Lowering Kit 25mm for SDGT

[Aussie Dave]

If anyone is considering lowering their SDGT by 25mm, I stumbled onto this site just yesterday.....

www.whaccessories.com - not cheap, and requires forks raised and sidestand shortened, but can lower your Gt by 25mm if that's what you need...... May be available from other sites, this was just the first I found.

Ps part no = MU30215011 and Wild Hair had them at $155usd.

[Steve-Gnome]

I have just had min lowered today by Hoeys - (Local Adelaide bike suspension specialist). its around 28mm lower which is about the max you can get. This is as far as the forks can be dropped in the yokes as they start to taper after this and you couldn't clamp them.

It involved a collar on the shock and then machining a new spring mount spacer that restores the original spring compression.

Riding it - you cant really tell the difference. The semi active stuff still all works as advertised but is is SO much easier now I can flat foot it!!

can't really see the difference without another right beside it.

[Aussie Dave]

G'day Stevie-G,

You're the first I have read about, to have lowered an SDGT..... and there are quite a few vertically challenged riders well short of my very average 5' 9.5" or 175cm altitude .... riding these - none have admitted to lowering their ride.

The photo might be an optical delusion..... but your lower cowl covers look very close to the ground..... they are a bit bigger than my 17GT cowl covers...... there are accessory covers around for the GT, I'm unsure if they fit your 19 though. I think there are pics in a thread here of an Ibex metal style that looked quite minimal.

28mm is a big drop.... but the GT does have plenty of clearance - do you scrape anything in corners?

I've been reading (in the KTM forum) that the guys are super happy with the 2x O2 removal kit dongles - they richen up the <5000rpm fuel map without affecting the higher rpm fuel ratios for those with stock (cat) pipes. This gives smoother throttle/cooler engine at city traffic rpms (ie around 4k light cruising). I'm not sure what your 19 is like as it has a revised (1/2kg heavier) crank, 13.6-1 comp, titanium valves & different software, so that might not be an issue....... my 17 tends to be fairly hot on my instep while stopped at traffic lights, and the O2 plug in dongles are reported to make it run 40% cooler oil temp, with minimal reduction in average fuel economy. All i have to do is figure out how to buy them without incurring a huge freight bill from the US..... I was looking for a Kevxtx thread to see if they are avail locally.....

The other fuel mod is the 'boosterplug' for cat removed systems.... it plugs into the airbox sensor fuel dongle and richens the fuel ratio's over the whole rev range.

I see you have ventured onto the KTM forum..... it is great...... I just get bombarded by Google adds whereas I have no adds on this forum..... but heaps less content compared to the other forum....

[Steve-Gnome]

That picture does make it look low but its not as bad as it looks there (measured its around 130mm). We've been out having a blast through the Adelaide hills this morning two up and no problems. I have a few favorite corners I used to compare handling and clearance and I still cant ground the thing out - just need to be a little careful with big speed bumps - else it seems fine.

[mst3kguy]

would love to hear of anyone in the U.S. that has lowered their SDGT to accommodate the high seat height.

[Loski]

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

[Aussie Dave]

.... 28mm lower... involved a collar on the shock and then machining a new spring mount spacer that restores the original spring compression......

Riding it - you cant really tell the difference. The semi active stuff still all works as advertised.....

IMG_2989.jpg

G'day Loski......

This forum is a little hard for some to get onto, so I'll chime in for Steve G....... I haven't lowered mine, but I notice Steve mentioned a new spring mount spacer that allowed for the original spring tension, while lowering the GT by 28mm front and rear.....

Could this be a factor in your conversion?

If Steve checks in again maybe he can post a close up pic so you can compare your spring collar to his.......

PS Could it be a problem caused by the workshop doing the conversion? maybe something isn't connected correctly? Symptoms read like the damping isn't working properly.....

[Loski]

.... 28mm lower... involved a collar on the shock and then machining a new spring mount spacer that restores the original spring compression......

Riding it - you cant really tell the difference. The semi active stuff still all works as advertised.....

IMG_2989.jpg

G'day Loski......

This forum is a little hard for some to get onto, so I'll chime in for Steve G....... I haven't lowered mine, but I notice Steve mentioned a new spring mount spacer that allowed for the original spring tension, while lowering the GT by 28mm front and rear.....

Could this be a factor in your conversion?

If Steve checks in again maybe he can post a close up pic so you can compare your spring collar to his.......

PS Could it be a problem caused by the workshop doing the conversion? maybe something isn't connected correctly? Symptoms read like the damping isn't working properly.....

G’day Aussie Dave, thanks for the reply! I was hoping Steve Gnome would chime in too but not sure if he’s still active or visits the site any longer. I think you’re spot on with your suspicion as it’s been my suspicion too! That new spring mount Steve Gnome references appears to to be the missing factor in my equation and not sure what was done and not sure if it’s worth the hassle Or can trust whatever is “created” to restore the original spring tension. I’m at the point that I’m willing to go back to restoring the bike to OEM height and just riding as usual. Seems to be the simplest solution.

[Aussie Dave]

Hope it works out Loski....... even if you send a PM to Steve G .... he may not have set his account up to notify his email inbox - I usually only drop in every few days...... when it gets too intense over on the KTM Forum site (there's a lot of big ego's on some forum's ).

[DaveNZ]

If some one can measure their spring length in say Street mode rider only, and compare it to your spring length in the same mode, it would be a great place to start from.

[Loski]

If some one can measure their spring length in say Street mode rider only, and compare it to your spring length in the same mode, it would be a great place to start from.

Hey that’s a great idea! That’ll give me a baseline so to speak. Thanks DaveNZ!

[Loski]

Hope it works out Loski....... even if you send a PM to Steve G .... he may not have set his account up to notify his email inbox - I usually only drop in every few days...... when it gets too intense over on the KTM Forum site (there's a lot of big ego's on some forum's ).

Very true. I’ve almost given up and have quietly accepted the reality that going back to standard is most likely the best route without having to make any more additional trips to the dealer (4-5 within the last two weeksand they’re almost an hour away). I don’t want to have to continue to go through a series of trial an error. On the last visit, I had the tech increase the rear preload to +5 in the rear to no avail. I’m getting an error message “preload adjuster” and it won’t cycle through the different pre-“Load” Settings. Visually and according to the display, it seems to be stuck on Rider + Luggage but judging by the stance and how vertical the bike is on the side stand, I think it’s actually stuck in -5 because it’s soft and low and feels like it’s set to rider only + no luggage. Honestly, I just want to ride and not be frustrated with the bike anymore. The multiple visits to the shop and time lost is detracting from my whole experience and eroding into my riding season. I asked the service advisor/mgr prior to installing the lowering collar and he thought the system would work itself out. When i came back to request him to remove the collar, he said he’d have to charge me half hour of labor. I told him i wasn’t comfortable with that being that i explicitly expressed to him my concern and he encouraged me to do the work because the semi auto suspension was smart enough to figure it out. Now that it hasn’t he’s claiming no responsibility and wants to charge me to remove it. Am i wrong for not holding him accountable for his expert advise and opinion? Either way, I’m kinda screwed because i don’t want him to agree and be disgruntled about it because they might neglect to do a thorough job reinstalling the spring and shock when they remove the lowering collar. Frustrating to say the least. Expensive lesson learned for no or marginal gains.

[Aussie Dave]

G'day Loski,

I think what's going on with the service manager is that he has to charge something as the computerized staff management accounting system cannot allow for any 'good faith' freebie's (or he doesn't know how to manipulate the system, or he is bonus driven and greedy)..... I know of this because my cousin has worked for dealerships as a head mechanic/workshop supervisor and has fought tooth and nail to find ways to get around the time allocation software to help loyal customers. They really are slaves to the system these days.....unless they are clever enough to out smart the software....

Your problem reads like the kit was installed ok, but the comment 'damper will sort itself out' makes me wonder how much the tech actually knows about the dynamic damping system on the 1290GT. Surely it needs to be set within certain limits to work properly? There must be a spec sheet - or maybe it has lost all it's gas (unlikely)?

I'm no expert...... but it reads like it's not setup correctly or has a sensor out of place, or a wire plugged in the wrong spot or some other silly thing. It should feel the same as before, only not as high.

Steve G's worked fine (I'm sure he would have said if it didn't work properly)..... and he used an independent shockie shop, not a KTM dealership, so you'd think a non KTM shop would likely stuff it up, rather than a 'trained' KTM service technician. Maybe the service manager pressured the mechanic to rush the job through to protect his bonus for on time job completion...... That's the sort of BS these computerized time management systems create at dealerships!

If you go back to stock you'll likely have the same issue, unless the KTM guys can do some research and work out what they might have done wrong on your shockie.

Do you have a suspension shop close by that has done some dynamic dampers?...these guys can be very capable and up to date with new tech stuff..... maybe that woulld be a better way to spend extra money than to go back where they don't seem to have a clue.

[Loski]

G'day Loski,

I think what's going on with the service manager is that he has to charge something as the computerized staff management accounting system cannot allow for any 'good faith' freebie's (or he doesn't know how to manipulate the system, or he is bonus driven and greedy)..... I know of this because my cousin has worked for dealerships as a head mechanic/workshop supervisor and has fought tooth and nail to find ways to get around the time allocation software to help loyal customers. They really are slaves to the system these days.....unless they are clever enough to out smart the software....

Your problem reads like the kit was installed ok, but the comment 'damper will sort itself out' makes me wonder how much the tech actually knows about the dynamic damping system on the 1290GT. Surely it needs to be set within certain limits to work properly? There must be a spec sheet - or maybe it has lost all it's gas (unlikely)?

I'm no expert...... but it reads like it's not setup correctly or has a sensor out of place, or a wire plugged in the wrong spot or some other silly thing. It should feel the same as before, only not as high.

Steve G's worked fine (I'm sure he would have said if it didn't work properly)..... and he used an independent shockie shop, not a KTM dealership, so you'd think a non KTM shop would likely stuff it up, rather than a 'trained' KTM service technician. Maybe the service manager pressured the mechanic to rush the job through to protect his bonus for on time job completion...... That's the sort of BS these computerized time management systems create at dealerships!

If you go back to stock you'll likely have the same issue, unless the KTM guys can do some research and work out what they might have done wrong on your shockie.

Do you have a suspension shop close by that has done some dynamic dampers?...these guys can be very capable and up to date with new tech stuff..... maybe that woulld be a better way to spend extra money than to go back where they don't seem to have a clue.

Thanks Dave! After some surfing on the web, I found a post in a YouTube video stating that +5 was actually the softest setting and -5 was the stiffest. This aligns with what I’m feeling after my last visit to the dealer. When there, I had the tech set the rear to +5 thinking it would stiffen the rear and increase preload but after riding it, it felt like it got softer and would explain why the bike seems softer and bouncier (acting like it did before the suspension update) and lower. Prior to this visit, the tech recalibrated the system again just to be sure it set itself after the install of the lowering collar and this helped control the back end slightly or at least felt as if we were heading in the right direction. Because of the time and effort. I’m going to give it one last shot and see if setting the rear to -5 increases the preload and helps with the ride. After that last ditch effort, it’s back to stock height. Pray for me.

With respect to my local suspension tuner, he shared with me what solutions they can provide but all will cost much more money time and effort because we’ll be going through a trial an error. I trust him as I’ve been going to them for all my suspension needs for 15+ years.

[Aussie Dave]

That sounds promising...... I've not read of anybody doing much +/- fiddling..... SDGT's must be confined to the dealers by the "system" so it's taking a while for aftermarket guys to get a leg in.

Sounds like you're onto it, let us know how you go

[pk1]

Yes I'm also very interested as after I got my update to 2019 spec I found I had to set to ride plus luggage as when on it the bike pitches on changing up the gears, it never done this before when I told him he said try changing to 2 up or with luggage , this did help but if it can be made stiffer like it used to be I would prefer that.
Apparently you lose the anti dive function with the 2019 upgrade and its non reversible.

[Loski]

That sounds promising...... I've not read of anybody doing much +/- fiddling..... SDGT's must be confined to the dealers by the "system" so it's taking a while for aftermarket guys to get a leg in.

Sounds like you're onto it, let us know how you go

Thanks Dave! I certainly will. Going into the dealer today. Wish me lucky!

[Loski]

Yes I'm also very interested as after I got my update to 2019 spec I found I had to set to ride plus luggage as when on it the bike pitches on changing up the gears, it never done this before when I told him he said try changing to 2 up or with luggage , this did help but if it can be made stiffer like it used to be I would prefer that.
Apparently you lose the anti dive function with the 2019 upgrade and its non reversible.

I’ve also heard that the update is not reversible but I’ve heard the opposite with respect to the anti dive. I was under the impression that the anti dive was now allowed in the sport (which it always was) AND street mode now. Others here who know more will correct me if I’m wrong.

Being that these are electronic semi active suspension vs manual single setting it’s all still “relatively“ new technology in comparison to the manual settings and feel like we’re all still in a trial and error method but trial cycles are much longer because we need an authorized dealer or tech to be able to be able to plug into our ecu and adjust the settings instead manually making these adjustments ourselves. It would be cool if the Open Flash Tuner, Bren Tuning or someone offered more than just adjusting fuel tables. I’ll report back today after my visit to the dealer but I have to head strait into work after the visit but wish me luck and come back for a ride report either tomorrow or Thursday.

[Loski]

Extra! Extra! Read all about it...
First ride report (after rear suspension adjustment) is that I can confirm that -5 adds additional preload and +5 takes away preload and soften the ride to our beloved GT’s. Yes it seems counterintuitive and I’m unsure of KTM’s logic but there you have it. The rear is more stable or controlled, not as good as many ohlins I’ve run in the past, but so much better than what it was before (which was damn near unridable). I haven’t gotten to put it through its paces yet because I had to come straight to work afterwards and it’s 100° out right now, but first impressions after the -5 adjustment is its better and as soon as I get it out on my “test track“ for a quick shakedown, I’ll be sure to give you all an update.

[Loski]

Ugh!!!
Tried to take its through its paces before work this morning and adjusted the load to “rider + no luggage” and bam! the preload adjuster warning light comes on again I must’ve gone 50-70 (+/-) miles home yesterday with my laptop, work clothes, canteens of water, etc so it was set to rider+luggage (all highway unfortunately) with no issues. The bike seemed to be handling better and more controlled with the adjusted preload to the rear. Why would this happen now?!?! It seemed like the settings the dealer had done were ok. Didnt feel as planted as it was before installing the Mizu lowering collar but close enough for me to be ok and ride it for a while, while i continued to put it through its paces and figure out its limits. Is my sensor fried or something wrong with the bike?