F4i Suspension...

Hey guys,

There's a chance I may be 'getting back' my old F4i as a daily/track ride so I was wondering if someone could help me out.

To increase turn in capability (and to make the F4i feel more track vs. street) I want to drop the front and raise the rear. Dropping the front is straight-forward using a headstock stand, but I don't know where or how to raise the rear with shims...

I know dogbutter has done this, but I can't find that old thread. Can anyone else provide info?

Thanks,
Rich

Be careful if you lower the front cuz you will lose what little ground clearance F4i's have and it will change the rake of the front.I dont think you can shim the rear shock of an F4i because of the way its mounted but if it's gonna be a track bike an after market shock would probably be worth your money and will be height adjustable.Raising the rear is a much better option than dropping the fron cuz you will acheive quicker turn in and also increase ground clearance

maybe just shim up the rear

yep, why lower the front, just shim up the rear or buy an aftermarket shock w/ ride height adj...

Mine is an '00 F4. Not sure if there are any differences to the shock/mount from the F4i. If not, just put a shim in at the top of the shock where it nmounts to the frame.

For a shim, you can use a large washer, or a pice of aluminum with a hole drilled into it for the mounting bolt to go through.

A 3mm shim is what is usually rcommended for the F4, not sure if the F4i is different. Also, on the f4, it is not a good idea to lower the front end, not just loss of ground clearence, but also loss of stability. With back end raised it doesnt really even help turn-in.

Actually if you change (increase) rear ride height it will increase turn in speed because as with lowering the front you are changing the rake of the front and it will increase front end stability. Gary J is a good person to ask about this subject .

just don't jack up the rear too much you may have to do it a few times w/ different shims to get a setup that works for you.

Can't afford a new rear, so I'll just play with what is here. Shimming up the rear it is!!!

Thanks all for the input and thanks jxl for the diagram...

-Rich

PowderdToastMan said:

Actually if you change (increase) rear ride height it will increase turn in speed because as with lowering the front you are changing the rake of the front and it will increase front end stability. Gary J is a good person to ask about this subject .

Click to expand...

Right!
What I was trying to say is that it does not help the F4 to lower the front. Raising the rear is sufficient for turn in. Lowering the front in addition just makes it unstable.

Rich, If you need help with getting the shim in there let me know.

-jxl

JXL,

Have you shimmed the rear shock on your F4 ? I never really looked @ it cuz when I asked someone before they said it couldnt be done due to the way it mounted .I have a 00 F4 also

Big Rich -

Yes you can raise the rear end of the F4i using shims. I raised the rear about 1 3/8" as messured from the rear axel to the tail vertically. You will need to buy a new top mount bolt that goes through the frame as there isnt enough thread on the one from the factory (at least on my 01).

But - funny thing is that the factory replacement part is longer and will have more than enough thread length to raise the rear. Cost $6 from Honda. Long story on how I figured that out....

Let me know if you have any Q's or need help.

Ditto to what OaklandF4i said. I reccomend using a square of aluminum instead of just the washer that most people have used. It just seems better not to reduce the contact area between the top of the shock and the frame.
A 3mm spacer raises the back end enough but does not leave enough threads for the mounting bolt to seem really comfortable. If the replacement part is a bit longer that's news to me but great news.
I raised the back end a bit more than that, but I also raised the front as well. I expereimented a lot with this and found that that works best for me. End result is I got an adjustable ride height Penske shock, so while mine does not now have any shims, I know for sure that shims will work. There is no problem with the mount at all as long as you put the shim where I showed in the diagram.
I also needed stronger springs in the front (had it re-valved too while I was at it)