Yamaha WR250R lowering YamaLink forum post

A question about the WR250R YamaLink was posted at the WRR/X forum: HERE

Yamaha TTR lowering question of the day

From Jon...

"I just got the bike for my wife. It's a 2009 ttr230 and
the seat height is at about 34". She is 5'4" 130 lbs, and has an inseam of 30". Looks like your link will help with height and sag but I'm wondering what else I can do to drop the bike for her a bit more. So she can get both feet on the ground."

Our reply:

You'll want to raise the fork tubes UP in the triple clamps. The installation instructions will tell you how much; it's pretty simple to do.

The YamaLink's 1.5 inches is the most you should lower the rear if you want a balanced and even handling TTR230. After you raise the fork tubes up your wife will tell you if the bike is too slow turning or if it headshakes at speed. A few millimeters this way or that makes a big difference. There is no 1:1 lowering ratio of front vs rear because changes to rake/trail (the forks) affects your wife's TTR geometry at a different rate than changes to the rear lowering.

Some may tell you "ah, put more sag in the rear and your feet will be closer." Wrong idea. Yes, it's closer to the ground but you are using up too much net travel (total travel minus sag) and the bike will ride too harsh as the increased sag puts the leverage further into the shock's progression.

So install the YamaLink. Set sag. Raise forks up.

Yamaha WR lowering: From Montana to Dakar

Received an order/email from a Montana-based rider looking to lower his Yamaha WRF, and eventually take the WR to Dakar. That got us to thinking about the trip and all the extra weight.

With a YamaLink the first and most important part is resetting sag. The increased leverage ratio does a few things: better traction, more plushness, better cornering....and also makes the rear wheel travel through its arc easier thus leading to easier bottoming.

That's why the resetting of sag and being properly sprung for rider weight + gear is so crucial. Ninety nine percent of our customers have a great handling bike that is stable but turns great and corners like a dream. Those who have issues do NOT know how to set sag or set up a bike (or follow directions, ha).

And then you throw in extra gas and water and tools to make it cross that desert. When you get the YamaLink, follow the instructions for resetting sag and dialing the bike in. If you're on the border of needing a heavier spring with the stock setup you will definitely need one with the YamaLink's increased leverage. I'd say this "border" is for riders around 175 to 180 pounds before gear. Most are going one up one or two spring rates. But if you are a lightweight rider then this should be no concern with the stock setup.

2010 YZF Yamaha lowering link (adjustable?)

We received a phone call from a curious 2010 YZF owner about our upcoming YamaLink 2010 YZF lowering link. Long story short, he asked if our new model was going to be a rocker or a connecting rod and if it was going to be adjustable.

Adjustable lowering links are not new. A few companies build them for other makes of off-road bikes. Adjustable lowering links, for the most part, are a solution to a problem that never existed. Why?

a) Cost is usually more to build than a straight-forward Yamaha lowering link.
b) We found through prototype YamaLinks that people just want one amount of lowering so they can set up their bike based on that lowering amount. They either want a lot of lowering or just a little lowering. Which leads us to...

c) A tall rider who buys a YamaLink with just one inch lowering is not looking for MORE lowering later. They are usually a faster and tall rider in search of a little more leverage to plush out the high-speed chop. They know exactly how much leverage and lowering they want for NOW and forever.

c.1) A short rider who buys a YamaLink with 1.5 to 1.75 inches lowering is not looking for LESS lowering later. It's not like they are going to get taller or say "hey, the ground is too easy to touch, let's make this harder, again."

Okay, okay, we know some parents may buy a YamaLink for a child who is growing. During testing of our prototype adjustable lowering links - GASP, yes, we built a few adjustable 2010 Yamaha lowering links - the kids and parents told us they would more than likely use the most lowering level and then NOT use a lowering link as the child got taller. What about the option to use a 1 inch Race link? Seems only "grown-up" tall and fast racers want that, not the tall and not-so-blazing-fast rider who is going through a gradual growth phase. They either want the full 1.5 (or 1.75 inch) lowering or nothing at all.

If you truly want an adjustable 2010 YZF lowering link I'm sure we can go back to the prototype bin and fish one out for you. It will cost more, and we're 99% sure you'll end up using just one lowering amount and being happy with that. In the meanwhile we'll stick to our tried and true Yamaha YZ-F lowering link until told otherwise.

Yamaha WR lowering link review

We think Oregon rider and ThumperTalk contributor PlushPuppy's YamaLink Yamaha WR250F review is a great resource.

Click HERE