Topic: Best way to lower 73 cb 500 4

[jmanstuck]

What are the best ways to take it down a couple of inches?
 I saw some brackets at JC Whitney to drop the rear 2 inches.
 Thats all I could find.

[ProTeal55]

http://HTTP://WWW.CRC2ONLINECATALOG.COM
Look in their "chopper" catalogue. They sell 11'' short shocks for the rear of these bikes.
They lower the rear just about 2''. A much better way then using lowering blocks, plus looks cleaner than those blocks.

As far as the front goes, you can loosin the triple-trees and let the fork tubes slide up thru the trees, thus lowering your front-end. Most people I have seen push about 1'' thru the trees, so to lower the bike and not effect dampening all TOO much..I have about 1 1/2'' thru the top of my trees (pics in my gallery)...

You could/can also run smaller diameter wheels to lower the bike. Like I am running a 16'' rear on my CB, instead of the stocker...That along with the short shocks really gets my bike low...

[merc2dogs]

those lowering blocks make the bike ride rough, it increases the effective spring force.
 
 I lowered the shocks on my 750, took the shocks apart then chucked them up in the lathe, brought the tailstock up, and measured free hieght, then broke out the torch and heated the very end coils up while cranking in on the tailstock till it had a free height an inch lower, let them cool down then put the shocks back togetherand tried them out, much nicer,  could hold it comfortably at a light. did it because  was going to pick up a set of 11" shocks, but that worked out so well I've pushed the new shocks to 'maybe some day' end of my list.
 could likely do it on a drill press just as easily
 my shocks have the chrome sleeves so I wasn't worried about discoloring the springs, but it turned out they didn't discolor, been riding 3 years now since I shortened them and haven't run into any issues.

  I wouldn't go much more than an inch without shortening the shaft on them, otherwise you may bottom them out
 
ken.

[bill440cars]

                    Another way to drop the front some is to follow a procedure that I 1st saw in one of
              Greg (ohiocaferacers) posts. Check him out, he's got some good ideas. Plusyou should check   
              his website also. Good luck with your quest. Later on, Bill

[jmanstuck]

  Thanks for the ideas & the Ohio cafe racers site. I added it to favorites great site.  I live in Northren KY just
across the river.