Yamaha WRF lowering spring rate discussion

We're often asked if a rider should get a heavier spring with their YamaLink. Our reply is always "if you're on the border of needing a heavier spring with the stock setup you will most definitely need one with the YamaLink."

Why?

The WRF stock spring rate of 5.3 is set up for a rider around 175 pounds BEFORE gear. When you put on your boots, helmet, riding pants and protection you're getting pretty close to needing a heavier spring to achieve 3.9 to 4.1 inches of sag. Add a tool pack and backpack and things get even closer to needing a heavier spring.

The YamaLink has an increased leverage ratio which means it will make your bike a lot more plush on the square edge and choppy stuff in addition to making it get better traction because the tire can bite into the ground better. It also means the leverage will make the rear wheel move through its suspension easier which can lead to much easier bottoming. This is where the proper spring rate comes in.

If you are about 180 pounds before gear and are an aggressive rider, you will need a heavier spring even without a YamaLink. Add the YamaLink and, well, you know the answer. Someone on ThumperTalk recently posted his WRF and YamaLink experience. Click HERE to read about it. Too lazy to click? Okay, here is what the Colorado-based rider wrote:

"Just an fyi based on personal experience-bought and installed the YamaLink and resprung (from 5.3 stock to 5.9). Static sag and laden sag are now perfect, and the bike is transformed. Rear wheel slides are dial-a-slide easy with the throttle, the suspension is plush but not saggy, and overall riding is great. I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you aren't doing it to lower the bike.

BTW I'm 6'2", 180 w/out gear so the stock stuff was real close already. I do mostly trail riding with a rare track day."

Yamaha WR suspension lowering post of the day

This Yamaha WR lowering question comes from Australia's Karl M.


Question: Hi there,

I sat on a WR250R the other day and it is just way too high. I am a learner, so I'd like to have as much of my feet on the ground as possible. I am really intersted in this link, but I'm unsure if it will lower the bike enough for me. I've seen posts on some forums which state that the link will lower the bike by 1.25'' and that with stock lowering it could be reduced a further inch, which would give 2.25''. However, on your site it says I would gain around 2''. I am 5 foot seven and only weigh about 65kg (143lbs).

Do you think this link will lower the bike enough to make it comfortable for me to learn on?

Also, can you estimate how much foot purchase I might obtain?

One last thing - Is the stock lowering adjusment and the sag adjustment one and the same?

I really don't want to buy a KLX250!


Reply: Sag and the stock adjustment are NOT the same. Sag is dialed in via the lock ring at the top of the shock, and as you know, the stock lowering is done via the shock mount/clevis at the bottom. There is a picture tutorial on our page for the stock lowering: HERE

And as a refresher, here is the website we send everyone to for sag: SAG

The 1.25 inch lowering from the YamaLink is no longer the amount; the very first handful of prototypes were 1.25 but it's now a hair less than an inch. Combined with the stock lowering, the YamaLink will give you a little under 2 inches total. We could've built a lowering link with more, but there are clearance issues and handling issues. We know for a fact the front forks cannot be raised in the clamps more than 18mm (the included install instructions recommend a starting point of 10mm which is what 99% of WR250R/X owners use and prefer) if you want safe and proper handling, so we built the back as low as possible with that in mind.

The bike is indeed tall, and at 5'7" with what I presume to be an inseam of about 29 inches, the bike even in lowered form won't be short like a scooter, ha! If I remember, the Kawi has a 35 inch seat height. The WR250R has a 36.6. So with the YamaLink and stock lowering you'd be almost the same as the Kawi. Just something to think about.

2010 Yamaha YZ450F

Yamaha YZ lowering post of the day from Yamaha USA's site: HERE

2010 Yamaha WR250F

Here's the glamour shot of the 2010 Yamaha WR250F.

Yamaha WR lowering question of the day

Yamaha WR lowering question of the day:

Question: I got the YamaLink installed without much issue this evening. I am wondering how this link lowers my seat height as it looks like the same link as the original except for the lack of the notch for the back bolt to keep it from spinning (hence you instructions) to use the vise grips... Can you give me a 50,000 foot overview of how your link lowers my bike?

Reply: The YamaLink looks almost identical to the oem connecting rod save for the
bolt-stop you mentioned.

Your WR250, like most linkage bikes, has an approximate 3:1 ratio. When designing the lowering link we knew for a fact that the bike could not go more than 2 inches total in the rear: both for safety and proper handling. Your WR has the .9 inch oem lowering option so we had to come up with the other portion of the lowering. Prototype after prototype was built and we came up with what you put on - a lowering link that is x-amount LONGER than the stock rod.

x-amount multiplied by 3 gives you the increased leverage (better small bump absorption and traction), lower center of gravity (better turning) and lower
seat height which stays within the performance and safety parameters we tested for. We decided on the longer link amount to the millimeter.