KDXRIDER.NET

Hi. I ride in some tight trails with obstacles like fallen down trees and deep sand. The 37" tall seat of the KDX just isn't working for me. I'd like to lower it. My XR200 is 33", and I love its height. The XR also seems to sag more.

(1) What is the maximum inches of lowering that is considered safe?

(2) Is it true that lowering it too much will cause the wheel to hit the fender and lock it up during max compression? Like when you land a big jump. I don't want to lock up my wheel when I land.

(3) Why is Kouba Link so expensive? $75 for a piece of metal with two holes on the end.

(4) Kouba's "KDX3" lowers bike by 2.25". How do I lower the fork 2.25"? Seems like the top of the fork will hit the handlebar.


By the way, I'm 5'7" with short legs and 150 pounds. I just bought the bike used. So I have no idea if the suspension has been tampered with.

i dont know ANY of the awnsers you're looking for
but i would like to say "welcome aboard"

once you get the KDX set-up properly you'll love it and you'd be surprised how handy that XR is as a coat rack ;)

I bought my 200 with a Kouba KDX1 on it, and it wasn't too bad. I did put the stock links back on though, and it handles sharper and has better bottoming resistance.

The original owner said he tried a #2 and it "screwed up the handling" so Kouba swapped it fo the #1 for him. They are a great company to work with and $75 is a good price for the nice machined billet pices IMO.

I tried a #3 off my GF's KLX and it made the rear way too soft and flat ruined the handling, plus let the tire hit the fender hard. I didn't notice it lock up, but the #3 is for slow putting around and not recomended for fast/rough terrain.

I think a #1 and a shaved seat would be you best bet unless you want to spend big bucks and have someone like ****'s Racing lower the shock and forks properly. You can put risers under the bars to get the forks lower, but you deffinately don't want the front tire hitting the top of the fender (endo).

Instead of lowering link I'd talk to MX Tech. http://www.mx-tech.com/?url=services

I've been trying to read as much as possible, and I'm learning suspension is not simple. And the KDX's suspension is unbalanced. That would explain why I'm struggling on this bike so much on the trails. I'm just learning. I've a XR200. I enjoy the XR on the trails because it feels very easy to ride. I thought I was going to sell the XR and keep the KDX, but now I'm thinking I should just sell the KDX because I don't think using lowering links alone is going to solve my problems and paying a pro to do the suspension work on an my beater KDX might not be worth it.

Do yourself a favor and spend some time dialing in your suspension. It doesn't cost anything and can make a huge difference. Check out the "suspension" forums here. http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=102