can you lower an crf80?
no name
it's going to be a CRF80, however, new on the showroom floor it's just a tad
too tall and I would like to temporarily lower it some. One person says you
can tweek the front and rear suspension and get an inch lower, another
person says you can't. However, both agree that suspension will sag in
pretty short order after getting it home.
What say ye? Can the suspension be tweeked and will it soften/sag after
riding just a little? Thanks!
EricB
Don't bother. At 10, he'll soon be sitting flat footed on it anyway. If
he can just barely get one toe on the ground, it's perfect;-) Keep in
mind, if he is an average size 10 yr old boy, that bike is going to be a
tad too small for him in a very short time. For a 10 yr old boy, I'd go
with the XR100, uhhh, I mean, CRF100 at a minimum. Just for a reference
point, my daughter came off her PW80 at 9 and onto a CR80.
Eric
--
Eric B-there are too damn many Erics here!
http://www.americanborderpatrol.com/Cam/abpcam.asp
2000 XR250, '74 Elsinore MR50 (original owner),
'99 CR80 (11yr old daughter), '96 RM80 (14yr old son), 2000 DS80 (visiting kids).
Remove "nospam" from reply-to
mxtuner
spewed forth:
Not really for cheap. To do it so the results don't come out as an
evil handling dangerous pig, you need to lower both ends the same
amount. softening the rear spring preload too much will make a
dangerous ride also. Lowering requires adding spacers inside the shock
and forks. I'm not even sure if the rear shock on the 80 can be taken
apart. It may be a sealed unit (much cheaper to manufacture). The
forks can fairly easily have s spacer installed but then you'll need
shorter fork springs by the same aount you added the spacer. If you
have teh stock springs cut and the end rewound, that can cost as much
as a replacement set of springs. You'll need a set of stock springs
when you decide to return it to normal height again. The rear spring
can be adjusted to compensate for the amount the rear would be
lowered.
Seeing how he'll need it full height in about 3 months, I'd leave it
stock for the rime being and don't get on any trails that are too
difficult. Plus, you may be looking at how he holds it up at a stop.
He doesn't need to be able to touch with both feel to survive for a
little while. He sure as heck doesn't need to be able to flat foot it.
Unless someone is 7' tall, nobody can flat foot a full sized bike.
Oh, and the suspension isn't going to soften, or sag, much anytime
soon. The springs start out full length and deteriorate throughout
their life. They don't suddenly drop down after a week or so.
MX Tuner
rob119
(basically a full sized bike). Its hard for me to stop because the bike is
heavy and my feet arent touching the ground very much. I have dropped the
brand new bike many times because its hard to hold up when im stopped. Can
i just wait for the suspension to sag or should i start working out and
eating my veggies?
EricB
Hang upside down by your toes for at least an hour each day. BTW, don't
know where this "wait for the suspension to sag" thing came from. Yah,
the suspension will change a bit once it breaks in, but there won't be a
big noticeable difference that happens all at once. None of the kids on
125's at my local track can touch the ground at all, unless they are
against a berm or have the bike leaned way over to one side. Hell, I'm 35
and weigh 200 lbs, there isn't a 125 MX'er on the market that I can touch
the ground on.
K-Style Kid
> i kind of have a similar problem. Im 14 and i have a panterra 125cc
> (basically a full sized bike).
14 on the newsgroup ?? You may be the youngest member ?
Excellent !! Any pics of you riding ?
K-Style
Craig Faison
> 14 on the newsgroup ?? You may be the youngest member ?
No way, I'm only about 11. At least that's how old I act.
Craig
rob119
dirtbikes and this kind of thing. I came to this website and checked out
these forums to get tips and tricks on how to ride better and stuff like
that. So far ive read some pretty interesting stories and learned a couple
of things. I think its a cool newsgroup overall
mxtuner
Have you set the rear spring for your weight? That can lower it a bit
if it is set too stiff for your weight fromt eh factory.
MX Tuner
Andy Mullins
Give it time... you figure out the truth eventually.
TSMaxel
>it's going to be a CRF80, however, new on the showroom floor it's just a tad
>too tall and I would like to temporarily lower it some. O
Do it... My son started on an 80 when he was 8yrs old. I pushed the front
forks up about 3/4" and sagged the rear about half an inch. Play with it. Do
some small adjustments and let him ride for a while. ASk him if he likes it
and if it is an improvement over previous. Watch when he rides, you can see if
there is any issues with bottoming, etc.
Most people will say that you can't "lower" the suspension on a bike without
springs and $$$... Fact is, you can. Yes, it will change the handling. Yes,
it will reduce travel. However, if you are small for the bike, chances are
good you won't be jumping triples on it for a while anyway. And, these types
of adjustements are easy to reverse.
TMax