More from Darryl about lowering his WR and fork height

Darryl writes, again....

I believe having the front a lot higher than the rear will make my bike
feel driving a boat. Won't lowering the front remove the excessive
twitchiness it already had before I lowered the rear?

To which we said.....

Changes to rake/trail (the front forks) affect geometry at a different rate than changes to the rear. But it is purely up to you how much you raise the front forks.

Too much and it will shake violently at speed and oversteer at slow speeds.
Not enough and it will be super stable but understeer at slow and medium speeds and feel like a chopper.

It's all about personalization and trial-and-error. After resetting sag in rear I'd say 90% of YamaLink owners slide the forks up 4 to 10mm.

Darryl's Yamaha WR450 YamaLink lowering and fork raising question

Darryl writes.... I recently purchased a Yamalink lowering link for my WR 450.

I was impressed by how easy this was to fit and the difference it make to my bike. It lowered the rear by approx. 55mm which was exactly what I was looking for. I believe this will give me the confidence to tackle just about any hill.

My question now is I have lowered the front forks in the triple clamps by 35mm. Is this recommended and will it cause me any other problems?

And our reply.....

35mm is too much. Reread your instructions. We recommend a starting
point of about 4mm and go up or down a few mm based on rear sag and personal preference. Thirty five mm will make for an unstable front end at speed.

Scott's lowered WR250X Yamaha link

Supermoto Junkie member Scott asks....

I just bought my WR250X. This is going to be my first road bike. I am going to purchase your yamalink but I was wondering, how far in the front can you lower to match the rear adjustment on the shock and with the yamalink or do you recommend not touching the rear adjuster at all. I have the front lowered 20mm and right now the rear is kicked up a little bit but I am thinking with the yamalink it will level it out. What is your recommendation as I am only 5'5 on my best day.

Thanks Scott


Our reply:

Scott,

With the YamaLink and the stock 1" lowering via turning the clevis/shock block up, we recommend a starting point of 12mm for sliding the fork tubes up. Personal preference dictates if you go up or down a few mm from there, but the MAX we recommend sliding the fork tubes up is 18mm.

The 12mm is the most popular. There is no 1:1 lowering ratio of front & back because changes to your fork height effects geometry at a different rate than changes to the rear suspension.