How about short riders on '12

adv rider

adv rider

Platinum Level Site Supporter
I see these threads about tall guys on '11 or '12/'13 and wondering about fit,well what about fit for us short guys
I am the new owner of '12 300, 5'5"tall,185lb.any body else set up their bike for lack of height?Tomorrow will be my 1st day with it,I plan to look into jetting,check air filter,check linkage,measure sag.
.Any other short guys make special.mods?
 
I'm 5'9" and just got to throw a leg over a 2013. Definitely noticably taller than the 2010/11 chasis.
 
I'm 5'8 and had a 2010 and was nice to have the low seat height , now have a 2012 the higher seat is not really an issue , makes me ride better knowing i can't put my feet down ,:D
 
I too am short at 5ft 3in and ride 07 250. I sent forks and shock to Les at LT Racing. He shorten both. Made a world of difference. I would suggest calling Les and talk to him.
 
I'm actually looking forward to the increased peg/chasis clearance. Previously was on Yamahas and they just took a little more commitment. Generally if I'm about to have a tumble it happens regardless of if I can get a leg out or not ;)
 
Great buy, but i'm curious what made you get a 13' so late in the season when the 14's are around the corner?

The increased clearence takes some getting used to. At first I cringed on the 12' going over the rocks I knew I would hit on the older chassis. But after awhile of not hitting them, it's good.

You have about an 1" on me. I think the 13' will do you good. I replaced my 12' linkage with the 13' to get it down some for me. The forks and the shock definately needed some love to make them work better.
 
I am 5'6". Initially I set the sag (way off for me from the factory), raised the forks to the second line and ditched that bulbous stock tire and got it a little bit lower. On other bikes, I have cut the seat down, but as you know there is not much foam to remove on this bike and I didn't fancy sitting directly on the seat pan.

I have since had the suspension lowered 1/2". Several suspension people I talked to didn't want to do that little, but I wanted just enough to add some comfort without sacrificing too much travel since the bike already lacks ground clearance (compared to other bikes I have owned). I am not flat footed, but I can get my foot to the ground now before I hit that "point of no return" where I just fall over. lol. I'd never considered lowering it before, but since this bike is pretty weighty, I wanted to decrease the likelihood that I had to pick it up. :)

I think for the '12 you can also get the linkage arms from a '13 and that will bring it down to '13 height.
 
height

I will look into 13 linkage. I am not a fan of lowering shock/forks themselves.For now I will get the sag setup and see how I feel on it. Have not ridden bike yet,so once I ride it. I will decide best course of action. The lower tire profile is a good idea,except for some loss of traction I'm sure.
 
Not Enough Value for the Sacrifice

I had my 05 CRF250X lowered 1 inch. I'm 5'9" and had trouble putting both feet down when stopped.

What I learned is that there is only value when stopped.

What I gave up was suspension travel that is needed when moving!

I had to have the suspension reworked after a while because the first guy used "inexpensive" materials during the process which shed bits of plastic throughout the fork fluid. The next guy (MotoPro) used brass and solid PVC to shorten the travel.

After $1500 and time off the trail I have determined that shorter guys can ride just like tall guys when the bike is moving. Look at Ricky Carmichael, he's 5'6". Ryan Villapoto is 5'8".

IMHO "feet down" is a street bike habit I had to learn to break.
 
Getting off the subject. Look at Jamie Lanza 5'4" 130lbs. I thought he was a kid when I was next to him. I felt pretty foolish when I saw who he was.
 
adv rider said:
I will look into 13 linkage. I am not a fan of lowering shock/forks themselves.For now I will get the sag setup and see how I feel on it. Have not ridden bike yet,so once I ride it. I will decide best course of action. The lower tire profile is a good idea,except for some loss of traction I'm sure.
Click to expand...

The linkage on a 13 is different then the 12... I don't think that will work.

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk
 
short riders unite

The whole deciding factor when i set out to buy a 2t enduro ended up being seat height. GasGas over KTM. No question. I picked up an '07. Nowdays they aren't that much different. I will squeeze every ounce of life out of this bike before i have to buy a new one just because of the seat height.

Here is my progression of changes:

07 EC300 and I'm 5'8 with 30" inseam. First I shaved the seat 1 inch with electric knife and put Kouba lowering link on and slid foks up... Happier, not dumping my bike over hardly at all. But miss squeezing the seat with knees and on big hits back tire hit inside rear fender. Also can't really hammer jumps anymore.

Next had suspension shortened 1" by LTR (back to regular seat and ditched lowering link) and that's all I need. Pro: I never dump my bike over (unless riding 5MOH LOL) Con: I ground out the frame or hit the footpegs when my buddies don't. At first I hated that but I hate dumping my bike over more. Now I watch out for areas I might hit, and I'm adjusting.

If I was a better rider I would have "normal" suspension length, then plan stops better, and keep my momentum up better. I need to plan ahead better, that's the bottom line.

I've been crying to the magazine editors why someone doesn't build a light short 2t enduro for shorter riders. Well, KTM now does, the Freeride 250R, but they don't import it to the US. Yet. Good ground clearance with short(er) seat height. Check the specs online. Or don't, it just made me crazy because I can't have it:D

I work with an orthopedic surgeon who is 5'3 and motocrosses a CRF150R, and asked me to set up a KTM enduro for her so she could put her feet down. A starting point of 38" seat height is probably not a great idea for her. Oh I could get it low enough but it would perform like crap. I just think there is a decent market for a light short enduro bike (2 or 4T) but I guess no one seems to think the expense of manufacturing a more compact frame will be worth it. I can get MTB frames all sizes all day but not dirt bikes.

Sorry so blabbery but this thread hits a nerve with me.:confused: Makes me want to start my own dirt bike company LOL
 
Yes, afraid to say it but the Freeride 250 is looking mighty tempting to this "short & light weight" rider :rolleyes:

92.5kg, 915mm seat height, 2 stroke, and better ground clearance than the EXC's!

I'm just not sure I could disguise it enough so people wouldn't recognise it when I went riding....
 
seat height

As someone mentioned,it's the slow speeds at times where I need a lower seat height.when I do drop my bike,it's usually a fall over.About 1" lower will be a big help. I will decide what to do after getting setup done.And riding some.

In garage now,tearing down.To learn my way around.
 
Last edited:
linkage

Does running 13 linkage require a shock 're-valve? Or is it an improvement in feel with the longer links?
 
thumperflipper said:
I've been crying to the magazine editors why someone doesn't build a light short 2t enduro for shorter riders. Well, KTM now does, the Freeride 250R, but they don't import it to the US. Yet. Good ground clearance with short(er) seat height. Check the specs online. Or don't, it just made me crazy because I can't have it:D

I just think there is a decent market for a light short enduro bike (2 or 4T) but I guess no one seems to think the expense of manufacturing a more compact frame will be worth it. I can get MTB frames all sizes all day but not dirt bikes.
Click to expand...
Been saying the same thing for years. I'm 6 foot tall but would love to have a second bike that is 2-3 inches shorter in set height and wheelbase and 15 pounds or more lighter. I would use it for cutting trail and ride it on those super slick or super technical trail rides.
 
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