lowering link, not for street use?

I just got my first bike(sv650s) a week ago... , and the first thing I bought for the bike is a set of lowering links(dogbone), because I am a newbie and feel unsecured not able to put my full foot down on the ground.

Anyways, I got my lowering link on eBay, and it arrivied today, with a warning lable on the package, says:
"Warning. This item does NOT meet DOT requirements for street use. It is sold for Non-Highway Show-Use ONLY"...

Is this normal? Are all aftermarket lowering links not DOT certified? or just the one I got? Because the same seller sold bounch of the same ones and everyone left him positive feedbacks. So I am confused if I should return it.

Thanx.

ALL aftermarket parts are recommended for off road/show use only

how tall are you? try shaving your seat 1st. lowering drastically changes the way it handles

the warning is normal.

Try to avoid using lowering links unless you're really really short and can't safely sit on the bike at a stop without falling over.

Lowering the suspension has some negative effects on steering and overall handling of the bike. Not really horrible side effects but preferably avoided.

First try shaving the seat or using a lower aftermarket seat.

Hi guys, thanx for all your answers. Perhaps I should try shaving the seat then.

I saw some online instructions on how to shave seats, seems not too hard, but since this is my first bike, don't want to screw it up. Anyone know any shop or person can shave seat perfessionally in south Bay?

thanx..

kyles here said:

ALL aftermarket parts are recommended for off road/show use only

Click to expand...

Well, yeah...but that doesn't stop anyone does it?

Also, if you lower the rear, you must lower the front to match. Otherwise you're really screwing up your suspension geometry.

But I totally agree with the others. Start with modifying the seat first. Lowering a bike reduces cornering clearance. And there are other potential problems as well.

Keep in mind that the stock foam may be too soft to cut down very far. You may find that it's then not thick enough to provide comfortable padding. In that case, a more dense or stiffer foam or padding may be required. What you'd to is completely cut away the stock foam in the cut down area and replace it with the higher density stuff.

You might also consider a Corbin. I think the things are too darn hard and stiff, but most Corbin aftermarket seats sit you lower than stock. (Something I don't like either as I'm 6'1".)

There are other companies out there that you can mail your seat to and they'll do some mods for you. Like Russel, Travelcade and others.

Finally, if your butt isn't too big or wide, you might try narrowing the seat just a bit. That also helps a lot in getting your legs down. Just go at it slowly and do some trial sittings. It's easy to take off more material. It's very difficult to add it back on.

For gross foam removal, an electric carving knife works great. For finer removal and shaping, try a nice new and sharp Sureform rasp. And don't be afraid to make reference marks on the foam with parmanent markers. The marks can be a great guide for how far to remove material. And the seat fabric will cover it all again anyway.