Lowering my KLX250.
 

I love this bike. But, I do want it just a tad lower. I'm 5'6 at 210. I love the ride and enjoy riding it out on the roads and even the highway. Will no wind I can get it up to 81. I just got my 1000 Miles in. So, once the snow clears up and spring pops out I wanna go get my fluids changed. So, does anyone have any tips on lowering the bike a bit? I'm looking at 1-2 inches.


P.S: Side question. But, can anyone do wheelies on there KLX 250 not from natural. I can't seem to pop it up in 1st or 2nd. I have a feeling my suspension is def to lose. But, it helps due to me being able to touch my feet on the ground a bit. Thanks!

you can remove the seat cover and shave down the seat about an inch. staple the cover back on.

and/or, loosen the fork clamps and raise the fork to lower front about 1" max. longer dog bones (about $30) to lower the rear an 1" or little more

but, at 5'6" i would ride it at stock height..

I can ride it at stock height. I haven't taken this off the pavement yet. I'm always just sitting on 1 leg or 2 tiipy toes. I'd like to sit flat footed though. So, to feel more secure I suppose. Idk how to shave a seat but, I guess I can look that up.

Seat concepts has a lower profile seat cover kit. Much much more comfortable than stock and wider( no more monkey butt), I have one at stock height. Its easy reskinning and installing the new foam and cover. It took me 30 minutes start to finish

if you want to keep your seat stock and have option to raise it back to stock later, 2009-2012 Kawasaki KLX250 S, SF Raising, Lowering Links - $21.50 : burkhartcycle.com, Motorcycle Parts and Accessories ...best price for lowering links....

super easy to lower...motorcycle jack is handy....raise enough to get the rear wheel off...lower it back down just enough for the rear wheel to touch the ground...unbolt the stock dogbones...grease and bolt in the new one...same for front forks...have the front wheel just touch the ground and loosen the clamp bolts...lower about a inch, but don't let the fork touch your handlebar....tighten the clamp bolts...

https://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/pho...PrKetEOw/l.jpg

Shaped my seat foam with a hacksaw blade and belt sander. My mistake was belt sanding inside the garage, the foam dust sticks to everything. Finally popped for Seat Concepts foam and seat cover kit, staples up to the stock seat pan. Better foam, a good hour more ride time before discomfort starts. Been 4 years, foam and cover in very good shape.

Lowered mine for the same reason, 5'6" 29" inseam and 175lbs. Installed the lower seat concepts seat, dropped the front forks and installed 2" Kouba Links. Lowering the rear is probably not a great idea for anyone over 200lbs as chain roller will rub and destroy itself. Max I would go for you is 1" lowering link but personnally I would try the seat and forks first. Must say it is reassuring to get your feet planted, especially on tough single track with knarly climbs. Good luck!

You might also consider re-springing your bike as well for your weight.

If you have flat stock and a drill press you can make a set of links on the cheap. Here is how to know how long:

• Raise the bike up using a hydraulic jack and board under the chassis, until the wheels are just touching.
• Measure from the axle to the frame for a reference distance.
• Remove the links
• carefully lower the bike until it is at the level you want (you can use the reference measurement to know how much it is lowered, because you aren't accounting for suspension sag in this.
• measure the distance from link bolt to link bolt
• cut flat stock to adequate length
• mark and drill flat stock
• file and clean up the new links you just made and paint them
• put them on and remove the jack.

I've known several people who have done this. Mild steel of similar thickness should work fine for the application.

You could even drill a couple of locations to use by taking measurements at say 1", 2", and 3" then drill the flat stock with the three holes.

i have a pair of kouba lowering links (model klx4, I think) and a already cut/lowered kickstand, that I would probably sell to you. lowers the klx250s about 2 inches. I am now back to stock. let me know

Hmm, I def don't wanna drop it to low for my weight and ruin my chains. I just wanna get it a bit lower. So, if 1 inch is all I can really do to drop it then, I guess I can do that. But, I was also thinking of getting a Coshing cover for my seat cuz, my has goes numb after 2-3 hours of riding lol.

I was kinda disappointed when i got my klx 4 months ago about how high it was, I'm 5'11 240. It wasn't the actual height but the way you have to swing your leg over it to get on it from the ground. Then I had an epiphany, I thought there has to be an easier way to get on and i thought about riding my horses. Now i put left foot on the left peg while kickstand is down stand up and swing the other leg over just like you mount a horse, issue gone, height doesn't matter anymore. A simple thing if you havent thought about it before, and free

You might want to read up on how weak the kick stand tab on the frame is welded on. Kick stand tab 1/4" plate welded to that swing arm pivot 1/8" material. There's pics of the welded metal separating... Punkenduro and one other iirc

28" inseam:o I have a Kouba KLX4 links and the forks up 5/8" to the bottom of the cap. Like the way the bike handles.

My kick stand all fixed after it was bounced off a few rocks and such.:rolleyes:

http://turnsleft.smugmug.com/Other/2...IMG_1260-L.jpg

the suspension is taking all the weight, the kickstand is just used for balance when you put your foot on the left stirrup(foot peg)

What? You won't ruin your chain unless you are overtightening it on adjustment and then you'll ruin it regardless. With a properly adjusted chain there is no relationship between how high or low the bike is and chain wear.

I've used this method on my KLX650 with a similar frame design to the 250 and a lot of other bikes over the decades, learning to do this when in motorcycle sales. It allows you to get on a bike without kicking the seat as you swing your foot over the bike and it also allows you to lift your foot over the seat on bikes with hard saddlebags so as not to scuff the bag lids.

I really doubt there is much issue with the side stand mount since it is probably very similar to that of the KLX300 frame and they use a kick starter - I guarantee you most will kick start their bike on the side stand.

The post about weight distribution is true as well, the weight is split between the two, tires and stand. Plus the fact that the weight is not in a bending direction to the tab as welded on the frame. So the concern is minimal at best.

Now if you use the side stand to pivot the bike around in a tight space you could be putting some serious weight on it. Fact is you probably put more stress on the stand by just sitting on the bike, because when this method is used for mounting the rider will likely have their feet on the ground in a few seconds, making for less stress for a shorter time. I step up on the bike and am on the seat feet on the ground in about 2 seconds after I get on the bike.

Ymmv...

My wife all 120+ lbs of her bent her kickstand frame tab just by sitting on the bike. Punkenduro did put a lot of miles on his 250... Take a look https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...e-25055/page6/

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Had John @ MotoPro shorten my suspension 2 inches. He re valved and re sprung it for the roads and speeds that I ride hardest. I love it, everywhere. Not cheap and worth every penny. Thank You John. You Nailed It.

Get 1 inch lowering links as that is about all you can drop the forks and you keep your bike more or less level. Cut 1 inch from the seat foam and you have a bike 2 inches shorter that should ride much like stock, you might up the preload a little bit but that would be all it takes and you should have no issues. As far as wheelies go a stock bike wheelies fine you just need to learn how.

I'm 5'7" with a 29" inseam. I lowered my KLX with the links for awhile and then moved back to stock height. When I get on the bike I grab the front brake and lean way forward while I swing my leg over the bike. If I didn't grab the brake the bike would roll forward with the amount I'm leaning as I get on. Works for me.

Knowing materials and stresses based on directions of forces courtesy of my Statics and Strengths of Materials class at Kent State, I can believe both things. First, your wife sitting on the bike can break the mount. Second, simply grabbing the bars and stepping up and over the bike to mount it will not break the mount. It is purely the direction of the forces on the bike.

Your wife, light as she is, is exerting more force on the stand over more time and likely with more movement while sitting UP on the seat exerting more leverage on the mount point than my grabbing the bars, holding the brake, then stepping on the left peg actually significantly closer to that mount point making for less leverage along with my weight shifting over the wheels, taking more load off the stand.

It is all about how/where forces are applied. Look at the picture of your bike, where the stand is relative to the seat and relative to the foot peg. Now think about the leverage factor of weight on the seat versus weight on the peg.

Her light weight on the seat is more than double the distance of the stand above the ground putting that stand at a point where the leverage factor is more than double her weight increasing the load at the stand mount by the leverage factor, probably over 240 lb at the mount. My weight (not even all of it) is almost at the same level as the stand mount, virtually no leverage factor increase. Less stress on the joint. That is why it is no problem mounting the bike that way.

If one really wants to significantly lower the bike and keep it there, while having optimum suspension performance, the trick is to lower it by using travel limiting spacers in the forks and shocks. It ain't cheap, but it is THE BEST way to do the job. That is how flat trackers lower the suspension on the stock 450 MX based flat trackers. They simply shorten the travel, which is not all that hard since they will be revalving the suspension anyway.

The beauty of it is the suspension bottoming point is the same as it was originally and can usually use the original springs with some change in sag since travel has been shortened. Another plus is the general steering geometry is unchanged other than ride height and suspension rate is not changed in the fork or the linkage on the rear. And the final plus is it can always be put back stock. You could lower the bike by 3-4" without any bottoming or any sort of problems other than the loss of travel on extreme rough conditions. Again, that is what a lot of the AMA pro flat trackers are doing with their 450 single MX based bikes. It also isn't unusual when MX forks are used on the front of a flat tracker or street bike.

The ugly of it is the cost of tearing apart the suspension and inserting the spacers. The labor ain't cheap. Of course if you can do it yourself that is much easier on the wallet. The spacers are simply metal collars of appropriate size and height. You do need to figure how much the rear shock travels for the reduction you want, so as to know how long the spacer should be. The front would be close to the desired drop.

If you are looking at more than 2" reduction in ride height this is the best way to do it.

This is a correct statement call Factory Connection
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