We read this once, twice and maybe four times throughout the night, and each time we laughed even harder than the previous time!
"Thanks for the speedy delivery! I installed the YamaLink the day it arrived.. Great product! I'm now able to take off my wife's high heels and touch the ground! She still has my balls for buying the WR250R, but she had those on our wedding night!"
Saturday, July 19, 2008
yamaha wr yz lowering link to the competition
I'm sure Bill Gates has a MacBook, and I'm sure Pepsi has a few empty Coke cans laying around. Now you can add one of our friendly competitors to the list: they ordered an 08 WR YamaLink. Same person who left a naive-sounding voicemail a few months ago placed the order. Heck, they didn't even ask for dealer pricing.
Gotta love reverse engineering.
Gotta love reverse engineering.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
yamaha lowering link WR450F Thumper Talk 2
Hey guys,
I'm 5-9 (well, almost) and ride an 07 450. The bike is great for me EXCEPT when it's tip over time in the tight technical stuff, or even just trying to make a low speed crawling turn. 99% of my get offs are in first gear turning around on a narrow trail.
A more inseam challenged friend of mine recently turned his KTM 450 into a low rider by having the suspension internals modified to accomodate not only his stature (5-6) but his weight (135 soaking wet). I sat on his bike, planted both feet on the ground, and new I finally had to do something about the seat height on my bike.
I had 3 options: cut the seat, have the suspension professionally lowered, or install a lowering link. A couple guys on the forum steered me away from lowering the seat. I've done this for my son's bike and have seen others do it to their 450 and I just felt it would cramp me up in the cockpit and wouldn't achieve the results I was looking for. Didn't want to spend 600 plus to have my entire suspension redone - the suspension capability on the 450 is within my weight range, it was just the height of the bike.
Dan sent me the Yamalink and it was a snap to install. Ten minutes for someone who knows what they are doing, 20 minutes for me. His instructions were very thorough. I reset the sag, adjusted the rear compression and rebound, and raised the front forks a bit also. Took the bike on a two day ride last weekend and would say it is about 80% there. I need to tweak the suspension a bit more to completely dial it in.
Two comments:
1. I LOVE getting my feet on the ground!
2. The customer service from Dan is top notch. He's sent me emails explaining exactly how all this works and because I don't understand the engineering mumbo jumbo (hey, I'm an accountant) he dumbs it down for me. He's also spent a lot of time on the phone as well. AND he always seems available. Wow!
Okay, #3. Before talking to Dan I didn't have a real sound understanding of the dynamics of the suspension and how it all works together, but he's walked me through it so many times now that I think I finally got it...but if not I'm sure he'll explain it again.
Nice job, Dan! Great product and even better customer service!
I'm 5-9 (well, almost) and ride an 07 450. The bike is great for me EXCEPT when it's tip over time in the tight technical stuff, or even just trying to make a low speed crawling turn. 99% of my get offs are in first gear turning around on a narrow trail.
A more inseam challenged friend of mine recently turned his KTM 450 into a low rider by having the suspension internals modified to accomodate not only his stature (5-6) but his weight (135 soaking wet). I sat on his bike, planted both feet on the ground, and new I finally had to do something about the seat height on my bike.
I had 3 options: cut the seat, have the suspension professionally lowered, or install a lowering link. A couple guys on the forum steered me away from lowering the seat. I've done this for my son's bike and have seen others do it to their 450 and I just felt it would cramp me up in the cockpit and wouldn't achieve the results I was looking for. Didn't want to spend 600 plus to have my entire suspension redone - the suspension capability on the 450 is within my weight range, it was just the height of the bike.
Dan sent me the Yamalink and it was a snap to install. Ten minutes for someone who knows what they are doing, 20 minutes for me. His instructions were very thorough. I reset the sag, adjusted the rear compression and rebound, and raised the front forks a bit also. Took the bike on a two day ride last weekend and would say it is about 80% there. I need to tweak the suspension a bit more to completely dial it in.
Two comments:
1. I LOVE getting my feet on the ground!
2. The customer service from Dan is top notch. He's sent me emails explaining exactly how all this works and because I don't understand the engineering mumbo jumbo (hey, I'm an accountant) he dumbs it down for me. He's also spent a lot of time on the phone as well. AND he always seems available. Wow!
Okay, #3. Before talking to Dan I didn't have a real sound understanding of the dynamics of the suspension and how it all works together, but he's walked me through it so many times now that I think I finally got it...but if not I'm sure he'll explain it again.
Nice job, Dan! Great product and even better customer service!
yamaha lowering link install report Thumper Talk
From the great members of Thumper Talk's Yamaha WR250R/X Dual Sport forum:
I set aside a couple of hours today to install my Yamalink that I ordered.I had seen the video and had a simple set of instructions without photos that came with the link. Well the install took 30 minutes without any hassles. The quality of the piece is superior to the Ymaha casting that you remove. I had previously raised my forks 5/8" in the triple trees and figured on not changing it for the present time.
Riding impression.............besides giving me more footprint (which is nice) the Yamalink is very beneficial in other areas. Highway cruising between 65-75 mph feels much more stable and safe.The suspension soaks up expansion joints and other road irregularities. It feels like the link put my suspension right on the working part of the curve, it also gave me the confidence to do some compression and rebound dampening. A short ride off road displayed better manners, it was much easier to plant a leg and power slide a quick u-turn when needed. Bear in mind that I have no plans to race etc,etc. I simply am working towards making this a safer and quicker bike. To sum it up I am very pleased with my Yamalink, one of those rare purchases that you make that is "spot on"
I set aside a couple of hours today to install my Yamalink that I ordered.I had seen the video and had a simple set of instructions without photos that came with the link. Well the install took 30 minutes without any hassles. The quality of the piece is superior to the Ymaha casting that you remove. I had previously raised my forks 5/8" in the triple trees and figured on not changing it for the present time.
Riding impression.............besides giving me more footprint (which is nice) the Yamalink is very beneficial in other areas. Highway cruising between 65-75 mph feels much more stable and safe.The suspension soaks up expansion joints and other road irregularities. It feels like the link put my suspension right on the working part of the curve, it also gave me the confidence to do some compression and rebound dampening. A short ride off road displayed better manners, it was much easier to plant a leg and power slide a quick u-turn when needed. Bear in mind that I have no plans to race etc,etc. I simply am working towards making this a safer and quicker bike. To sum it up I am very pleased with my Yamalink, one of those rare purchases that you make that is "spot on"
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Yamaha lowering link question of the day
Q: Why don't you build a triangular lowering piece for the WR250R and WR250X like you do for the dirt-only models?
A: Our extensive ride testing told us that the X and R can be lowered a max of 2 inches without compromising overall handling due to the forks maximum lowering amount. Since the bike can be lowered 1 inch from Yamaha, we decided to build a connecting rod that gave another inch. Yes, we could've built a relay arm for the X and R just like we did the WR-F, but it would've added a lot of cost for the buyer/rider ($145 versus nearly $280). In addition, our informal surveys of WR X and R riders told us "we have the inch option on our bike, let us use it, and give us the other inch." Seeing as how 2 inches is the most you want to go for optimal handling on the WR250R and WR250X we saw no need to produce a 2.5 - 3.5 inch rocker/relay arm.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Someone named Misty and her not-so-sneaky friends
Remember the days before Caller ID, when you could prank call a friend's parents or order a truckload of cole slaw on their behalf?
We're cleaning out our phone messages and came across a funny one. Believe it was left a month ago.
Someone named Misty said, "...I'd like some information on your mo-tor-cyyyy-cle lower-ing links." If you read that paraphrase in a tone that pretends to not know what a motorcycle lowering link is, it's even funnier."
Our Caller ID listed the small town where Misty called from.
The next two days we received similar calls from bike shops. Asked for some basic information. Never placed orders, but they were specific about the years of Yamahas in need of lowering. Now, I'm a bettin' man, and I'd bet the new Yamaha YZ450F that Misty knows the callers.
We never returned Misty's call. Beside not wanting to get into games, we figure she's busy calling other companies from her cell phone and disguising her voice as a naive and curious would-be parts buyer. And we're too busy shipping out YamaLinks. Go figure.
For the record, the most cole slaw we ever ordered was 22 pounds. Mike Wilson's mom was not very happy!
We're cleaning out our phone messages and came across a funny one. Believe it was left a month ago.
Someone named Misty said, "...I'd like some information on your mo-tor-cyyyy-cle lower-ing links." If you read that paraphrase in a tone that pretends to not know what a motorcycle lowering link is, it's even funnier."
Our Caller ID listed the small town where Misty called from.
The next two days we received similar calls from bike shops. Asked for some basic information. Never placed orders, but they were specific about the years of Yamahas in need of lowering. Now, I'm a bettin' man, and I'd bet the new Yamaha YZ450F that Misty knows the callers.
We never returned Misty's call. Beside not wanting to get into games, we figure she's busy calling other companies from her cell phone and disguising her voice as a naive and curious would-be parts buyer. And we're too busy shipping out YamaLinks. Go figure.
For the record, the most cole slaw we ever ordered was 22 pounds. Mike Wilson's mom was not very happy!
WR250F feedback on yamaha lowering link
Found this posted at ThumperTalk about the WR250F YamaLink.
HI! I just got a Yamalink too for my wr250 and I'm freakin happy with it! Don't cut the kickstand until you get your suspension where you want it--we cut mine after the link but before fixing sag and it turned out we didn't need to cut it (but it's not that bad).
Yamalink has been awesome answering all my techie questions too, dont' hesitate to ask!
Here's how I lowered the bike before YL
shaved at lesat 1 1/2" from the seat
moved forks up in the clamps about 15 mm
softened sag to 4 7/8" (I know...) and softened comp
I could touch with tip toes, had to concentrate to get my leg over the back to get on
I popped on the Yamalink, I can get the balls of my feet down.
Without fixing anything I rode around an mx track, the front end was bouncing around, so we stiffened the back comp, that made it much better.
I was fighting the softened suspension(yay! going faster!), so we put the sag at 3 3/4" MUCH BETTER, brought the back end up so bike wasn't choppery.
Also, the spring is right for me, and the forks are set at stock, so far.
I went to the Oregon dez, had an awesome time, the bike handled SO MUCH better. I had a friend who is an expert rider, who rides the same places I do and is close enough to my weight ride my bike to feel out the suspension and he said it felt smooth and he was happy to ride it(he wouldn't tweak it too far from what it was). He was also surprised the link did not "seem" to affect suspension travel(you know how everyone say a link sacrifices suspension performance) --I told him to bang the whoops .
So, I thought the link was cool "just" to lower the bike, BUT it allowed me to set up my suspension better, and y'all know when your suspension is set up right for you you go FASTER--I even bottomed out my front forks so now I get to stiffen those up. WOO! It also seemed to lower the center of gravity. So a LOT more perks than just getting feet down!! IN a few weeks I'm going to go ride in the western Oregon mountain stuff (where you soften up your suspension and what I ride most) so I'll see how the sag, etc goes. I might try putting it at 3.5".
Hope that helps!!
PS, I got a "mom was freakin fast" from my son, and my husband said "wow I didn't have to wait for you forever" (after a straight 10 miles stretch of trial)==so that made me super happy!
HI! I just got a Yamalink too for my wr250 and I'm freakin happy with it! Don't cut the kickstand until you get your suspension where you want it--we cut mine after the link but before fixing sag and it turned out we didn't need to cut it (but it's not that bad).
Yamalink has been awesome answering all my techie questions too, dont' hesitate to ask!
Here's how I lowered the bike before YL
shaved at lesat 1 1/2" from the seat
moved forks up in the clamps about 15 mm
softened sag to 4 7/8" (I know...) and softened comp
I could touch with tip toes, had to concentrate to get my leg over the back to get on
I popped on the Yamalink, I can get the balls of my feet down.
Without fixing anything I rode around an mx track, the front end was bouncing around, so we stiffened the back comp, that made it much better.
I was fighting the softened suspension(yay! going faster!), so we put the sag at 3 3/4" MUCH BETTER, brought the back end up so bike wasn't choppery.
Also, the spring is right for me, and the forks are set at stock, so far.
I went to the Oregon dez, had an awesome time, the bike handled SO MUCH better. I had a friend who is an expert rider, who rides the same places I do and is close enough to my weight ride my bike to feel out the suspension and he said it felt smooth and he was happy to ride it(he wouldn't tweak it too far from what it was). He was also surprised the link did not "seem" to affect suspension travel(you know how everyone say a link sacrifices suspension performance) --I told him to bang the whoops .
So, I thought the link was cool "just" to lower the bike, BUT it allowed me to set up my suspension better, and y'all know when your suspension is set up right for you you go FASTER--I even bottomed out my front forks so now I get to stiffen those up. WOO! It also seemed to lower the center of gravity. So a LOT more perks than just getting feet down!! IN a few weeks I'm going to go ride in the western Oregon mountain stuff (where you soften up your suspension and what I ride most) so I'll see how the sag, etc goes. I might try putting it at 3.5".
Hope that helps!!
PS, I got a "mom was freakin fast" from my son, and my husband said "wow I didn't have to wait for you forever" (after a straight 10 miles stretch of trial)==so that made me super happy!
yamaha wr yz lowering link Let's Make a Deal(er)
New "dealer" page set up on the main site. Hopefully it'll answer some questions (we always get the same two from dealers: do we need to fill out an app, and....guess what the other is.) and get more YamaLinks into the world. Our dealer network grows each day, and we appreciate everyone's patronage from the consumer and retail side!
9 out of 10 college graduates prefer Yamaha lowering links...
This is so very unofficial and not even close to what marketing types call a "trend," but the past two days have seen all our WR250R and WR250X purchases come from students or employees of US 4-year kolledges, um, collejes...damn. Schools. People who go to school!
University of Idaho Vandals.
Purdue Boilermakers
University of Nevada-Reno
School of Hard Knocks (hopefully these riders read the install instructions or we'll be playing "fix the screwed up YamaLink order.")
University of Idaho Vandals.
Purdue Boilermakers
University of Nevada-Reno
School of Hard Knocks (hopefully these riders read the install instructions or we'll be playing "fix the screwed up YamaLink order.")
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
