermarket seat that I believe lifted the seat height another 1/2" or so higher than the OEM. I thought long and hard about lowering when I finally got it home, but in the end, all I've done is buy a used OEM Lower seat.

The adjustments I've learned to make to accommodate the height are:
  • Pay attention to where you park . Anything that slopes to the left is going to make it difficult to get the bike upright and off the sidestand. If you do park it on a slope, don't bother trying to get it upright while in the saddle, just push it to level ground or swallow your pride and ask for assistance. (yes, I did this more than one)
  • When coming to a stop at a light, slide your butt a bit to the left and just use the left leg (flat footed) to hold the bike up, (be sure you put it in 1st gear before you stop), then you can use the right foot to hold the rear brake.
  • Instead of trying to peddle the bike around a parking lot with your toes, just get off and push it. Hard panniers really help when pushing it backwards into a parking spot.
  • I always cowboy mount, particularly when I have my duffel bag on the back, but even with just the side panniers. And, I learned to cowboy mount from the right side. (Do a You Tube search for Brett Tkacs).
  • (this one tends to be controversial), Learn to pivot the bike 180 degrees on the side stand. It really helps when parking. (I just pull in, hop off and spin it around so I can leave quickly.) This helps a lot in the garage as well.
I've lowered all my DS bikes in the past and it's always been a costly compromise. Side stands become too tall, center stands become almost unusable. You end up changing the geometry of the bike, even if you slide the forks up at the same time. I now have a KLX 250 and the S10 and both are full OEM height with an aftermarket low seat. I haven't dropped either one. (Knock on Wood)

The picture was the day I left Northern California to start heading home. This was when I was still trying to get both feet down, you can see I've barely got my toes on the ground.
 

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TheBucket

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HiJincs63....Thanks so much for that. That is great info. What aftermarket seat do you have?
I like the center stand and that would be unusable if I lower. I'd have to get a shorter kickstand too...but that's just part of the package.
I'd rather not lower. If I could find an aftermarket seat maker that can lower me by 1/2"...that would be ideal.
 

Thrasherg

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Dallas, TX
This doesn’t help, but I would be very cautious about actually lowering the bike, I found that I was constantly scraping my foot pegs and crash bars in bends, so I raised the bike to gain more clearance, I am 6’2 so had no issue with the xtra height. If you need to lower it, really try to find a thinner seat, I think you will regret lowering the bike due to the impact on handling and ground clearance in corners.

Gary
 

Sierra1

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Don't be too sure that your "burning buns" are due to the seat. Some people, myself included, just can't go very long in the saddle. I do know that replacing the OE padding with gel could be the ticket though. I had an ST13 that had my buns burning before 60 minutes. Huntington Beach Honda (HBH) replaced the OE with gel. Looked, and felt just about the same. But, after a couple of hours, I was still good. HBH will only do Hondas, but there's bound to be others out there that make the switch. Good luck.
 

Dirt_Dad

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My wife had the Lust links, oem lower seat, and shortened stand on her S10. At 5'6" she was able to flat foot the bike.

I was never a fan of Soupy for such a heavy bike. Just felt better about solid links.
 

HiJincs63

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West Central Georgia
The bike came with a Seat Concepts and I tried a Sargent seat as well. I'm using the OEM lower seat now and it's just right.

HiJincs63....Thanks so much for that. That is great info. What aftermarket seat do you have?
I like the center stand and that would be unusable if I lower. I'd have to get a shorter kickstand too...but that's just part of the package.
I'd rather not lower. If I could find an aftermarket seat maker that can lower me by 1/2"...that would be ideal.
 

TheBucket

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St. Louis Park, MN
Don't be too sure that your "burning buns" are due to the seat. Some people, myself included, just can't go very long in the saddle. I do know that replacing the OE padding with gel could be the ticket though. I had an ST13 that had my buns burning before 60 minutes. Huntington Beach Honda (HBH) replaced the OE with gel. Looked, and felt just about the same. But, after a couple of hours, I was still good. HBH will only do Hondas, but there's bound to be others out there that make the switch. Good luck.
Sierra1
I appreciate the input, and I've given that some thought. Granted...it's a completely different seating position, etc, but I can ride my Victory all day and my ass doesn't burn like it does after an hour on the S10. I can't afford the rise in seating position to try a Gell pad or Airhawk...I'm already maxed on leg reach.
I am seeking seat "Modifiers" who specialize on this S10 platform. any guidance is appreciated. I know of a guy in Florida - Will Molino - who does Victory seats and says he can do the S10, but I still need to find out if he's got enough experience with S10 to make it fit.
 

Sierra1

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Yeah, it sounds like a positional thing if it depends on the seat. The gel I was talking about was a replacement, not an addition. Seat height didn't change, just the feel.
 

patrickg450

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I think I still have my lowering links from Ride on ADV, do you want me to look or them? Interested in buying?
 

oldbiker

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Aug 16, 2018
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MARTINS FERRY OHIO
At 30", I am inseam challenged. Currently at balls of feet or tip toes. I have no more leg height to give.
The seat on my bike just does not fit my ass very well, and after about 60 mins, my buns are burning. I'm looking seriously at a Russell Day Long seat, and that will raise me another 1-1.5"...a height adjustment I cannot afford.
I will NOT be doing any heavy off-road riding, so the loss of ground clearance is not that big of a deal for me. I realize I'll be giving up some lean angle, but again...not a huge factor...I don't think.
Any arguments for/against doing this.
Any thoughts on Soupy's vs. Lust?
I think I'm leaning towards Soupy's as it gives me an adjustable capability that Lust does not.
I lowered my s10 10,000 miles ago with lust. best thing i did no regrets. should of done it in beginning!
 

fac191

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Jun 22, 2016
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London
Am with DD on the Soupys links. You are relying on the thread integrity. Am guessing your arms are not long aswell. If so you will tend to sit as forward on the bike as you can. So your ass will not be in the comfort part of the seat. Thats where i sit so i know. I use a Seat Concepts as it has more padding at the front where i sit. It does come up a bit wider there though. Lower seat equals less foam equals less comfort. Suspension do you ride 2 up or with heavy luggage, because when the passenger gets off theres less spring compression. If you ride solo check you have it properly set up for your weight. Moto Skivvees pants would be good as you get the gel pads where you need them. Boots what do you ride in. People tend to wear boots that are comfortable to walk in and change gear, use the rear brake ect.They do not support your foot and when you stop you are putting too much load on your feet which will make the bike feel heavier than it is. My top box is on all the time. Makes it so much easier to move the bike around. The links are probably the best way to go if ground clearance is no issue to you. If you got the bike used though i would deffinately check the suspension set up first.
 

AusTexS10

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Jan 24, 2020
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Austin, TX
My jury is still out on this subject. I have the same leg reach problem and have tried several saddle options the past two years. I found the Touratech most comfortable for my butt when riding, but reach problem increased because it is wider at front. Riding a Corbin right now which seems to work well, but it's still a stretch to the ground. May go links, maybe not. If I do, I'm looking hard at the T-Rex Racing links which are solid yet allow adjustment to 4 different drops from .5" to 2" by selecting different holes.

 
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