Lowering

I'm kinda a smaller rider 5'7" and my CBR feels a little big for me. I was going to get it lowered, but i really want to do it myself. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in this.

http://www.hyperformanceparts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23_32_2020&osCsid=a27a496bae165e4493545f553b388c84
this is the lowering link i was thinking of getting.

did you ever think about getting a set of adjustable rear sets? You can raise them to give you more room to lean at stops.

Theres a few guys here who are vertically challenged, most recomend trying to put up with it rather than lowering because of issues some have had with handling, i think abadfish has experience of this.

that's why I was recommending the rear sets....

I had my old CBR600F4i Lowered for my wife by the honda dealer in my area. Its about a 3 hour job. Once you get the lowering link installed you have to cut the side stand so the bike leans properly and the forks have to be re-adjusted lower and they have to be EXACT or the bike will have a pull if they are not perfect. I suggest you just go to a dealer to get it done unless your very mechanically incline........

Could you lower it? Yes.
Could you do it yourself? Yes, if you have all the necessary tools and a convenient way to suspend the bike. I could do it in about a half-hour in my garage.

But note, this is just a lowering link. It only addresses the issue of lowering the rear. You still have to lower the front. Generally, that's not as trivial. If you don't lower the front as well, you will change the steering geometry (most likely in a negative way).

Should you lower it? That's probably the question you should be asking instead.

There is no right or wrong answer there per se. It really depends on how you plan to use your bike. If you just ride the streets (e.g. commuting, putt-putt around town, etc), you can lower it a few inches but you'll still have to be wary of speed bumps, driveways, etc.

If you intend to ride track or aggressive twisties, I do NOT recommend lowering it. You'll have clearance issues at hard lean angles. I lowered my previous bike. I was scraping fairings on the turns (this could've been very painful). I ended up bringing it back to stock height and even raised the rear some more.

The other thing to consider is HOW you would lower your bike. Personally, I'm not a fan of dogbones (lowering links) because they put your rear shock in a position that it wasn't designed for. But other ways of lowering are a lot more expensive.

Needless to say, I didn't lower my current bike. I just use one foot to on the ground when I stop (actually, its just one tiptoe). But I've been inseam-challenged all my life since I was riding dirt when I was 12 (that was over 20 years ago). So I'm quite comfortable with this. As eluded to earlier, rearsets help with this method because the higher I can get one foot on the peg, the more I can get the other foot on the ground when i stop.

Try starting here for more info:
http://forums.cbrworld.net/forums/162531/ShowPost.aspx

Thanks for the input guys. I've actually heard that lowering it might not be the best idea. I wasn't sure if i wanted to, but my only concern was really about when riding with a passenger. I haven't taken anyone out on the bike yet becuase 1. it was still new and i didn't want to go down especially with a passenger, and 2. i thought the extra weight might make it harder for me to hold the bike up at stops.

That extra weight will will make it a bit easier to touch the ground.
But I wound't ride 2 up unless you are really comfortabel riding.
SMiley