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I've heard this argument debated back and forth, and I'd like to hear what people's experiences have been.

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6 Answers

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You need to consider lowering a bike more as a tool that does come with some pros and cons as mentioned by others above but not appropriate for all riders. On any bike the most important thing to do is to set the bike up with only the rider(s) in mind. Your weight, arm reach, the fact if it's only going to be you riding or the weight of two up, all rider characteristics need to be considered. This is serious stuff that can be life threatening if incorrect and it's not about looks or following certain trends. There are shorter riders that absolutely must lower the bike, add risers, even change a seat to move the body forward to maintain adequate control. Taller riders need the opposite, with extended controls, etc... It's not a car, you're not seat belted in so you need to be comfortable and secure when riding which means a sure foot at stops, handlebars within reach, and seat comfortable in the saddle. If you're the type that rides hard, pushes it in corners, and puts the bike away dirty, lowering a bike is not a good option. Remember, particularly on cruisers or even sport bikes following today's trends, that you need the bike to operate as high off the ground as possible to give you a proper lean angle without touching down hard parts. Yes, it's cool to see sparks fly, but when it does not allow you to make a sharp turn or pivots your front tire up so that you lose traction it could potentially lead to a crash.

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If you are short, like me, lowering the bike can increase your stability at stoplights and parking, which can be a good thing.

However, lowering a bike also affects the geometry of the steering. Putting the front end up high and the back down low will make the bike want to "fall" into corners. Lowering evenly, however, is generally pretty stable.

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A lowered bike will have less ground clearance. The bike will be much more prone to drag the pegs while turning, which can be unsafe and even lead to a "low-side" crash.

If you really want to ride a tall DP bike like a KLR or GS bimmer, but you're short, lowering the bike is probably not a problem because those bikes have inches/feet/miles/tons of ground clearance. But,,, lowering a cruiser that drags pegs easily anyway can be a problem.

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Good point on differentiating between a cruiser and a sport bike. Lowering each of them can mean different things and the risks are certainly more significant on a cruiser. – mLewisLogic♦ Jan 14 at 16:03
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Not to mention going over SPEED BUMPS.

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I drive a Suzuki Hayabusa and usually for speed runs etc the back will get lowered, I persoanlly have my rear end raised 25mm which gives me faster turn in on corners, some people would argue that it will give instability at speed but with my 25mm height increase I can't say I've noticed instability at 180mph!

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Most people seem to talk lowering from a cruiser perspective, so it's interesting to hear how it affects performance on a crotcher. – mLewisLogic♦ Feb 6 at 5:42
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The back end of my bike is lowered 2.5", and I'm thinking about going back to stock.

It makes for a more "chopper"-y feel by lagging on turns a bit, but I feel that the responsiveness and corner balance are adversely affected. I feel that lowered makes for a smoother, easier ride, but at the price of handling performance. It's a nice look, and flat-footing at stoplights is a perk, but the jury is still out as to whether it's worth it to me.

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