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Need more ground clearance

I have a 2001 Kawasaki Voyager with a California SideCar Friendship III mounted. This was factory mounted by California Sidecar when the bike was originally purchased by the first owner. The sidecar pulls the bike suspension lower resulting in minimal ground clearance. So low that is will bottom out the oil strainer on parking lot speed bumps. Any suggestions on how to adapt the suspension to regain some ground clearance?

First off it is a ten year old that had very soft suspension at birth.
Suggested fixes:
Progressive springs in the front forks (with Type B fork oil).
Upgraded rear shock.
Slower speed over speedbumps.

Lonnie

Lonnie:

Thanks. Thought that might be the best option. Even at a dead stop the clearance is minimal at best (last speed bump bottomed out the bike at a stand still). I can feel the front suspension bottom out on occasion on some bumps as is.

We had similar problems with Jena's Burgman scooter rig. The extra weight of the sidecar, even empty, overwhelmed the stock fork springs, ground clearance was limited, especially with the sidecar mounts hanging lower, and fork travel was limited to 2+/- inches.

We recently remedied her situation by installing Ikon fork springs, which are 2+/- inches longer, and slightly increasing the pre-load by inserting spacers slightly longer than recommended. Big improvement to fork travel, ride height/ground clearance and control.

Lee / Summer Grove, Louisiana: Ural cT, CJ750, Burgman/Texas Ranger, Zuma 50F, MB5, TW200, CRF250L, GTV300

Consider longer fork tubes and longer shocks. This will have a negative effect of front wheel trail, so steering will stiffen and possibly shake. A steering damper will help the shake. Changing the height of the tug will also mean a need to realign the hack as your bike's lean will be affected.