Lowering the NC700X

Where to buy Soupy's Lowering Links - Note - as an Amazon Affiliate, I earn for qualifying purchases. For the NC700X - https://amzn.to/3k4kc1F

How to lower the Honda NC700X motorcycle. The stock rear suspension links are replaced with Soupy's Lowering Links and the front forks are raised (lowering the front of the bike). Note: In the video I raise the forks one inch (25 mm). I have since noticed that my "Fenda Extenda" hits the plastic below the radiator during heavy braking so I lowered the forks one half inch (12 mm), so they are now 1/2 inch (12 mm) above the top triple clamp. When raising your forks make sure your wheel or fender does not contact any other body parts during full compression of the forks.

Make all adjustments at your own risk. If you doubt your ability to perform these tasks correctly then take your bike to a professional. Your life isn't worth the risk. More below ....

CAUTIONS AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Shock absorber preload and sag should be checked to ensure a properly operating rear suspension.

The front suspension should also be checked to ensure proper operation.

Lowering your bike will reduce the bike's lean angle while on the side stand and make it more difficult, if not impossible, to get the bike up on the center stand. The side stand will likely need to be replaced with a shorter one (I cut mine down about an inch myself). The center stand will need to be cut down or replaced with a shorter one or, alternatively, you can keep a block of wood with you to roll the rear wheel on as demonstrated in the video at 0:52.

Note on the Soupy's Lowering Links - I didn't need to adjust them in the video since I already had them installed on the bike earlier and they had been adjusted previously to lower the bike about 3/4" (1.9 cm). For those installing these new, you can install them on the bike as shown in the video and then do all of your adjusting of the links when the bike is back on the ground. Just loosen the nuts on each end of the lowering link's center turnbuckle and adjust the turnbuckles until you get the desired height, then hold the turnbuckle and tighten the nuts back down to lock it in place. The turnbuckles have a notch on the side of them at one end which indicates the nut on that end is reverse threaded. Remember this when tightening and loosening that nut. Also - very important - make sure you keep both lowering links the same length. The instructions that come with them explain all of this.

I started out by measuring the height of the front and rear of the bike at fixed locations. Then I installed the lowering links and adjusted them to a point where I felt the height would be good for me. I then re-measured the height and determined the drop was about 19 mm or 3/4 inch. Using some math from the ancient depths of my memory, I determined the front forks should be raised about an inch to get the same 19 mm drop in the front (or close enough to that). Raising the forks about 1" caused the front of the bike to drop about 3/4". Note: As I said above, I later came back and re-adjusted the forks so they're a half inch (12 mm) above the top triple clamp to prevent my Fenda Extenda from contacting the plastic by the radiator during hard braking.

I can't tell the difference in the stance of the bike by looking at it, and when riding it feels much better than it did before lowering.

Torque Specs for 2012-15 NC700X. Not sure about later years.

Lowering Link bolts - 44 nm or 32 ft. lbs.
Upper Triple Clamp Bolts - 22 nm or 16 ft. lbs.
Lower Triple Clamp Bolts - 39 nm or 29 ft. lbs.

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