How to Lower a CRF250L for Free!

Yes, that is quite a lot different. Not sure why that would be???? But not big deal just different. I think it is odd how little adjustment there is.

Just to let everyone know we have been riding this bike for quite a while now and my wife surprisingly is riding mostly off road and is close to 700 trial miles on the bike. She had done some 2' drops, hill climbs (kind of), deep creek crossings, and some deep mud. The mod is fine and we still have noticed no negative effects of the mod.

Great thread... Thanks for the write up!

Updated further down page.

Check your design parameters...

Stock rear wheel travel is 9.4".

Yet you lowered it 3" in the back and left only 8.25" for suspension travel ??? :huh

Stock ground clearance is 10". Stock seat height is 34.75.

After your lowering the seat height is 32.75"

That would leave 8" of ground clearance. :eek1

I hope you bought a skidplate .



Hopefully other inmates read the updated post so they don't get injured....

Try again... :huh

With a 1" front drop and a 3" rear drop the handling will be slow, the front end will want to wash out easier.

The frame will bottom out on the ground before the suspension bottoms out.

This can injure you and damage the bike.

It seems smoother on small chop bumps because of the increased chopperish rake and the decreased swing arm angle.

Ride improvement - Yes.

Handling improvement - No

See update further down the page!!!

Settle down, dude.

The OP did this for his wife. If the rider this mod is intended for never intends to go off road then there's no harm.

I agree that there'll be trouble if a bike with this mod is ridden hard off road. And there are other mods that can be done to shorten the travel if you really wanted to lower this bike for an off-road rider.

Your warning is well meaning, but a bit over the top.

I am so sick of you fucks that act like you know everything! Have you riden my mother fucking bike? Do you even own this model? Have you done the mod? Then stay the fuck off my post! I have riden this bike and it does quite well for the pos it is! Any time you lower the back of the bike more than the front you change the geometry. It is not my mod that does this it is lowering in general. Maybe you would suggest foot implants for my wife or a dr200 that won't go 55 for her to be on the highway with. Would that be safer.

I call it like I see it. This mod is not safe.

I would never do this mod for anybody, but for a family member, thats even worse.

If the bike is never intended to be ridden then there is no harm with this mod.

The only safe way to lower a CRF250L's suspension is to shorten the suspension travel the same amount you lower the bike.

See update further down the page!!!

Since the shock is not rebuildable it will need replacement.


Even on the street this mod is dangerous. Having the frame hit while turning into a parking lot is a definate possibiliy. Thats just one of the many risks.


Having almost 2" more suspension travel then ground clearance is very dangerous. No ifs, ands, or buts about it...


This mod requires "Disclaimer's" and "Warnings" .


A mod should never add this type of design flaw and risk. It could cost a life.




I would rather way be over the top then see a person injured from an unsafe mod that didn't even warn about the serious risks and flaws it adds.

Thats all for now.

No I have not ridden your bike nor would I knowing this has been done.

I have ridden a CRF250L but do not own one.

That is not the issue. Safety is. This mod is unsafe, plain and simple.

I would suggest lowering the bike properly and safely.

I wonder what your wife would think if she had all the info in front of her.

:eek1

MentalGuru must be the asshole who plasters warning stickers on every flat surface of new motorcycles.

+100! Nothing like an arrogant, self-righteous, self-proclaimed internet-know-it-all sticking his/her nose into something they know little to nothing about, have zero first-hand experience with, and acting like they're a fucking expert.

Nope, just smart enough to know that a motorcycle needs to have more ground clearance then suspension travel. I thought that was common knowledge and is only common sense.

Apparently I have stumbled into an area that is serously need of some.

I'm not a sticker fan, I'm a bigger fan of natural selection thou.

Flame away... :eek1 Prove me wrong if you think you can.

After reading this thread and seeing the responses I now understand the need for idiot/warning stickers. They are clearly for people that lack common sense(see above suspension lowering mod for an example).

Please put me on ignore so natural selection can run it's course. I think I may have messed with the balance of intellegence by posting grade school math.

Lets see... 9.4" of suspension travel - 8" of ground clearance = Fail...


Looks pretty simple to me...

I like you!

I like you!

Your suspension should have about 3" of rear sag and 2" up front. That would be combined static and race sag. Added to your fork drop like you have already done would work nice. Using a slighty shorter tire in the rear is about the most it can be safely lowered.

This would lower the bike rie height so reaching the ground while sitting is easier. It will also make the bike handle how Honda intended.

With a slight seat trim and the proper suspension adjustments/spring rates will net the same seat height with her onboard as your lowered suspension does without the ground clearance loss. Casing the bike under suspension compression is also eliminated by not lowering the suspension.

No, it's not me you like. He's talking about the guy that has the job putting the stickers on since some people lack common sense.

This modification is a legitimate safety concern. Bottoming out a motorcycle can very well prove to be dangerous. No motorcycle manufacture would sell a bike with such suspension geometry due to this exact reason.

Although you may see the risk of this as slim the simple fact exists that you chose to perform this modification in the expense of your own wife's heath and safety to save yourself a very small sum of money. I'm not surprised that someone other than me would find that simply incomprehensible.

My girlfriend bought a 250L and she's only 5-02. We installed Kouba Link on her bike (supposed to lower seat height 1.75 in) and cut about 3/4 inch of her side stand. She is able to touch well enough now, but it'd be nice to give her another inch. The seat has a lot of padding. Might look at shaving a little foam off the seat at some point in the future.

Make sure suspension sag is adjusted correctly.

I would want to check ground clearance with the link in and no spring on the shock.

Unless it reduces rear wheel travel this will also decrease ground clearance to an unsafe amount.

I would check. It sucks to crash when you are the rider and did nothing wrong.


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