Hi Guys,

I have fitted a standard LT/RT shock in place of the 16 valve shock. As mentioned in other posts the LT/RT is substantially shorter. I've also dropped the forks through the yokes to lower teh front. Can anyone help with the following queries? Thanks

- I've dropped the front forks by 10mm. Is it a matter of trial and error to get the right set up or can someone who has done this before save me the trouble and tell me how much to drop the forks by to optinise ride/handling?

- I am confused by the torque settings for the yoke pinch bolts given in Haynes and Clymer. The top yokes I am fairly certain are 21 and the lower seem to be given as 43 (Nm). 43 seems tight -is this defintely correct for the lowers on a 16 valve? Don't want to strip a thread on the lowers.
EDIT: 16 valve OEM workshop manual microfiche seems to say 14.9?

- There is now no way the mainstand will deploy - the bike is just too low - should begreat for riding for a shortarse (if I can set up the handling) but not great for maintenance, rampant children etc. Are there any work arounds?

Thanks for any advice
Cheers
Dave

I can only tell you that when I 'accidently' purchased a new (eBay) Works Performance rear shock from Americaland and discovered it was shorter by 19mm or 3/4" in the old money, I fiddled with raising the fork tubes in the triple clamps 'til I had it feeling alright. It wasn't the same amount, but somewhat less than half to a third of the length of the shock's shortness. Of course how you like your bike to steer might be different from my tastes. I like stability but really enjoy a quick turning in. In the end I got rid of the shorty shock to someone who could use it and brought everything back up to stock levels.

As for the torque settings...I tightened mine to just before grunt level using a 3/8" ratchet as there's not a lot of room there for torque wrenches, coming at it from the top or the bottom if you still have the fork tube bellows. The lower bolts can take a bit more since they're a larger diametre, but notice how 'buttery' the heads are?!

I'm afraid you're stuffed with the centre stand unless you obtain a good condition second hand stand and have it modded by removing a bit and rewelding sturdily. The side stand, however, probably doesn't lean too much anymore. Just be careful when angle parking on mild slopes.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

Guest in the House wrote:The lower bolts can take a bit more since they're a larger diametre, but notice how 'buttery' the heads are?!

Sorry GITH, but I think you mixing 2V and 4V here.
4V got double M8 clamps both top and bottom.
2V got single M8 at top and single M10 at bottom (with shallow head and guiding bore).

FYI, MT ...14,9 Nm in OEM manual(correct,checked)....also correspond with K11,
which have similar clamps......15 Nm.

I am, of course, speaking only of 8V because that's what I own, and am not mixing up anything (other than a teaspoon of honey in my morning tea) as I have no experience tightening up a 16V's triple clamp bolts. The lower bolts are larger on an 8V, and due to the shallow head are easily marred. I'll give advice based on opinion and personal experience and leave the details of science and fact to you, Inge!

Who on the forum agrees that we need to get the details of the bike in our info or at the bottom of our post, as in the "olden days"? It'd save us all a host of having to search for what the bike is we're actually talking about, and perhaps lessen unintended mistakes like this.

I recently lost my reading glasses. I see now that Dave does have his model info posted. My request is that all members post theirs clearly - missing reading glasses notwithstanding.
Cheers.

All the 16v models have 2 x 8mm bolts top and lower, tighten them to the recommended torque for 8mm and all will be good.
As for how much the front needs to go down, the K100 2v shock is 30mm shorter than the 16v and that translates to 25mm lower at the centre of the rear wheel because of the angle of the shock and 21mm at the riders seat position. With the K75 when I lowered it I ended up dropping the forks through 20mm and that felt about right but in the end its a matter of how it feels to you and the ground clearance you need.
Stand issue is a problem. I have shortened the side stand by 20mm but that was very much a looksee judgement and as for centre stand well better eat heaps of porridge.
The word porridge by the way is a combination of the words putrid, horrid and sludge. Just thought I would throw that totally useless fact in for fun.

I fully agree that the bike referred to in the posts should be in the subscript or somewhere else. However previously people thought we were interested in all that they had ever driven in their 150 years of motorbiking experience (the mine is bigger than yours seems also prevalent here at times) which beats the purpose and a lot of real estate. If we can keep the info to current bikes or current BMWs I'm all for it.

Guest in the House wrote:The lower bolts are larger on an 8V, and due to the shallow head are easily marred.

For those shallow head screws (and the ones at the bottom of the fork on the 2V)
I would recommend a tool like this, then it wouldn`t slip that easy.

Using rampant children for the deployment of a centre stand isn't recomended, perhaps the more subdued ones will work. If you are doing it in the shed only then a peice of 2x4 cut at one end to a 30% angle will allow you to back onto it and then deploy centrestand. Out on the road its acase of finding a dent in the ground or heaving till your eyeballs go pop, perhaps extending the tang that you stand on to deploy the centre stand would help you do stand on it dont you dave??

Thanks Guys!

Well my bike is about 5000 miles away; I'm in the southern US and now beginning to see why Harleys are popular here; lots of flat, straight roads!

When I get back....I will look to borrow a large, docile child or perhaps slip a groat to the village idiot to help with the mainstand (thanks K75cster!). In addition, I will definitely go for a rear wheel ramp - that's such an obvious easy win I should have thought of myself, THANKS! I have a feeling my lovingly crafted (LOL) sidestand puck may need trimminng and or removing soon to give a bit more lean if I keep the shorter shock on.

On the forks I'll try 10 mm drop and take it from there. Unfortunately I didn't have time for a test ride before I left so a bit of trial and error needed but thanks for the suggestions, I'll factor them in.

Torque of 15 sounds good to me. there is actually room to get a TW to the botton yoke on the 4 valve.

I will post a photo of the bike when I can - it loooks really different - low and mean!

Cheers

Dave