question about lowering the wr250R

seriously looking into getting one of these bad boys but will definitely need to do some lowering so,

if I do the stock ~ 1 inch lowering + a yamalink, will this affect the side stand? as in, will I need to mod it in order for it to work?

also, how many inches/mm should I drop the front forks with said rear lowering combo?

thanks!

pookguy88 wrote:

seriously looking into getting one of these bad boys but will definitely need to do some lowering so,

if I do the stock ~ 1 inch lowering + a yamalink, will this affect the side stand? as in, will I need to mod it in order for it to work?

also, how many inches/mm should I drop the front forks with said rear lowering combo?

thanks!

I have mine lowered just like that and did not cut the side stand. Also I only lowered the front by 1/2 inch, some like 5/8 inch. You can work on that, as the more you raise the forks, the quicker it will turn.
Find what you like...

Now just to be correct, I did buy my bike used. It was not lowered when I bought it, but don't know about the kick stand for sure..

pookguy88 wrote:

also, how many inches/mm should I drop the front forks with said rear lowering combo?

thanks!

I read somewhere that professional riders recommend lowering the front 1/2 to 2/3rds the amount you lower the rear on this bike. I did 1/2 and like it very much. Had a very experienced rider check it out after I did it and he said it handled just right. You can always tweak it if you have under/over steer.

You have to maintain just over 10.6 In between the top of the front tire and the underside of the front fender, that is the limiting factor to how far you can lower the front suspension. Imagine grabbing big air...and then your front tire stops spinning when you land  

28.5" inseam. Add an inch for the boot heels.

Am using yamalink + lowered shock block (to lowest) + seat concepts + sag at 3.5". Triple tree lowered 5/8th.

Sidestand lowered for preference, not need.

Best .... Raymond

raymondhenson wrote:

28.5" inseam.  Add an inch for the boot heels.

Am using yamalink + lowered shock block (to lowest) + seat concepts + sag at 3.5".  Triple tree lowered 5/8th.  

Sidestand lowered for preference, not need.

Best .... Raymond

how tall are you? your inseam sounds about the same as me.

Also, how do you adjust sag on this bike? I'm about 135lb without gear so not sure what the stock sag is set at.

Hi pookguy,

Am 5'8".  More important (in reference to sag) is my weight .... 165lbs and with gear, about 180lbs.  

My goal is 30% of total suspension travel or to simplify (for me), 3 inches of laden/race/rider sag.  If I find I have 3 1/4th inch ... am happy as well.  

You can set the preload (ring nut) on top of the springs on the rear shock to adjust the sag.

Here ... taken from HF's site  ( http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/suspension/104-suspension-101 ) :

STATIC SAG:  Also known as "Free Sag"....its the amount the unloaded bike settles on its suspension when lowered to the ground from a center stand.  This is altered by adjusting the large preload ring on the threaded section of the rear shock.  Ideally, it should be set for 10 - 25 mm of Static Sag.

RACE SAG:  Also known as "Rider Sag".....its the amount the bike settles when lowered to the floor and a fully equipped rider mounts it.  So, how do you measure it?

- put the bike on a center stand with both wheels off the ground.
- get a helper to hold the bike steady, while you sit in a normal riding position (not too far back or too far forward).
- measure from the axle center to a point on the body with the wheels off the floor.
- lower the bike to the ground and mount up again.  While holding it level, have your helper measure the distance between the same two points.
- the difference between these two measurements is the Race Sag.  It should be 1/3 of the total suspension travel (usually between 95 - 105 mm)


- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is LESS than 1/3rd of travel, you need softer springs.
- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is MORE than 1/3rd of travel, you need stiffer springs.

PRELOAD:  The loading of the spring from its static length.  Preload adjustment is used to obtain the correct Sag readings.  
- incorrect Preloads will affect both steering qualities and ride qualities.

FWIW, my WRR has both GO-RACE "treated" shocks and forks.  The settings are what Travis recommended based on my preferences which are pretty darn close.  Nevertheless, I am still playing/fiddling/experimenting, for example, with the fork settings depending on where I am taking the bike this weekend.  Always nice to know "hmmm, so that's how it reacts at these settings..."  Would gladly share with you my settings but remember, these are my preferences and they are based on GO-RACE altered components. Always best to start off from the stock settings.

Let me know.  Best .... Raymond

raymondhenson wrote:

Hi pookguy,

Am 5'8".  More important (in reference to sag) is my weight .... 165lbs and with gear, about 180lbs.  

My goal is 30% of total suspension travel or to simplify (for me), 3 inches of laden/race/rider sag.  If I find I have 3 1/4th inch ... am happy as well.  

You can set the preload (ring nut) on top of the springs on the rear shock to adjust the sag.

Here ... taken from HF's site  ( http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/suspension/104-suspension-101 ) :

STATIC SAG:  Also known as "Free Sag"....its the amount the unloaded bike settles on its suspension when lowered to the ground from a center stand.  This is altered by adjusting the large preload ring on the threaded section of the rear shock.  Ideally, it should be set for 10 - 25 mm of Static Sag.

RACE SAG:  Also known as "Rider Sag".....its the amount the bike settles when lowered to the floor and a fully equipped rider mounts it.  So, how do you measure it?

- put the bike on a center stand with both wheels off the ground.
- get a helper to hold the bike steady, while you sit in a normal riding position (not too far back or too far forward).
- measure from the axle center to a point on the body with the wheels off the floor.
- lower the bike to the ground and mount up again.  While holding it level, have your helper measure the distance between the same two points.
- the difference between these two measurements is the Race Sag.  It should be 1/3 of the total suspension travel (usually between 95 - 105 mm)


- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is LESS than 1/3rd of travel, you need softer springs.
- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is MORE than 1/3rd of travel, you need stiffer springs.

PRELOAD:  The loading of the spring from its static length.  Preload adjustment is used to obtain the correct Sag readings.  
- incorrect Preloads will affect both steering qualities and ride qualities.

FWIW, my WRR has both GO-RACE "treated" shocks and forks.  The settings are what Travis recommended based on my preferences which are pretty darn close.  Nevertheless, I am still playing/fiddling/experimenting, for example, with the fork settings depending on where I am taking the bike this weekend.  Always nice to know "hmmm, so that's how it reacts at these settings..."  Would gladly share with you my settings but remember, these are my preferences and they are based on GO-RACE altered components. Always best to start off from the stock settings.

Let me know.  Best .... Raymond

awesome, thanks for that write up

question, on the part about setting race sag, you say to put the bike on center stand and then sit on it with both wheels off the ground. Can the stand/mount point of the bike take that much weight??

pookguy88 wrote:

raymondhenson wrote:

Hi pookguy,

Am 5'8".  More important (in reference to sag) is my weight .... 165lbs and with gear, about 180lbs.  

My goal is 30% of total suspension travel or to simplify (for me), 3 inches of laden/race/rider sag.  If I find I have 3 1/4th inch ... am happy as well.  

You can set the preload (ring nut) on top of the springs on the rear shock to adjust the sag.

Here ... taken from HF's site  ( http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/suspension/104-suspension-101 ) :

STATIC SAG:  Also known as "Free Sag"....its the amount the unloaded bike settles on its suspension when lowered to the ground from a center stand.  This is altered by adjusting the large preload ring on the threaded section of the rear shock.  Ideally, it should be set for 10 - 25 mm of Static Sag.

RACE SAG:  Also known as "Rider Sag".....its the amount the bike settles when lowered to the floor and a fully equipped rider mounts it.  So, how do you measure it?

- put the bike on a center stand with both wheels off the ground.
- get a helper to hold the bike steady, while you sit in a normal riding position (not too far back or too far forward).
- measure from the axle center to a point on the body with the wheels off the floor.
- lower the bike to the ground and mount up again.  While holding it level, have your helper measure the distance between the same two points.
- the difference between these two measurements is the Race Sag.  It should be 1/3 of the total suspension travel (usually between 95 - 105 mm)


- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is LESS than 1/3rd of travel, you need softer springs.
- if Static Sag is correct but Race Sag is MORE than 1/3rd of travel, you need stiffer springs.

PRELOAD:  The loading of the spring from its static length.  Preload adjustment is used to obtain the correct Sag readings.  
- incorrect Preloads will affect both steering qualities and ride qualities.

FWIW, my WRR has both GO-RACE "treated" shocks and forks.  The settings are what Travis recommended based on my preferences which are pretty darn close.  Nevertheless, I am still playing/fiddling/experimenting, for example, with the fork settings depending on where I am taking the bike this weekend.  Always nice to know "hmmm, so that's how it reacts at these settings..."  Would gladly share with you my settings but remember, these are my preferences and they are based on GO-RACE altered components. Always best to start off from the stock settings.

Let me know.  Best .... Raymond

awesome, thanks for that write up

question, on the part about setting race sag, you say to put the bike on center stand and then sit on it with both wheels off the ground. Can the stand/mount point of the bike take that much weight??

You don't need to sit on the bike while on the stand. Take the measurement from the center of axle to a fixed point on the sub frame, maybe a rack if you have one. Then remove the stand and sit on the bike, while a friend holds the bike upright and measures from the center of axle to the same place on the rack.
That will give you riders sag.
If you were sitting on the bike without the wheels on the ground, nothing will more to change the sag.

On the forks, use plastic tie wraps to check sag.

Ok I've tried to lookup everything I can on setting sag but I'm still a bit confused, I'm 130lb, do I need to compress the spring or unload the spring when I'm adjusting the large preload rings? As in, which direction of turning (i.e. loading the springs more or letting them out more) those preload rings lowers and which direction increases sag? Nothing I've read seems to answer that.

When turning the nuts, if you tighten them, CWise direction, it will put more preload in the spring which will lift the backend and decrease your sag. If you loosen the nuts, CCwise direction, it will put less preload and therefore lower the backend increasing your sag.

As Japako stated: measure a distance on a stand, then when sitting on the bike off the stand make your sag 3.5" less then that by measuring the same two points and doing the adjustments until it is set correct.

Loosen the top nut first. Then adjust the bottom one. Then tighten the top nut back down. I do 1/8-1/4 of a turn once the two are snug against each other.

Cheers and happy riding

good info, thanks. Generally, as a lighter rider (<140lbs), should I be preloading more or less?

pookguy88 wrote:

good info, thanks. Generally, as a lighter rider (<140lbs), should I be preloading more or less?

Set the sag at 3.5" and ride the bike. I weigh 180 and set mine at 3.5 and it works great. You can play with it if you want, but 3.5 is the accepted measurement.

pookguy88 wrote:

...... should I be preloading more or less?

Depends where it is at the moment. Do the measurements and then adjust accordingly. You may find you need to turn CW to raise it to 3.5" or, turn CCW to lower it to 3.5". Your goal is that the bike and you (in your riding gear) together should sag about 3.5 inches.

Do the measurements and start from there. Quick tip for lazy guys like me .... a full turn on the nut is typically about 3mm. Note, I said "about" 3mm. So, if I need to adjust up or down say 9mm, I will initially make about 3 full turns on the nut (again, CW or CCW depending on what I am trying to achieve) and then measure again (rider +bike sag). Usually, it's fine tuning from thereon.

Best .... raymond

does changing the pre-load affect the free sag (i.e. the first measurement where the bike is on the stand with both wheels off the ground and no load)?

pookguy88 wrote:

does changing the pre-load affect the free sag (i.e. the first measurement where the bike is on the stand with both wheels off the ground and no load)?

Yes. If you loosen the ring nuts entirely, you will in effect have no pre load and there will be more static sag.
As you tighten the rings nuts, you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up. This will give less static sag.

I should also add something that may help you. If you have lowered your bike, the race sag will be different as you are now 33%, of, a different amount of total travel.

japako wrote:

If you loosen the ring nuts entirely, you will in effect have no pre load and there will be more static sag.
As you tighten the rings nuts, you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up. This will give less static sag.

just thinking out loud here but that sounds counter-intuitive to me, if you're compressing the spring less (loosening the ring nuts) shouldn't the sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more? and vice versa with tightening the ring nuts

pookguy88 wrote:

japako wrote:

If you loosen the ring nuts entirely, you will in effect have no pre load and there will be more static sag.
As you tighten the rings nuts, you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up. This will give less static sag.

just thinking out loud here but that sounds counter-intuitive to me, if you're compressing the spring less (loosening the ring nuts) shouldn't the sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more? and vice versa with tightening the ring nuts

I think that is what I said, yes, no??

japako wrote:

pookguy88 wrote:

japako wrote:

If you loosen the ring nuts entirely, you will in effect have no pre load and there will be more static sag.
As you tighten the rings nuts, you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up. This will give less static sag.

just thinking out loud here but that sounds counter-intuitive to me, if you're compressing the spring less (loosening the ring nuts) shouldn't the sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more? and vice versa with tightening the ring nuts

I think that is what I said, yes, no??

ok wait wait, I think I'm confusing myself now  

I think the part that confuses me is the "you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up." Wouldn't collapsing the spring (i.e. compressing it more) draw the swing arm down? and thus more sag? (i.e. bike gets closer to the ground)

sorry, in my previous post I meant to say "shouldn't the bike sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more.."

edit: I apologize for my total naivety, as you can probably tell by now, I am a total n00b at this.
edit2: and now I realize you're replying to me on the advrider.com WR250R Mega thread as well, haha, double thanks!

pookguy88 wrote:

japako wrote:

pookguy88 wrote:

japako wrote:

If you loosen the ring nuts entirely, you will in effect have no pre load and there will be more static sag.
As you tighten the rings nuts, you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up. This will give less static sag.

just thinking out loud here but that sounds counter-intuitive to me, if you're compressing the spring less (loosening the ring nuts) shouldn't the sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more? and vice versa with tightening the ring nuts

I think that is what I said, yes, no??

ok wait wait, I think I'm confusing myself now  

I think the part that confuses me is the "you are collapsing the spring and will draw the swing arm up." Wouldn't collapsing the spring (i.e. compressing it more) draw the swing arm down? and thus more sag? (i.e. bike gets closer to the ground)

sorry, in my previous post I meant to say "shouldn't the bike sag go up since the spring is now free to expand more.."

edit: I apologize for my total naivety, as you can probably tell by now, I am a total n00b at this.
edit2: and now I realize you're replying to me on the advrider.com WR250R Mega thread as well, haha, double thanks!

Ok, your confusing me now.. 
If you compress the spring, it will be stronger, and not sag as much, as without the preload.
If you remove all preload the spring will be softer and therefor sag, more.

Remember you are measuring from a fixed point on the sub frame and the only thing that moves, is the swing arm. If you used a solid strut instead of a spring, there would be no sag. So if you make the spring stronger, there will not be as much sag when you sit on it.
The best way for you to see this, is by doing it..

I did not notice the post on ADV, I'll quite posting here.
Good Luck.