Lowering seat height on the 4-strokes

[Big Bad Voodoo]

I have decided to go 4-stroke and will be buying one sometime in august and am set on getting a 450 CRF,EXC, or maybe even YZF at this point. I want this bike to be a perfect ride and with the wider powerband and smooth power I am confident it will be. I just need the seat lowered some inches to fit my height (5ft 6) so anyone that has gone through this or has any knowledge (like how low should I go and cost estimate) more than welcome here.

 

[minutz]

At 5' 6" i think you would need at least 2 to 3 inches taken out. You could get 2" by getting the suspension lowered without suffering much rideability, You would need shorter springs in the forks and the shock would need to be shortened. To get more than 2" I think you would also need a shorter shock spring. It all depends on you weight, when you shorten springs they become stiffer so you might need lighter ones. One good thing about doing it that way is that you can but it back to stock height if you sell it someday. I know mx-tech offers this service but not sure on the cost.

 

[biglou]

If you are thinking about shaving the seat foam down, keep in mind that there isn't a lot there to begin with on the YZF. Not trying to steer you away from YZ, mind you!

 

[Big Bad Voodoo]

heh ha naw the YZF is deff still an option. I am willing to dump a good amount of money into this bike but hopefully it wont be too pricey, but if it is then oh well. Heh the process sounds somewhat complicated. THANKS for the insight

 

[tnrider]

talk to Jeremy Wilkey at MX-Tech (www.mx-tech.com) - i posted a similar question and Rich Rohrich sent me to Jeremy. I have not yet had it done, due to an injury, but plan to take the bike to Jeremy as soon as I can push it onto the truck. I spoke with Jeremy on the phone and i recall that he could lower a crf450 a few inches w/o much loss of suspension/control. i plan to also have him tune for offroad rather than the stock MX settings.

 

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Think I'll do just that and get back on that bike ASAP. God only knows I've slammed my leg a few times, injuries = annoying downtime
LATER AND TAKE CARE

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Jeremy Wilkey at MX-Tech (www.mx-tech.com) did a great job on lowering my CRF, and my YZF400 before that and my XR660 before that :) It makes the bike way more fun to ride. It was the only mod I did to my CRF for the first year and it's still the best .


http://dirtrider.net/teamdrn/showphoto.php/photo/1726/size/big/sort/1/cat/500

 

[Big Bad Voodoo]

awww I dont have permission to view the pic, how much did it cost you and do you recall what he did to lower it? How tall is the seat height now and hows the suspension? (I'm just full of questions tonight) Oh yeah and I went to a honda dealer wed and Have decided to go with Honda. I am starting to realize my RM250 was lowered cause its not as tall as these newer beefed up bikes.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Here's some pictures of the CRF I had lowered 5 inches. It's valved and sprung for DTX usage but it will still clear a big jump without any problems. Having ridden bikes setup both ways I think a properly setup lowered bike turns better, slides better, and is generally just more fun to ride.

Here's a link that describes what Jeremy did to my YZF444:

http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=5236&highlight=beast

The work on the CRF was a bit less extensive but the results were even better. Jeremy has spent a lot of time working with the KTM factory Supermoto team and a lot of winning DTX racers so he has learned a ton about how to best accomplish a successful lowering job.

 

[Big Bad Voodoo]

I must say that is a damm nice ride. Jeremy is deff the man I will go to if I decide to lower the seat (which I'm pretty sure I will have to) How tall are you Rich? (anyone on this forum who rides any brand of 450 is welcome to answer as well) I'm 5ft 6 and I actually gained weight I'm at 130 now and turned 22 today haha.

 

[ironworker]

Jeremy Wilkey at MX-Tech (www.mx-tech.com) did a great job on lowering my CRF, and my YZF400 before that and my XR660 before that :) It makes the bike way more fun to ride. It was the only mod I did to my CRF for the first year and it's still the best .


http://dirtrider.net/teamdrn/showphoto.php/photo/1726/size/big/sort/1/cat/500

I need to lower my wifes CRF250X by about 2" so i looked at MX-Tech and it looks like they can do the job, How long did it take to get your suspension back from the day you sent it to them? BTW your 450 looks sweet as hell, I had no idea they could do that to suspension. Thanks for the tip.

Rich

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I need to lower my wifes CRF250X by about 2" so i looked at MX-Tech and it looks like they can do the job, How long did it take to get your suspension back from the day you sent it to them?

I had Service Honda send the suspension pieces to MX-Tech before I even picked up the bike so I can't say for sure what turn-around time was. Best bet would be to call Jeremy and ask him when the best time is to get shortest turnaround. He'll give you a straight answer.
:cool:

BTW your 450 looks sweet as hell

Thanks. It looks even better in it's SuperMoto/DTX clothes :yeehaw:

http://dirtrider.net/teamdrn/showphoto.php/photo/2879/size/big/sort/1/cat/506

 

[ironworker]

Just talked to the guys over at MX-Tech and they told me to call I-MOTO which is just 20 miles away, they are a distibuter and west coast mechanics for MX-Tech and it will only be a 3 day turn around on my parts, taking them today ;) $300.00 to lower the 250X thats the best part of it all.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Cool. I'm sure she'll really enjoy the bike even more when it fits her better and the valving is set for her.

 

[ironworker]

Hey Rich, is that something we should have done? he asked me if we wanted to have the suspension revalved but i didn't know, the bike is brand new,( 10 hours) should we have it revalved for her weight? all she does is trail ride, this is her first bike pretty much so i thought stock would be good enough but it would help with control issues i will do what ever is best, money is not a object.

Thanks for the help
Rich

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I've always found that having the bike revalved is worthwhile when shortening the suspension. When you make the bike sit lower in it's travel it's important to have the valving reflect that. I've hated the bikes I have ridden belonging to other riders that have been shortened but not revalved. In the end nothing works quite as good as suspension setup specifically for your weight, riding ability and the conditions. In my opinion it's still the best money you can spend on a bike, and that's tough to say being an engine guy. :)

 

[ironworker]

Thanks for the tip Rich, I will have it revalved at the same time then, it was only around $200 for the revalve so like you say it will be money well spent.
On my way to deliver now :-)

 

[Big Bad Voodoo]

lucky wife

 

[ironworker]

lucky wife

Spoiled Rotten my friend "Spoiled Rotten" Like it should be i gueess, a family that plays together stays together.