im new here, and new to bikes, but could someone give me details of what all is involved in lowering my bike? its an 03 636. My short 5'8 self struggles keeping both feet on the ground. i'm new to riding so this is important to me at the moment.

 

How much do you weigh? If you set the sag on the suspension for your weight it may drop a little bit with no modifications and actually handle better. Check around for a tutorial. If you do lower it all you would need are the new links and some time, but it will change the CG of the bike and usually doesnt handle as well. If you can manage tripoding it around you may be better off, but it is much more comfortable getting both feet on the ground. Let us know how it goes!

 

+1 to the sag adjustment first.

 

im 5'8 about 185pds.

 

easiest way to lower the front is to loosend up the clamps on the tripple trees and slide the forks up, good reminder is to do one side at a time, also you will need lowering links for the rear, the adjustable ones are nicer because it lets you choose between settings to your likeings

 

768 RYDA is right. An important, and sometimes overlooked step when lowering a bike, is to adjust the whole bike. Many people get themselves a set of rear links, drop it a couple of inches, see if they can touch the ground, and if they can, that's it they're done. It is very important to lower both ends the same amount. I think your best bet would be to take the bike to either a dealer, or other motorcycle shop, and have an experienced mechanic install the lowering links and make the adjustments in front. If you will feel safer and more comfortable on the bike by lowering it, then I think you should. After gaining some experience, you can always go back to the original height. Good luck with your new toy! Have you posted any pics of it yet? I'd like to see it.

 

as mentioned, without a good sag setup, do not even bother with a link to lower the ride. I am the same height as well, but once the sag is correct, it generally should be just fine without any other mods. (not including spring replacement to meet the sag requirements that is if needed.)