So I rode this weekend with a few other RoadStars and noticed something on one of them that brought me to this thread. One of the guys riding with us was on a '99 Roadstar. I'm on an '03 Silverado. His saddle height is the same as mine but his bike's frame sits a hell of a lot higher off the ground than mine does. I noticed that he wasn't scraping floorboards while we were having fun in the twisties but really didn't pat that much attention to the height of his bike until the following day at the races.

Here are the questions:
Are there difference in frame heights for different years?
Different models?

No not that I am aware of he may have put in stiffer springs all the way around.

Curt wrote:
No not that I am aware of he may have put in stiffer springs all the way around.

It is a considerable difference in my bike to his. I would say at the least it's a 4" difference for ground clearance, but his saddle height is the same, so that's what was throwing me off.

When i bought my 06 silverado i had to crank in full rear shock spring load tension when riding 2up /fully loaded to stop bottoming out which raised bikes ride consierably.

Dint measure it but would lifted by at least 2.75-3" and made bike a bit more sensitive/twitchy feeling at times which i got used too.

Recently installed progressive std height rear shock spring and still had to crank in almost full tension to stop it from bouncing up/down too much when going over dips in pavement that was it didnt do with stock spring.

Now with new prog spring adj tight to reduce bouncing after going thru dips in rad it now sits approx 1" higher then with stock spring at full tension adj,this is with stock shock for both springs.

I have a feeling even though my bikes stock shock only has 14k on it that the shock is weak making the shock spring have to do the dampening job of shock plus it's own job too over loading it .

And bike isnt overloaded with combined weight of wife & myslef being approx 300lbs which isnt near as much wt as other people are doing on these bikes when riding 2 up.

I plan to replace stock shock with a new prog 465 shock/spring pkg to hopefully fix it once and for all.

Will try to sell the prog std height rear spring here at a real good/reduced price to a fellow RSC when i install the new shock this comming spring.

I will have approx 1k-1,500 miles on the new prog spring by then with my riding season almost done for 2011 here in NY so it wont have much use on it.

Scott

Same frame, friend swapped out a 99 frame (wreck) to an 05.

What type of seat is he running. Could be his suspension is cranked way up, but if it's an aftermarket seat it may be a lower profile seat giving the same illusion.

No way could the bike be 4" higher. My stock height was 5.5" so that would be 9.5" of ground clearance. You could pick up maybe 1-1.5" with a better spring or preload all the way up and he may have his boards up a little to make the diff with a lower seat you woulnt feel the differance while parked.

smokescreens wrote:
No way could the bike be 4" higher. My stock height was 5.5" so that would be 9.5" of ground clearance. You could pick up maybe 1-1.5" with a better spring or preload all the way up and he may have his boards up a little to make the diff with a lower seat you woulnt feel the differance while parked.

I'll have to measure it compared to mine. Right now I could slide a regular Sears yellow jack under my bike right behind the kickstand and the jack will just barely fit. I mean like JUST barely. I could slide it under his bike and place my fist on the jack sideways and still have clearance. My fist is about 3.5 inches wide. So, it's close to four inches.

He's running a stock seat that has been reupholstered.

I think my bike is right around 5", Like I said I'll measure it and see what they come out to.

Interesting of the difference, about that of a flip and grind on the shock arm. Is yours stock height? too.

I have a red jack same as you just makes it under there. With the tricky shock it gets maybe 1" taller than stock. I wonder... Does he have taller tires maybe? Im interested in what mods he has done to the wheels or susension