Im in the market for one but the problem is Im 5'6" and at about 145lb.

I need a bike where I can somewhat flatfoot as well as not too heavy for my small ass. Im not looking at anything bigger than a 250

Ive looked at the CRF230L but from what i hear it will be dangerous on the freeway. My DS will be my street commuter but I want it to be able to hit the freeway if i have to.

Im in CA so i cant convert any dbikes.

Any suggestions....Is it hard to lower bikes???

marnes2986 said:

My wife rides a XT225 and really likes it. She is about the same height as you can easily flat foot it. It is not the most powerful bike but they are very reliable and fun to ride. Not the lightest bike but it carries the weight low making it feel light. 6 spd tranny too. :ride:

thanks

Sounds to me like a DRZ400SM with a Corbin, Gel or Custom Renazco and Koubalink lowering links are in order. You will have the benefit of the already lower ride hight SM weight to handle the Freeway and the reliability of the DRZ.

VOLX

Volxport said:

EXACTLY what i wanted to hear!!!!! theres hope for me!!!! Any more info on the lowering links? are there any drawbacks that i will regret after lowering?

With a lowering link you MUST reset sag and it is recommended you raise the forks tubes in the clamps to help balance the ride. There is no 1:1 ratio needed (meaning forks raised the same as rear lowered) because changes to rake/trail (the forks) affect geometry at a different rate than changes to the rear suspension.

Drawbacks are the bike will bottom easier and this is a concern if you are on the borderline of needing a heavier spring rate with the stock setup. At your weight you will not have this issue...but you still need to reset sag. Lowering links are not for everyone, and especially not bolt-on artists who do NOT want to reset sag and dial in their bike's new ride characteristics.

Raising the forks in the clamps in small increments will help you find the sweet spot for a quick turning yet stable bike. A lowering link with an increased leverage ratio will also help you get better traction, turn better and be more plush (due to increased leverage ) over the square edge and braking bumps. You do NOT lose travel contrary to popular believe if the lowering link you choose on whichever bike you purchase has an increased leverage. You gain travel because the wheel has more lever to move further into its arc.

Depending on the rider's height and needs, even tall recreational and pro-level racers use aftermarket links to gain the benefits of the traction/plushness/cornering. Many, many expert-pro racers use them dependeing on the track and conditions...and their bikes turn great while being stable at speed.

Another option to lowering links is having a suspension shop put spacers internally. You will lose travel.

And cutting your seat foam down just a bit would help, too.

marnes2986 said:

I need some more explanation of this claim. If I can bottom my rear tire into my rear fender, leaving a clear rubber streak under the seat,,,and I change the link to move the wheel CLOSER to that point, and the wheel moves in an arc scribed by the swingarm pivot,,,how is that more wheel travel?

I understand more plush/softer from the different leverage ratio but if the bikes shock is already EXCEEDINGLY "plush" or soft, like the WR250r, making it softer only makes it worse, not better for the majority of riders. I certainlly wouldn't send my WRr shock for a revalve to make it softer, it is barely holding the bike up as is. Please clarify.

well after going to the dealership and chatting it up, it got me thinking.....how many of you guys ride bikes where you CANT flat foot both feet? Im thinking maybe i can deal with the seat height, then maybe get used to it...

marnes2986 said:

I'm glad you asked. You get used to not being able to flat foot it at stoplights, but one thing I never got used to is stretching my leg over while mounting and dismounting, especially if you have saddlebags or tailbag on. If you run a lot of errands that can be a pain and I'm a Tree Trimmer/Truck Driver, so I'm pretty flexible. I'm 5'9" and the 37" seat height of my old DR350 was too high and I never did like that part of the bike. I don't think I flat foot on my 34" seat height DR650 but it is a lot more comfortable. I always wish I could find or they made a big bore dual sport that had the 29"-30" seat height of my sportbikes, yet still have decent suspension travel. Anyway my advice to you is compromise. Don't buy a bike that feels too big to be comfortable or safe enough for you to handle, but don't limit yourself too much because you'll learn to adjust to a slightly larger bike. Good luck on whatever you decide, and as posted above a lot of bikes can be lowered with links or with a different seat.

Any of the bikes you'd be considering should have near 4" of race sag, running more for a lower height is common, my buddy has 5" on a TE510. Flat footing both feet is a confidence deal only, my MX bike is toes & front of the ball of both feet at best, my 950 is a one foot affair.

If you obsess over it you'll buy a bike with very limited performance. Don't discount a sumoto, lower naturally with 17" wheels & many have less travel but stiffer settings.

I still hope for an explanation on the link claims.

I am 5' 9" (30" Inseam) I have a DRZ400S @ the Stock height with the Corbin Seat. I am not able to flat foot and generally coming to a stop is one foot on the ground. This is fine I have never needed to be able to flat foot.

But!! This is also the only bike I ever owned. I purchased it with the Koubalink 2's already installed and after 1 month of learning to ride I got rid of them and went back to stock.

VOLX

Thanks all for your input....its getting more ideas in my head.....and your experiences are giving me convidence in looking for bigger bikes

IF i purchased a bike that was a little too tall for me would i be able to move the coil "up" more on the coilover to lower the ride height? what adverse effects would this cause?

Sorry for the delay; I didn't subscribe to the thread or request email follow-up.

All the bikes I have seen with stock links that have a rubber mark on the rear fender have been bottomed hard and are a long way into the neoprene shock stop. Mfg's advertise the total travel assuming the shock stop is not on the shock shaft, so to get the rubber marks on the rear fender that stop has to be compressed pretty hard, also you have to consider the sub frame and fender flex. The way to measure usable travel is remove the rear shock spring, cycle the swing arm thru its arc until the weight of the bike is lifted with the shock stop. That travel measured will be about 30% less than the advertised travel. Longer links increase the leverage ratio slightly so that in turn increases both the total and usable travel. They also allow the tire to hit the fender sooner and harder as the stop does not have to be compressed as far. In general I would not say that a bike is under sprung from the factory because the tire is hittng the fender; first compare the race sag and the free sag to figure the correct spring rate.

jjm525 said:

OK, my bike has 12" of wheel travel, hits the rear fender on bottoming and I add a link dropping my seat/fender almost 2". Tell me how I now have more usable travel than before?

I know the seat height is lower. I know the distance from the tire to the fender is considerably less. The shock rubber bottoming cone is still there. Considering the fender as a fixed point, the flex is miniscule in the appplication of this discussion and would apply equally anyway, how is travel increased when the rear wheel will now hit that fixed point after moving 10-1/4"???

??????

marnes2986 said:

I am 5'7" 175lbs, and I have a DRZ 400S. It has a Kouba link that drops is 1 1/4" and it is just fine.

marnes2986 said:

This choice is easy.
DR650 Suzuki.

The DR650 is the lowest dual sport bike on the market. It's also a great all around bike in any environment. It can cruise all day comfortably at 75 mph. It can do rugged two track, medium level single track and even Baja.
(Mine has been twice to Baja)

It can also tour on the road and with a decent seat, even go two up.

It has the strongest rear sub frame of any dual sport and can carry a huge load without problems.

At 5'6" myself, I have NO problems handling the DR650 on or off road.


My DR early on with IMS tank and Corbin seat.

Same bike, different paint job. Death Valley's Titus Canyon

On tour in Baja. About 500 miles off road. The DR did very well in moderate conditions.

On the Road in Utah, Colorado, Nevada - 3 weeks, 4000 miles.

Not flat footing on the road is no big deal. But it means that offroad if you go to stop and touch down and your foot happens to be over any kind of indentation, you are going down. That gets old too. FWIW