Lowering a Suzuki Katana 600

I keep hearing different things from different people on lowering my bike (1999 Suzuki GSX600R Katana).  Some people say not to do it, and those who say that I can all have different ways.  Please help, my head is starting to spin.  Bottom line is, I need to either grow 1 1/2" taller (I'm about 5'-4"), lower my bike 1" to 1 1/2", or give up and buy something smaller (no way!).  I think that as long as I don't lower it more than that, I'll still have good ground clearance.  I just don't like that I can't comfortably put both feet on the ground.  Any advice?

What I've heard so far:
Raise the forks and cut the spring (I'm thinking... no)
Install lowering links (perhaps...)
Soften the suspension (I weigh about 150 - how much will that do? )
Shave some foam off the seat (the seat has about 3 1/2 inches of foam, but that advice just doesn't seem right)
Wear boots with taller heels (if the heels get any taller I'm going to get it stuck on the peg)

HELP!!  

I hate to say it  but shaving the seat is the least intrusive to the bike.And if you do take the seat to an upholstery shop. Or try to find a low profile seat for sale maybe even a whole new tail. Also you can try next time you get tires go one profile smaller front and back. I always go one size down on the fronts and it does drop he nose down some how much i coudn't say.
If you do anything with the suspension you want to do it as a package as in get a kit made to do exactly that.  

Ok so you can get a rear lowering link kit about anywhere and that gives you a 1.5" or a 3" drop in the rear it has 2 settings. That will get the job done as far as what it does to the handling of the bike well let us know. yoshimura makes a kit and claims faster track times but i know for a fact your going to kill the positive frame angle of your suspension but for just daily driving you should be cool let us know what you do.  

Thanks for the advice.  I'm going to look into the seat shaving first, and if that's not enough, I'll go with the lowering links.

Lowering the bike is mainly for holding the bike up when I stop.  I keep dropping the bike (so embarrassing).  There were a few reasons, but mainly it was because I couldn't get my feet planted properly.  A few times my left foot slipped on some gravel and the bike went right down.  

thats all i had to do on my zzr600.  shaving got me about  1.5-2 inches lower...and the seat is more comfortable too!  take it to an upholsterer for sure though...kinda pricy but they will do it right.  

I called a few upholstery places, and they must have thought that I was on glue because they didn't seem to understand what I was asking them to do.  So, I did it myself.  It took about 6 hours total. I used the rounded edge of a rubber sanding block and 3 sheets of 50 grit sandpaper so that I wouldn't tear it up.  I stopped four times throughout the process to test out the seat to see what kind of difference it had made.  All in all, it went very well.  And, I agree, the seat is much more comfortable that way.  The only downside is that I couldn't get the cover back on tight over the foam.  I'll have to take it to an upholstery place to secure that better.

Unfortunately, it didn't do quite enough, so I ordered lowering links.  Hopefully they'll come in this week (they said 3-5 business days).  I'll let you all know how it works out.  

i wouldnt stress about being totally flat footed, because i'm not when i ride.  initially i thought the bike would be very cumbersome if i wasnt (even after having the seat done) but 1300 miles later my bike feels like a feather.  its partially just a matter of becoming accustom to the  weight.  lowering links may help you though if your bike is still sitting you close to your tippy toes.  

Here's a question - if I install the links now, can I remove them in a few months to get the bike back to it's original height?  

Yea should be just a reverse procedure with the stock parts.  

This may be a stupid question, but I have to ask.  If I get boots or shoes that have thicker soles or higher heels, at what point does the extra sole height get ridiculous?  I guess what I'm asking is, is it unsafe to have shoes with 2" thick soles?  

i would think it would make it hard to shift... but if your riding on the balls of your feet instead of hooked on your heels, then it would probably just be a matter of getting used to it i would think.  i got like 1.25 inch soles on my boots and they were weird at first...like i would hit the shifter with the side of them and stuff instead of the top, but then i repositioned myself/got used to the boots, and i dont even notice the thicker soles now...but 2 inches might be a different story, im not sure...it would be freakin awesome if you could rock some platform shoes while riding though! haha  

That's funny, because when I first started looking for boots online, I came across these crazy high-heeled open-toed platform shoes.  First, I don't know why anyone would wear open-toed shoes on a bike, and second, they looked like hooker shoes.  

Here's an update for everyone:

I finished shaving the seat and took it to an upholstery place to re-attach the cover.  It cost about $5 for them to do that.  It's still a bit too tall for me, but I just received the lowering links and found someone to install them for me.  The guy said that he needs to raise the forks at the same time so that the bike sits level (makes sense).  I'll let you all know how it works out next week.  

Another update:

I found a shop to install the lowering links.  The first setting on the Yana Shiki links were only about 1/8" different from the stock links, so the difference at that setting was minimal at best.  The second setting dropped the bike about 2 1/2".  They had to shorten the kickstand and remove the center stand so that it wouldn't scrape against the ground, and I can't ride with passengers while the bike sits that low (not that I would anyway).

It has made a huge difference.  I feel much more confident now that I can place both feet flat on the ground.  As for handling, it's easier to turn, and now that the center stand is gone it's a bit lighter.  In all honesty, I prefer it this way.  I'm not planning on leaning to the ground around turns, and I'm not going to be racing with this bike, so I think that this is going to work out very well.  If it doesn't, I'll just adjust the links to the higher setting.

Thank you to everyone for your advice on this.  I really appreciate it.

~ Athena  

Hey, what about the Kantana as a sporty bike overalll??Thinking about a CBR600..