dmdee99

Member
Apr 24, 2006
123
0
I am new to dirtbikes and I have a 2000 rm250. I love the power on it but the bike seems to tall for me. I am 5'5 and I could barely tought the ground on it. I was looking for a lowering link for it and to my knowledge no one makes one. I talked to some shops and they said they could lower it for my using some custom parts. They said they would put spacers in my socks and forks to make the bike lower. And to get the correct springs for my weight (165-170). They recommened not to go lower than 2 inches.

-Can you let me know if that is the way to go?
-Are these guys telling the truth or bull****ing me?
-If there is a manufacture that makes a lowering link could you let me know who?

Any advise will be good.

Thanks :bang:
 

robwbright

Member
Apr 8, 2005
2,283
0
Try devol for lowering links.

http://www.devolracing.com/

You could go a cheaper route than either you suggested.

You can cut the seat foam down and recover the seat - will gain you an inch or inch and a half.

You can also cut the subframe to lower the seat height. This can be done by actually cutting piece out of the subframe and rewelding it together, or by simply elongating the bolt holes and sliding it down lower. Ricky Carmichael cuts the seat and the subframe and also raises the footpegs to accomodate his short legs.

I'd guess you could lower the seat a total of 2 inches or so - maybe even 2 and a half - and it would basically cost you nothing. Plus, both of those will not affect the handling or suspension in any way.

Yes, you can modify the suspension to make the bike sit lower. However, you will lose some suspension travel and presumably ground clearance.

I don't think the problem will seem as bad to you after you ride for awhile. I'm an inch shorter than you and manage just fine - although my subframe does appear that it may have been cut a 1/2 inch or so.

I have a cut seat that I am about to try out, but I rode/raced all last year without it. I find the height of the bike is mostly a problem in woods riding and on starts. It doesn't really bother me much in the actual race.

I would guess that the springs on the 250 are probably about right for your weight . . .
 

dmdee99

Member
Apr 24, 2006
123
0
Thanks for the info.

I have already cut some of the seat foam of the seat. I took about 1.5 inches out. I saw an add tha showed RC bike and I took it to a shop and they did the same thing to my seat for $20 bucks. The seat works well but I still have a problem starting the bike. I tend to get off balance when I try to start it because it still feels tall. Could you elaborate more about cutting the subframe. If I do cut the subframe does that change the bikes geometry? Will I need to adjust the fork height also?
 

robwbright

Member
Apr 8, 2005
2,283
0
It wouldn't affect the geometry at all. I'd leave the forks alone unless you think you need to raise them for handling purposes. Raising them will make the bike corner sharper, but also possibly adversely affect your straight line stability.

From what I understand, you can just elongate the holes on the bottom mount of the subframe - cut them out up to the edge of the weld, I suppose.

You could then weld the hole in to the size of the bolt, although I doubt the subframe would move if you didn't weld it in after you bolt it down.

Or you could actually cut a section out of both sides.

Of course, if you go too far, you'll end up with a lot of tire on the bottom of the rear fender.

Apparently 1/2 inch = about an inch of lowering.

From this article:

http://www.transworldmotocross.com/mx/print/0,20894,1177923,00.html

"To lower the subframe, I think mine is cut, eight millimeters is removed, and then it's rewelded. That brings the rear end down quite a bit. Some guys have tried nine or ten millimeters, but then you start having problems with things like exhaust mounts."
 

darringer

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 2, 2001
1,029
0
I lowered my subframe by welding up the lowere holes completely. Then I redrilled them as close to the boxed section as the bolt head would allow. I then ground down the excess material at the very bottom so it would fit cleanly where it attaches to the frame. This was about 10-12mm up. My plaastic still lined up well. The silencer was a bit trickier. I was able to loosen all of the pipe mounts and get the silencer to line up well. Then I retightened the pipe. I was able to lower the seat about 3/4". Along with cutting the seat foam made the bike much more comfortable for my 5'6" stature.
 

Junkyard Dog

Member
Mar 31, 2004
63
0
http://www.koubalink.com/
I used these on my KDX and they worked very good. Made it a lot easier to kick start the bike without falling over. Got just about 2 inches out of them.
And you have the benifit of taking them off when you resell your bike to someone taller, just like stock again.

Good luck

JD
 

KX02

Member
Jan 19, 2004
781
0
I'm on the fence here. I'm 5'8" and get along with m KX250 pretty well on tracks and wide open trails. Today I was following my friend on really tight nasty trails and it was really a pain for me. I just set my sag to the right spec and unfortunately it raised the seat about a half inch. I might just have to lower it back down for trails and back up for moto.
 


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