Reviving this old thread as the others have requested feedback from US riders. I know Steve-Gnome has had success with lowering his bike but I didn’t have the same experience. Let me rewind so you can understand the history. After going down on my Gen 1 SDR last year I tried to take the sensible route and transitioned to a 2019 1250 GS Adventure but decided it lacked spirit and soul stirring experience that a bike is supposed to provide so I then transitioned to a 2019 Ducati Super Sport S for a more visceral feeling when riding. Both great bikes in their own right but neither really compared to the SDR. Being that I am married with a family and wanting to stay that way, having more than 1 bike is not an option. Both of these bikes were nice but either too soft or too aggressive of a riding position and fell short for one reason or another.
Switching from my Ducati Super Sport S because I’m too short and over weight and the riding position was just too committed and the reach to the bars made my lower back ache for long rides of an hour or more So I gravitated back to KTM and the GT because of the riding position, technology and stocking motor! I loved my SDR but knew how much of an animals that motor can be but yearned for more touring qualities like hard luggage that looks good, wind protection and cruise control. I entertained bikes like the bmw 1000XR and others of course but none seemed to appeal to me more than the GT but I couldn’t the area above of the 2019+ headlight shroud drives me nuts, so opted for a Gen 1.
Bringing us to present day, I’ve updated the suspension the 2019 software suspension update and raised the fork tubes in the triple trees to show 4 lines (there’s only 3) and the handling was perfect. I’m 5’3” with 26” inseam straight up and down, so needless to say this bike is very tall for me
once I’m sitting on it. It’s manageable but anxiety at stops is tricky because i really have to pay special attention to road conditions, potholes, depressions and uneven surfaces so I thought lowering the GT just a little to help with stop light confidence, etc but was concerned about ruining handling characteristics. I find the seat firm and didn’t want to reshape the seat but may entertain that option again in the future.
Enter the Mizu lowering collar. I found it and bought it but was concerned about messing with the suspension because I had seemingly found the sweet spot. The KTM service tech assured me it would be fine if i lowered the bike as long as we adjusted the front accordingly and we didn’t have an issue with the side stand.
Im beyond frustrated because it feels like the bike is almost unridable on anything other than a perfect surface. I live in the Bay Area and our roads are anything but. It’s almost as bouncy or pogo-ish as when i first bought the bike (prior to suspension update) and just lowered my GT 25mm up front and in the rear. Firstly, steering is too twitchy so I raised the triple trees up 6mm from 25mm and she’s less twitchy but still a little nervous. I’ve tried every suspension combo the bike will allow to no avail. The bike is bouncy, perhaps not enough preload and the fron tries to over compensate. Whatever the case, it’s definitely not as planted as before lowering the bike. Not sure what to do other than restore the bike back to the original height and deal with the tall height. Not sure if anyone else has had this experience and can offer an guidance but would to hear from you guys because eid love to keep the bike at its current lowered height but not at the expense of ride-ability/quality. I like to push the envelope and ride aggressively and right now, I don’t even want to throw a leg over her until this is sorted out. Hope you guys can help
