How to Shorten Motorcycle Forks for a Cafe Racer

[@paulharris4780]

Perfect timing with this post! Your video was the best I've seen so far. Thank you so much.

[@TwintownDIY]

That's great! Thanks so much.

[@cabantingpaulmichaelangelo1817]

By far the most informative and slow paced process of shortening the forks Thank you sir!

[@TwintownDIY]

Thanks for watching and glad it was helpful!

[@smeyzer]

Very nice! Alternatively, why didn't you just move the fork assembly up so that it sticks out at the top and put on clip ons? I am deciding between the two methods and would like some input.

[@TwintownDIY]

That is another option. Clip-ons would be too low for the riding position I wanted on this bike and if I raised the forks much it would have hit my handlebars. Also I generally prefer the look of the fork legs being flush at the top. Either way works, just depends on the look and fit you want on the front end. Good luck!

[@nilseckerbom6826]

Very nice , i will do that on my Magna

[@TwintownDIY]

Great! Have fun and thanks for watching.

[@christiancrandall6811]

This is hilarious, I’m customizing the exact model 😂

[@TwintownDIY]

That's awesome! Good luck with your project.

[@avinmcmxcv]

Great presentation 🔥

[@cronaldoutd]

I’m hearing a lot that this is really dangerous cause it affects the steering, is this true or just people talking? I have an 82 gs850g I wanna lower but now becoming hesitant because of what I’m hearing

[@TwintownDIY]

I haven't noticed any adverse effects from the change, but it might depend on riding style and other factors. I figured that if I didn't like the change I could buy replacement springs and take the spacer out and be fully back to stock. Thanks for watching!

[@oishisan9179]

Im a bit confused... How does adding a 2inch spacer make the fork shorter? If it's a dumb question just excuse me, im new to all this.

[@TwintownDIY]

It can be confusing. Putting the spacer on the damping rod will lower the ride height, but makes the whole assembly longer. The spring is cut to match, otherwise the it would extend past the top cap.

[@oishisan9179]

Thanks for the explanation. Also is there a way of shortening the forks without cutting the springs?

[@TwintownDIY]

The easiest way is to just raise up the forks in the clamps. It will lower the front end and just have some of the fork sticking out above the top clamp.

[@scrcleat1]

Great video. What type of pipe did you use as the extender and what was the I.d. And o.d.?

[@TwintownDIY]

I used 3/4" EMT electrical conduit, the i.d.-o.d. is about .82 and .92. Thanks for watching!

[@jimmydressel]

Is there a special reason why you cut the tighter top end of the fork spring? I think it might be better to cut the other end to maintain the progressive element of the spring. thanks!

[@TwintownDIY]

Thanks for watching. It's probably hard to see in the video, but the spring has a taper on one end that goes in the bottom of the fork. The other end has the tighter spring pitch for the progressive rate for the forks. I didn't want to cut the tapered end that rests in the bottom of the fork so it does sacrifice some of that progressive spring rate.

[@js-amg]

Thank you. I just came across your video and it was very interesting. Can I ask…. With the forks now 2” lower how does the amount of fork oil you replace play out? Some say refill same as spec, others say you have to measure then deduct to add less oil. So how do ya work that out? Thanks again…

[@TwintownDIY]

I put in less than stock after the modification, but I intend to try it at the stock level next and compare. I need to put more miles on it to finalize how much fork oil to have in it long term. Thanks for watching and let me know if you have any tips on fork level.

[@js-amg]

@@TwintownDIY Well after doing some research its suggested to fill to spec. I investigated the HD Ltd FLHTK and their spec is 95mm from the top as standard, but if you increase it to 110 - 115mm to compensate for a lowered fork it appears to be less jittery and feels a more smoother operation on the road using oil grade from 15 to 20 wt. [I haven't done any of it yet] There are trades off of course and ya just have to find a balance that suits you. I saw 1 vid of a guy who used the proper made lowering springs and it was stated by the maker to make it 120mm. Food for thought. Don't quote me on it thou! So I think where in the ball park there.. I don't know but i'm thinking having it at spec might cause a harder ride and close to hydraulic lock up if ya know what i mean due to less travel up and down.

[@TwintownDIY]

Interesting. I agree there are tradeoffs and probably depends some on the rider. Thanks for sharing your findings!

[@robertmccarthy6295]

Did this work well any upsate

[@TwintownDIY]

I put some miles on it last year and everything worked well. Since then I've been working on wiring, so haven't ridden in a while. I still want to test different oil levels and see how it affects the ride. Thanks for watching!

[@user-df1qr2fe4g]

Do I have to put the same amount of oil before and after the repair?

[@TwintownDIY]

I'm still working through how much oil to have in the fork, but my plan is to reduce the oil by the same percentage of volume reduced in the fork. So calculate the volume of the fork before and after shortening, divide it out and get the percentage. Then use that percentage of the factory recommended amount. But I'm interested in other thoughts on this.....

[@user-df1qr2fe4g]

@@TwintownDIY Thank you By the way, do you cut the spring (2:47) to the same length as the pipe (1:37)?

[@TwintownDIY]

@@user-df1qr2fe4g That's right, the spacer is the same length as what was removed from the fork spring.

[@liambawayan1730]

@@TwintownDIY just a question. Why did you need a spacer?

[@TwintownDIY]

The spacer brings the spring up the the top of the fork tube. Basically replacing the length of spring cut with a spacer to fill the fork tube, but lowers the ride height.