Stock dirt bikes sometimes seem too high especially for ladies. Therefore, they are tempted to lower them to set them up to their weight, height and riding style. This improves their experience on the bike!
The question now is, how lower can you lower the dirt bike?? Although there are many things to consider when determining how much you can lower a dirt bike. However, the most common is between 1 and 4 inches depending on individual need.
Should I Lower My Dirt Bike?
Yes. You should lower your dirt bike if need be. Not all riders are lucky enough to be tall or have long legs. It would be very unfair for such people to race with tall people. This is because they experience such a challenging time trying to touch the ground.
For an experienced rider, they might be able to develop tricks on how to go about it. However, for a new rider, it might turn out to be a nightmare. Many people therefore choose to lower the height of their bike seats. The length at which you can lower the seat of your dirt bike is determined by your height.
A single inch can be all you need to grab that trophy. Therefore, never feel shy to have a lowered seat and if need be, seek help from an expert. The length of your height highly matters on your ability to stay on the bike or to crash in a corner!
Different Ways of Lowering a Dirt Bike Seat Height
There are different ways of lowering a dirt bike. These include:
- Shaving The Seat Foam
Trimming the seat foam is the cheapest and the most common way of lowering the height of your seat. You can also take this opportunity to change the seat cover of your bike as well. Just take off the cover, trim the foam to the desired size and put the cover back. Many seats can allow you to take up to 1-1.5 inches and still be left with enough.
This has become the easiest way of lowering seat heights since no special skills are needed. At the same time, this exercise takes less than one hour to be complete.
- Smaller Tire
When it comes to the size of the tire, there are smaller diameter rear rims to choose from. At the same time, you can choose one with a reduced amount of rubber. Many Motocross bikes have a 19 inch rear wheel while some off-road trail bikes feature an 18 inches rear wheel.
A smaller wheel means lower rear-end of the bike. If you are using 11-/100-19” you can go for a 100/90-19” rear tire. This will automatically lower the height of the bike as well.
- Lowering The Subframe
This is a crazy move but at least it works. The process takes longer and needs an expert as the chunk of your subframe is cut and welded back. Although this process works it is not recommended as it has many disadvantages than advantages. The worst would be the chunk cracking and breaking when you are on the race!
- Adjust Shock PreLoad
Adjusting the shock preload is another easy way of lowering your dirt bike. This is also called sagging with Locking nuts. Although this one also works, it should not be your number one go for option. This is among the lowest and most convenient as it goes close to 2 inches.
Looking on the rear shock assembly are two locking ring nuts that hold the spring compressed. Your race sag should approximately be 100mm (4”). To have an easy time, using a shock spanner wrench would work wonders!
Points To Note Before Lowering a Dirt Bike
Lowering a dirt bike might be the best option available but before going for it, keep the following tips in mind:
- Use The Services of Professionals
Playing with the suspension of your bike can mean messing with its geometry. The ratio pressure and the linkage of the shocks have a special set up. If you don’t have an idea of how it works, it can lead to great damages to your bike.
Sometimes, there might be need to shorten the front and the rear shock whose disassembling requires specialized tools. This is not a task that can be performed by a layman and therefore, do not give it a try if you aren’t experienced.
- Have a Clear Picture Of What You Want
Have an understanding of the type of riding you plan to have. Is it Moto X Track? Mostly Trails? Fire roads? Enduro Cross? or Dual Sport? This is because, some types of riding like launching your bike on an MX track needs great suspension travel when landing. However, for fire roads and desert riding, much suspension travel might not be necessary.
- Avoid Using A Lowering Link
Lowering links seems to be getting very popular among riders. However, this is the worst thing about lowering your bike. According to experts, using a lowering link completely throws your bike off balance. All the hard work the engineers did to perfect the bike goes out of the window in just a single move.
The rear shock and the front forks are set to act together. Adding lower links will therefore interfere with the leverage ratio causing all sorts of problems to your bike.
- Do Not Over Do It
Lowering your bike might be the only way of enjoying your ride, but it can become disastrous when overstretched. Touching the ground might be necessary but not as important as ground clearance. Therefore, you should always make your choice right.
Winding Up
There are many ways of killing a bird. Apart from the methods mentioned above, buying a lower profile seat can be the only thing needed to save the day. At the same time, to avoid going through all this pain, just choose a bike that perfectly fits your size and you’ll be good to go!
