Can I lower my seat height?

[Gritz]

Is it possible to lower my seat height on my 02 WR426 without messing up the bikes suspension. I weigh 235 lbs. and am only 5'9" I can barely reach the ground with my toes. This really makes it tough to restart my bike when on an off camber trail. Can any one tell me if I can do something myself or should I take it to the shop. I'm mechanically inclined.

I have already raised the front fork about 1/4". This didn't seem to help much.

[Pooley]

Without going to get your suspension professionally lowered you have only a few options. You could shave some foam out of the seat however it may inhibit your ability to move as far forward and the seat will have less cushioning than it already doesn't have. There is also a mod involving cutting and rewelding the frame (or something like it) to lower the seat without affecting the suspension. I am 5'9" and have the same problems and I haven't yet lowered the bike.

Try searching for "lowering seat height" and other similar topics in this and the other Yamaha forums as this has been discussed a bit in the past and you won't have to wait for someone to respond back to get some info.

[Gritz]

Tried the search, but didn't find anything. I will probably just have to keep riding it the way that it is. I don't want to spend alot of $$ for a mod. Thanks,

[Parx_400]

you could have the forks and shorks revalves to ride an inch lower. my dad did this on his husky cause it comes reallllllyyyy tall. way taller than the wr's. it has been great for him.

parx

[dirtdynamics]

Sounds weird but maybe you should get it wired up to have an electric start?

Then you wouldn't have to kick start it and have trouble with the bike's height.

Just a thought........ ?

[Pooley]

Here is some other info about lowering the seat height I got by asking the same question last year.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/bike/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=28097&Forum=UBB3&Words=pooley&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=28097&Search=true

[yamaharichey]

Here's a question I keep asking, why can't you shorten your rear spring? I realize this would make the spring rate stiffer, but could'nt you have a new shock spring that is a little shorter, but made with the same spring rate? Then just lower the forks to keep it even. Also Koubalink.com says they are working on lowering links for the Wr's & YZ'S, but they are having trouble because it makes the shock hit the swingarm, they're still trying to figure it out. I've asked several times about cutting the sub frame, but have not got an answer from anyone who's done it.

[Gritz]

Okay, I did it. I raised the front forks about 3/4" in the clamps and I shaved about 2" off of my seat foam. I can now reach the ground. The seat is a little harder and is cupped quite a bit. I hope I don't get the head shakes from raising the front forks. If it doesn't work out I guess I'll be changing the forks back and will be buying somemore seat foam. I'll let you know

Thanks

[jwriott]

How did your lowering go?

I'm a little concerned about bottoming the front tire on the inside of the fender if the forks are raised 3/4".

Is the seat rock hard with 2" of foam removed?

I'm only 5'7" and 165 lbs. so I'm vertically challenged for sure.

[Motorod]

Cutting the spring does not make it stiffer, the rate remains the same. Cutting the spring (would also need to regrind flat, and rebend the end coil)only shortens it, which would cause you to lower the adjuster to set your sag, and then the spring would probable bottom before you used all your travle on the shock. IMO this is not an option. Cutting the subframe might be a better choice.

[Cuda]

? I know Devol lowers suspension they claim 1" max with revalve and you wont loose much performance. I'm sure other shops do the same thing. I was checking into this when I first got my WR426. I thought it felt awkward to me at 5'8" almost had it done but some friends talked me out of it said give it time try and get used to it first I'm glad I did. Now I don't even notice the height. The trick is just not get in the situation where you need to restart off camber (LOL). One thing that did help make the bike feel a little lower was the YZ tank and seat it is a little narrower and lets your legs stay straighter. I also raised the forks in the clamps 10 MM. I found any more then that led to some headshake. Also when raising the forks make sure to readjust the rear sag to balance the bike it will tend to understeer and wash out with the front end to low.

[Pooley]

When you re-adjust the rear sag, are you using the 90-100mm sag or another number to make the bike level. For example: raise the forks 10mm so lower the sag an additional 10 or just readjust to have 90-100mm?