Hard Tail ?'s

DerekAllison · 01-23-2011, 11:41 AM

Hi i'm new to this site but i have been looking around it for a little while. My question is when you lower and hard tail a bike do you lose some conltrol in the front end?

Also when reducing seat size are there options out there to lower the height of the seat so that i'm not altering the oem seat? thanks for the help.

Water Warrior 2 · 01-23-2011, 04:20 PM

Welcome Derek. Lowering the rear end will make the bike a bit less happy in the curves and a lot more work for you in some situations. As is the bike has some very good handling characteristics both in a straight line and the twisties. A couple struts on the rear to hard tail the bike might be to your liking but if not just reinstall the shocks/springs and be happy.
Some one else with more experience with seats will be along shortly.

DerekAllison · 01-26-2011, 05:21 PM

Thanks for the heads up. Thats really what i was thinking about doing was throughing struts on there so like you said i could go back if it was something i didn't like but wanted to get some info. Thanks again.

Dupo · 01-29-2011, 02:17 AM

Actually, i ride a hard tail honda spirit. I can honestly say, i think i have better control over the bike with it this way. I can feel every little thing in the road surface and to me, it feels like it corners and handles much better. I dropped my bike about 6" in the rear and have the tire up into the fender. I love the hard tail on my bike. I have a bad back, but still refuse to give it up lol.

As for the seat I am not sure what you are asking when you put "are there options out there to lower the height of the seat so that im not altering the oem seat". There arent much options for lowering without altering. The best thing to do, buy a cheapo used seat off ebay. Then remove the covering and take sand paper (yes sandpaper) and sand the seat down to what you want. OEM foam will shape and sand down very easily with sandpaper. If you need to chop it down considerably, use an electric turkey knife. Cuts like butter. Recover with marine grade vinyl, apply tacky spray to hold it in place and use a hi powered staple gun to reattach the vinyl to the plastic seat pan (or self tapping screws for metal). I've done two seats for my shadow this way. I ride with a custom seat that i lowered to 2" thickness. Love it.

01-23-2011, 11:41 AM	#1
DerekAllison Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: pittsbrugh Posts: 2	Hard Tail ?'s Hi i'm new to this site but i have been looking around it for a little while. My question is when you lower and hard tail a bike do you lose some conltrol in the front end? Also when reducing seat size are there options out there to lower the height of the seat so that i'm not altering the oem seat? thanks for the help. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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01-23-2011, 04:20 PM	#2
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Hard Tail ?'s Welcome Derek. Lowering the rear end will make the bike a bit less happy in the curves and a lot more work for you in some situations. As is the bike has some very good handling characteristics both in a straight line and the twisties. A couple struts on the rear to hard tail the bike might be to your liking but if not just reinstall the shocks/springs and be happy. Some one else with more experience with seats will be along shortly.
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01-26-2011, 05:21 PM	#3
DerekAllison Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: pittsbrugh Posts: 2	Re: Hard Tail ?'s Thanks for the heads up. Thats really what i was thinking about doing was throughing struts on there so like you said i could go back if it was something i didn't like but wanted to get some info. Thanks again. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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01-29-2011, 02:17 AM	#4
Dupo Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Allentown, Pa Posts: 1,255	Re: Hard Tail ?'s Actually, i ride a hard tail honda spirit. I can honestly say, i think i have better control over the bike with it this way. I can feel every little thing in the road surface and to me, it feels like it corners and handles much better. I dropped my bike about 6" in the rear and have the tire up into the fender. I love the hard tail on my bike. I have a bad back, but still refuse to give it up lol. As for the seat I am not sure what you are asking when you put "are there options out there to lower the height of the seat so that im not altering the oem seat". There arent much options for lowering without altering. The best thing to do, buy a cheapo used seat off ebay. Then remove the covering and take sand paper (yes sandpaper) and sand the seat down to what you want. OEM foam will shape and sand down very easily with sandpaper. If you need to chop it down considerably, use an electric turkey knife. Cuts like butter. Recover with marine grade vinyl, apply tacky spray to hold it in place and use a hi powered staple gun to reattach the vinyl to the plastic seat pan (or self tapping screws for metal). I've done two seats for my shadow this way. I ride with a custom seat that i lowered to 2" thickness. Love it. __________________ Photography Gallery *updated url - new site! Motorcycle Blog Facebook
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