Lowering my Taotao Tbr7

[kingofqueenz]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

What makes you think the manufacturer had the rake and trail correct to begin with? You're assuming a Japanese engineer poured over some blueprints to get the proper steering geometry, they didn't. And the stock monoshock is of such poor quality your geometry is changing all the time. My aftermarket monoshock is much stiffer and maintains a more consistent ride height. I lowered the rear of my Hawk 3" and raised the front 1.25". It performs well on any surface and actually feels a little more highway friendly than Jay's stock Hawk.

1Leg - How did you raise the front (curious ) ?

[OneLeggedRider]

Originally Posted by kingofqueenz

1Leg - How did you raise the front (curious ) ?

I had Jay measure the front and rear with me sitting on the bike before we made any changes. 2 things raised the front, first were the nine nickels on top of each spring with the stock spacers, but 9 nickels doesn't add up to 1.25 inches. The rest comes from the 210ml of 7.5w fork oil in each. The higher oil level means the air above is getting more compressed (with my weight on it) giving it an air ride effect. Back in the day each fork would have an air valve on the fork cap so you could adjust the pressure/ride height and compression characteristics.

It also makes for a little stiffer ride because you cannot compress a liquid whereas you can compress a gas.

[kingofqueenz]

Awesome... I think I may swap my fork oil as well, I have stock oil and its a bit too mushy gushy for me