bike i'm looking at has a 37.1inch seat height, i have a 28inch inseam. i'd prefer to install some 3 inch shorter shocks rather than add internal spacers to the OEM shocks. the bike has 10 3/4inches of rear travel, won't need that where i'm going. for the front, i'd move the triples down to match, if possible. any recommendations on the rear? thx!
I'm more of a street rider but I would think that there's a lot more to altering the geometry on this bike than meets the eye. even taking back 4 inches (which would be a ton) would still make that a tall bike. Are you getting a lot of sag.
lowering the rear 3" is gonna mess up the geometry of the bike a bit and throw the front end out of wack by moving the head angle way the hell out there and make it steer like a pig..you could slide the forks up in the triples to level it out..but if you start sliding them up that far I would be sure to completely compress the front end and make sure it will not hit the frame/pipe/motor what ever sticks out the furthest to give you an idea what you are looking at. this is my '79 KLX that from the factory sits about 36"ish at the seat...yes I am very tall here it is with 3" lower rear shocks...notice how far the forks had to be slid into the triples to get it to level out and get the geometry some what right going with 3" eye to eye shorter shocks is a BIG change I would recommend maybe going 1" shorter.slide the tubed up a tad and cut the seat down.
bike condition was a little "iffy" along with the seat height so i passed. it was a 1982 husky wr430, needing a top end rebuild and ????? not sure i could have kicked her over anyway
If you know you're not going to be using up all that suspension and want something shorter, a Bultaco Alpina may be an answer for you. Trials height(or rather, lack of height), though with a comfy(er) seat, good fuel range, wide ratio tranny, good part availability and super reliable. Oh-and they come in 125, 175, 250, 350 & 360 varieties.
A bultaco of any model but the later Frontera would be a perfect fit for you. I stand about 5' 9" and my Matador MK3 is actually a bit too short for me (it will make a good tight woods bike.) The MK4 matador is stretched about an inch more and slightly taller...I'm still hunting one for my bashing bike. Also, if you're worried about power, they Buls have pleeeenty and they're a bit easier to work on and get parts for. They have just as much pedigree too
bultacos are on my short list, too. missed a very nice sherpa T some time ago, fully refreshed with a new tank for $1650. a beauty. my first bike was a 74 cz250 enduro, i found of those too but it's a 13hr round trip. i've actually "passed" on quite a few bikes recently, fun to look. i'll keep shopping, in the meantime the riding is pretty good these dayz. been pushing the r75 pretty hard on vt's rt17 and 73 and the duc in eastern/northern NY.
