[ 3/20/2011 MESSAGE RE-POSTED FROM GOOGLE CACHE]
 Hi!  I have been lurking for months, reading hundreds of valuable postings here as I decide if I am ready to purchase a 2011 Concours 14.  I must say, you are a great group of people and appreciate the info and experiences you all share.  I am an experienced, 40's rider, who is on his second bike, which is a 2000 ZRX-11.  My ZRX is at the end of its life with quite a bit of carb issues that can't seem to be repaired (long story omitted).  I like powerful, quiet, smooth, upright-seating, modern, 4 cyl bikes (which throws out "cruisers") so the Concours is at the top of my list.

That aside, this is finally my first posting.  I am starting a new "lowering" thread because similar ones are mostly old.  Please forgive me if that is not the best practice.  Plus, forgive the length of this posting, but I am trying to be thorough

The only major thing holding me back from joining you as a Concours owner is my body.  I am not a big person, at 5'7", 155lbs.  Even though I am [barely] average male height for my age bracket, I have dis-proportionally short legs.  When I sit, I am the height of someone 5'11.  But when I stand, that quickly disappears.  Unfortunately, bikes of the non-cruiser type are not terribly compatible with short legs.

The body measurement that matters with bike height is "true/actual/anatomical" inseam.  This is not the same as a clothing pants inseam, which is notoriously inaccurate.  You can determine a true inseam with the "clipboard in the crotch" method (here is an example: http://www.precisiontandems.com/inseam.htm (you can do it alone, although it is tricky)) and mine is 30".  My typical clothing inseam is 26.5".

I sat on a Concours (several times) at the dealer.  Wearing tennis shoes, I can just barely touch my tippie toes on both feet to the floor.  Wearing my riding boots, I can touch toes more solidly (but not ball of foot at all).  The Concours is a much larger bike than the ZRX, so the amount of foot ground contact is very important for control (while stopped, after a foot slip, trying to back up, leverage for recovering a tip, etc).

There appears to be only three ways to address the issue- lowering the suspension, lowering the seat, and/or wearing "platform" boots.  My boots are already 1/2" at the ball and 1.75" at mid heel.  I would be willing to try and add SOME to that, but a guy wearing platform shoes is a bit... well... embarrassing.

Seat lowering is a no-brainer- it doesn't affect the bike in any negative way.  So I am looking at the low-height Sargent seat.  But that will only lower the riding position by 1.5" (if you believe the materials).  Obviously not low enough for my size.

So I am left with also lowering the actual bike.  I am looking at the Muzzy lowering links for the back (supposedly a 1.5" rear lowering) and dropping the fork tubes in the front (by using the Helibars risers for clearance).  I know this is controversial, but I don't see that I would have much choice.

Unfortunately, that is, at most, around only 3".  Not sure that will be enough.  I  lowered my old ZRX in a similar way (collapsed rear spring coils by de-tempering/heat, lowered front tubes, and cut the seat down) but it was never quite enough and the Concours is even taller stock height (1" taller!), bigger, and heavier.

So, if you have some similar issues, any questions you can answer would be extremely helpful in assisting me with my decisions (and hopefully other people monitoring the thread now and in the future):

1) Are you leg-length challenged? What is your true/anatomical inseam (see above to compute it)?
2) How did you address your height issues?  What are your reasons?
3) Did you use the Muzzy lowering links?  What is the exact drop of the rear?  Did you use some other links or method?
4) How much have you ever lowered the front?  In what way?  How far did you ultimately lower?  How did it affect your handling with various drops?
5) If you lowered, how did you address the kickstand?  Did you do anything with the center stand?
6) Have you had any "bottoming out" problems if you lowered?  Have you had any problems with road disturbances (speed bumps, dips, etc)?
7) What suspension settings are you using (dial settings)?  Why?  What did you learn?
8 ) Have you ever had a low or no-speed drop of the bike that could have been prevented if it was lower?
9) Have you fixed your issues?  Are you happy?  Are you safe?  Any other advice?

I look forward to some good discussion    Thanks

[REPOSTED FROM GOOGLE CACHE]
OK, the lowering is completed and I have some data to share:

We measured the seat height in stages.  It is not easy- one person has to hold the bike level (with a level), the other person has to use yet another long level at the lowest seat spot and measure to the ground.  Regardless of any marketing material/etc, the 2011 Concours has a stock seat height of 32 3/8".

We then installed the Sargent low World Sport seat.  It is nice, but it is really a pain to get on the bike.... and I thought the STOCK seat was difficult.  Yeesh.   It lowered the height to 31 1/2".  This is not what Sargent claims- they claim it is 1.375" lower, it is actually 0.875" lower, a variance of 1/2".... disappointing.

We then installed the Muzzy links.  Placed it on center stand- it is tricky to remove the bolts since one will hit the exhaust.  You have to slide the sleeve to the other side and push the bolt out at an angle.  We performed separate measurements from the axle to the body and the drop was exactly 1" (which was disappointing, since some people were claiming 1 1/2" or more).  Why Muzzy doesn't TELL customers the drop measurement, I can't imagine.    At least you CAN still use the center stand, although it is much harder to activate than stock.  Remeasured seat height at 30 3/4".

Then installed the Helibars risers- it was a snap, no mods needed at all (looks great, functions well).  We could then raise the fork tubes.  Now THAT was a pain- trying to access the front/lower fork clamp bolts is quite difficult and we ended up removing the horn bracket and plastic thing above it.  Some math and we determined that to match the rear drop of 1", we would have to raise the tubes 1 1/8", which we then did.  That should theoretically keep the handling about the same as stock.  Remeasured seat height at 30 5/8".

So all that work and expense and the lowering was only 1.9".  This is not what I expected.  Perhaps it will settle some, not sure.  I used the same procedure to measure my ZRX, and it was lowered to 29 5/8", and it was still a bit too tall.  I *still* can't even test drive this new Concours because my only riding boots are still at the shoe repair place being modified.  In tennis shoes, I am on my toes; but at least I was able to stand the bike up and even back it up on a smooth garage floor (before I had to strain to touch toes and could not even stand up the bike).

Thanks for doing that....

So, reading the specifics about the Muzzy brackets AND the front fork adjustments-  Can I safely assume that returning the bike to it's original height is 'doable'? (as in not having to take it to the shop)...  Sounds like 4 bolts underneath, and 4 hard-to-get-to screws up front?
Thanks for the feedback.

Sure, it's as simple as "undoing" the steps he listed (move tubes back down, put stock dogs back on).

Reviving an old thread.

Can you elaborate on the center stand?  How hard is it to use with the bike lowered?

Thanks
SH

For those with short leg problems as me  only lowering or replacing the seat is not enough it should be combined with lowering links, while i sent my seat to Spencer to have it modified i did seat on the bike without the seat and it was harder to reach the floor than it is with the seat on, that section of the tank under the seat is to wide and keep your legs apart

hey Maxtog. how did you figure the math for the front forks?  was thinking about doing some lowering myself but won't  have to go as far down as you did. I was thinking about use the soupy links for a 1/2" drop on the rear along with reworking the seat too. just trying to figure the fork drop.
  questions,, any problems with the fender hitting the fairing since its been lowered?
and why can't the center stand be use with the soupy links?
can center stand be modded the work with the soupy link?

I did use Muzzy's but I did not raise the tubes to match. Some good members here said it will definitely require a shorter side stand. Without touching the front, the stock side stand works. Since I do not have a manual yet, what do you do to lower or raise the tubes? If I get a used side stand, I might try that.

I did use Muzzy's but I did not raise the tubes to match. Some good members here said it will definitely require a shorter side stand. Without touching the front, the stock side stand works.

If you lower the bike 1" properly (both front and back) the side kickstand will simply be too long.  I had to replace mine (see my first postings).

Since I do not have a manual yet, what do you do to lower or raise the tubes?

Step 1- purchase and install handlebar risers.  Without them, you cannot raise the tubes.  Once you have done that, it is easy, you just loosen some bolts and carefully twist the tubes up, making ABSOLUTELY SURE you have them both at exactly the same height.

Word(s) of caution.  I bought the 08 slightly used.  It had been lowered using the Muzzy brackets as well as having the forks pushed up about an inch or so....
If you do this....your oil drain plug will take a beating (driveways and speed bumps, etc).  Your toes/foot pegs will be close to the ground in turns/curves.
I cover my bike at work, and while on the kickstand, she blew over onto the right side.  Unless you shorten your kickstand, the bike will sit VERY upright on the kickstand. The cover acted like a parachute and pulled it right over.   
I've returned the bike to stock height- very happy with it.