lowering link on the 07

[gasser]

Originally Posted by jhendr3702

we came to this hill, there were 3 guys pushing their bikes up a rutted hill.. we stopped and talked to them for a minute, i told them there was an easier way up, just a second and i would show them... Johnny kinda smiled, fired his 300 up and launched up that hill... there is no run at it at all.. you got to go.
one of the guys lookd at his buds and said..."see... i told you there was no other way up" and walked back over and started pushing their bikes up the rutted trail...
still giggle about it..

Great story.

[rgranger]

JH, are you in TX? I thought G shipped that bike to BFE?

[jhendr3702]

Originally Posted by rgranger

JH, are you in TX? I thought G shipped that bike to BFE?

no bfe.... well some people call amarillo that... but yes it is still in tx..

[flybars]

I'm also 5' 6" and put the lowering link on my '03 250. I lower all my bikes too. It instantely builds confidence. I also have a friend who uses his legs to paddle up extreme stuff. People who don't have a height issue don't seem to realize the challenges we occasionally face if not able to put a foot down.
Glen is right about shortening the spring height though. I did this to my xr400 and it rides and handles really well. My GG250 blows thru the rear suspension too quickly and it's noticeable. I either need to get a stiffer rear spring or lower the front a bit to make it better, or the best thing would be to take it to the suspension guy who did my xr. I used to cut my seat foam down, which worked really well until eventually it was too hard on my knees when going from sitting to standing. Just thought I'd chime in on a fellow short guy.

[GMP]

I'm 5'9" and get along well with the stock height, a big reason I always liked GGs so much. A lot of it also has to do with the overall action of the suspension, and how the travel is used. If you have too soft springs and jack the preload up to compensate its just as bad as too stiff a spring. In the slow tech stuff is where the height is an issue and you want the bike to use the right amount of travel without blowing through like it tends to do with the longer pull rods. Get the right springs, use minimal preload, and lower properly if necessary. Its easily reversable if all your doing is an inch, just simple spacers on the fork damper rods and shock shaft to limit top out length, and adjust preload spacers to compensate. This is the right way to do it if your going to keep the bike for awhile and want to enjoy it. My 12 yr old son is now 5'6" with size 11 feet. He will be at least 6'2" they tell me. What he lacks in skill he can make up for with his legs, paddling his 85 up hills when it ran out of juice. I'm envious.