Hi all....been reading this thread with interest.....a few points if i may.... feel free to flame me
Firstly....dropping the forks, as we know, will quicken your steering.....but it will also make your bike less stable at speed....what makes a front end sort out a tankslapper on its own is rake,trail and castor.... now, dropping the forks lessens rake, lessens trail, and makes castor less effective at sorting out a slapper. hence as someone pointed out, a steering damper might not be a bad investment as "oh ****" insurance.
Think a shopping trolley.....its easier to steer by pushing from behind than it is to stand on it and propel yourself with one leg....same stuff only different shape.
AS for the whole changing all the suspension and dropping your forks..... well and good...all things to do to improve handling and steering etc....but, you really should do one thing at a time, run with it, get a feel for the changes you've made, alter something else once you have a new "bottom line"...get a feel for the new change, see how it suits you, change something else......etc... Progressively is the word.
Its up to yourself man...tis your bike and your money. My own feeling is that id like to learn little by little and at the end of it know how each change ties in with the other.... how it may work against some other aspect and how it may improve in conjunction with another adjustment.
As for it not bottoming out.....thats not the main point....you could in theory stiffen it up so much that even with 5mm travel it doesnt bottom out.....think race/drift cars and hard suspension....very little travel, but no bottoming out. Thats no use on a bike....you need a range of USEABLE suspension and not just a simpleup and down either.....not just to make sure its not bottoming out. Hence you need to look at static sag etc and get it setup by someone who knows what they're doing.... if you've done that then great....if you havent then you need to be looking at the guy who has adjusted your suspension and realise he hasn't done the most basic of checks for you.
The only other thing i can think to point out is "lateral suspension" as such.
When you go into a corner, the more you lean over the less your forks work as suspension, and the more the actual forks and frame/yoke/steering head etc take up the forces. Basically, a bikes frame has to have a degree of flexibility to allow this flexing,else every small bump you hit in a tight/low corner would sent you lowsiding front first.
You may recall one of the race teams this season making small cuts on a bikes frame with a hacksaw to help de-stiffen the frame for cornering...?
The point? Shortening the forks puts more emphasis on the frame taking the loads during fast cornering, not to say anything will break, but the bike being a budget bike would be less stable, less comfortable, and may tank slapper or lowside easier...especially with very stiff suspension.
Bottom line? If you really want good adjustable suspension....put a gsxr front on it.....much less hassle, and much more worthwhile/upgradeable in the long run.
And aside from all that.....enjoy yourself
but do realise that nobody here is intending to lecture...just help..... in much the same way that if someone posted "im removing a front brake caliper to save weight seeing as i use mostly engine braking anyway,what you guys think?" would be advised in the name of safety why it may not be a good idea !
Safety over function over style...........