Should You Lower Your Dirt Bike? The Effects Of Modifying Ride Height

Jimmy Lewis covers the age-old debate of modifying ride height and when it helps and when it hurts on the track and trails.
Excerpt from Tech Talk Taco Tuesday Show #128

#DirtBikeTest

[soilsmanadv]

Beta has engineered a 2" and a 1" lowering kit for their bikes. It has made it a ton easier for me to learn riding techniques for single track. I don't jump a lot so I don't mind only having 9.8" of travel instead of 11.8". It hasn't changed any of the handling character of the bike. I started on a 1976 xl80 and I don't think it had 3" of suspension and that didn't keep me out of the woods and riding. I think internally lowering a bike is the only way to do it.

[EarthSurferUSA]

Do it right, and it handles better, especially for corning. RC had his bikes lowered, pretty good in the corners. 15 championships and all---on a lowered bike.
Come on guys. it has to be done well, but the damn bikes are too tall. I recently sat on a 2022 KX450 and YZ250f and could touch the ground. Not so with the 2-stroke YZ's.
One more thing. Watch the move "American Pie" and listen to that little red hared girl say, "And one day, in band camp", stop taking like that. lol
I think it is weird to hear so many people talk like that because my dad broke me of that habit 50 years ago when I was 8 by saying to me, "Are you asking me a question? You sound like you are asking me a question.", --and I never sounded like a silly red hared girl again. :)

[jseevers]

Adjusting to your height/inseam should be included when buying from a dealership. 10 grand for a bike is a lot to someone who has to put more $ into it to ride it. Specifically dirt bikes!

[sarauti]

What about for extreme enduro? Long time trials rider starting to ride dirt bikes and the seat height is ridiculous for things I usually do easily: pivot turns, etc. I am 5'6.

[aaronphillips]

Bought a 24 ktm xcw (coming from a husky) it is to tall. I ride more hard enduro and you need footing. Im going to try to lower the seat first and if it dosent work im lowering it or selling it

[EarthSurferUSA]

I like the engines in the walls for your background. Elsinore is a classic. It's art. Good art. lol

[EarthSurferUSA]

Bull hockey. Some bikes are just stupid tall, and I am not "getting used to it". It is a matter of physics for turning, my YZ250 2-stroke was just too tall, a terribly set up bike out of the box, worst I ever had, (out of 5 other 250cc MX bikes).
Get used to it? Some people get use to prison too and communism. Or masks. Get smart enough and fix it. Sorry

[DH-mflv]

Can the rear and front be adjusted to lower the seat height on a 1979 YZ250? Travel amount is not an issue. No jumping or competition riding here.

[UltraSS-njkd]

Big exception with the extreme enduro. I used a trials bike most of those sections around here (now i have a lowered fullsize) that's maybe the only big advantage. Just stopping and going is irrelevant on bike size. Do the smallest lowering possible to get comfortable or just get used to it.

[HuskyHauler]

My suspension guy says the geometry is wrong on the 2018 Husqvarna FE compared to the FX / FC. It is too high in the rear and is suggesting a different link for the rear that will lower the bike. I looked it up and the seat height on a FE is 10 mm taller than the FX. Also, the FE forks are shorter than the FX / FC. I dropped the forks in the triple clamps and it seems to help the bike from pushing in deep sand. Or is this because of the air forks on the FX/FC models. What do you think. TIA

[gorgeswellrider]

Yeah, all good, BUT! If the rider is a real lightweight, like my wife, they'll never get the correct sag with stock springs, and they're short (5'1"), as she is, that's when the only fix is a lowered bike with softer springs.

[Motoinc]

Lowering internally is a great option if answers was just stupid.
"Its bad, but good but bad anyway.."

Cheers