Shorter links will absolutely %100 raise the bike

 

As novasteve said above, shorter links will raise the ride height in the back, but they will not change the travel of the shock - only a shock modification will change the travel. But if Kawi did not reduce the rear travel and the rear shock is the same as the 06/07, and they lowered the right height purely by installing longer links, then reverting back to the 117mm link will do what you want, I think. If Kawi additionally revalved / resprung the 09 shock to compensate for the increased leverage on the shock due to longer links, then you will have the reverse problem of the OP in this thread - i.e., the shock will feel stiffer. That might be a good thing, though.

As for the front, I'm def not a suspension guy, so what I would do is find a local suspension shop, take the forks to them and ask them to "fix" it. For a good local shop, check your local hare scramble association web site and message boards, usually there are one or two local suspension guys that take care of all the local racers. That's who I would go to.

The internals will come out, though, by loosening up the bolt from the bottom. An air wrench might be needed, not because it is tight, but the whole inside may turn with the bolt and the air wrench can overcome that. I haven't actually taken that end apart, though, all I did was replace the spring and you just remove the top cap for that and you never really need to get too far inside the fork when you do that.

 

I was amazed at how changing the bikes geometry just a little bit effected handling so drastically.

Changing the height of the bike is definately not as easy as simply changing links. It's kind of like adding more air flow to the engine, it's a multi dimensional process. I think the suspension is more complicated though.

 

That is why it is so important to properly set up the sag. I neglected to do this on my KTM for a while, but after I tried to dial in the sag and could not, that meant I did not have the right rear spring in the back for my weight. After I got a proper rate spring, and dialed in the sag range as recommended by the mfg, it was like a different bike in terms of handling. That made a believer out of me.

I wish I knew more about suspension and how to dial it in. I think that is the key to a properly handling bike and more important than any power mods. Of course, I didn't know this when I got my KLX and I first did all the power mods, but in hindsight, I should have addressed the suspension first. Live and learn.

 

The 250 and I weigh about the same and a stiffer setup would be a good thing.

Do I need a new shock or will a beastier spring do?

Does anybody know if any of the larger CC KLX or DRZ shock/spring setups will cross over to the the KLX 250 with minimal mods ??