twowheels2005
Guest
Just finished the lowering project on my new NT700 and even got to ride it between snowstorms.
Thanks to Tosh for good hints on how to install the shock. Thanks to "SoundTechGuy" for his excellent YouTube videos on common NT tasks.
Here's what I did:
1. Shaved the seat a little (probably about an inch) as part of the task to make it firmer. Took out a big hunk of the soft foam and replaced it with firmer 'memory foam'.
2. Got the lowering shock eyelet from Streetfighters. The hardest part was finding a shop here in Reno that could do the eyelet swap!
3. Moved up the fork tubes as per instructions that came with the eyelet.
4. Took out the shock and adjuster, got the eyelet swapped, put it all back together.
5. Went for a 10-minute ride before the snow started flying again!
I can't flat-foot the bike, but I'm now firmly on the front half of my feet. Much better!
I have not cut down the side stand. It seems to be OK without doing it.
Here are some tips/gotchas for anyone else who is going to do the job.
* The whole project is MUCH easier if the rear wheel is removed. Hence the reference to SoundTechGuy's YouTube videos on how to R&R the rear wheel. The worst part of the rear wheel removal is pulling the exhaust system and getting it back on again. Good to know how to do this task anyhow since the rear tire won't last forever. 3 steps to pull the rear wheel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CN7blhpQYk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNmhwUqS2pw, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBodVg9KVU. As part of removing the exhaust, you have to unplug the O2 sensor. The wires are wire-tied someplace around the center stand pivot. If you just set the pipes down next to the bike, you won't have to try to find and cut (and eventually replace) this wire-tie. There is enough slack for this.
* Pull off as much of the side plastic as you can, from the black vented inserts on back. You want the rear ends of the front fairing free so that they can be pushed out of the way to get at the upper shock bolt. Also a good time to check the coolant level.
* I had to cut away a piece of the plastic liner to get the shock out. Glued it back in when I was done.
* When you pull out the shock, the tube for the preload adjuster is threaded through a part of the electronic control module mount. You'll need to pull the two big connector plugs to even see it. Don't forget to put it back when done.
* When you put the shock back into the bike, Tosh's hint on supporting the top with a piece of strong cord or flexible wire is the way to go. It would be possible to do this without the cord if you had 2 people doing it.
* Checked and refreshed the Moly-60 paste on the rear drive splines when putting the wheel back on.
* Cleaned a lot of gunk off the exhaust pipes and heat shield while it was off. A thin film of RTV sealant on the exhaust pipe gaskets made the reinstall easier.
Enjoy!
Thanks to Tosh for good hints on how to install the shock. Thanks to "SoundTechGuy" for his excellent YouTube videos on common NT tasks.
Here's what I did:
1. Shaved the seat a little (probably about an inch) as part of the task to make it firmer. Took out a big hunk of the soft foam and replaced it with firmer 'memory foam'.
2. Got the lowering shock eyelet from Streetfighters. The hardest part was finding a shop here in Reno that could do the eyelet swap!
3. Moved up the fork tubes as per instructions that came with the eyelet.
4. Took out the shock and adjuster, got the eyelet swapped, put it all back together.
5. Went for a 10-minute ride before the snow started flying again!
I can't flat-foot the bike, but I'm now firmly on the front half of my feet. Much better!
I have not cut down the side stand. It seems to be OK without doing it.
Here are some tips/gotchas for anyone else who is going to do the job.
* The whole project is MUCH easier if the rear wheel is removed. Hence the reference to SoundTechGuy's YouTube videos on how to R&R the rear wheel. The worst part of the rear wheel removal is pulling the exhaust system and getting it back on again. Good to know how to do this task anyhow since the rear tire won't last forever. 3 steps to pull the rear wheel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CN7blhpQYk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNmhwUqS2pw, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBodVg9KVU. As part of removing the exhaust, you have to unplug the O2 sensor. The wires are wire-tied someplace around the center stand pivot. If you just set the pipes down next to the bike, you won't have to try to find and cut (and eventually replace) this wire-tie. There is enough slack for this.
* Pull off as much of the side plastic as you can, from the black vented inserts on back. You want the rear ends of the front fairing free so that they can be pushed out of the way to get at the upper shock bolt. Also a good time to check the coolant level.
* I had to cut away a piece of the plastic liner to get the shock out. Glued it back in when I was done.
* When you pull out the shock, the tube for the preload adjuster is threaded through a part of the electronic control module mount. You'll need to pull the two big connector plugs to even see it. Don't forget to put it back when done.
* When you put the shock back into the bike, Tosh's hint on supporting the top with a piece of strong cord or flexible wire is the way to go. It would be possible to do this without the cord if you had 2 people doing it.
* Checked and refreshed the Moly-60 paste on the rear drive splines when putting the wheel back on.
* Cleaned a lot of gunk off the exhaust pipes and heat shield while it was off. A thin film of RTV sealant on the exhaust pipe gaskets made the reinstall easier.
Enjoy!