Lowering Guide
The WR250R is a tall bike. Its seat sits at 36.6 inches (930 mm), and the WR250X at 35.2 inches. If you’re on your tiptoes at a stop, there are several ways to bring it down, from free adjustments you can make with basic tools to aftermarket parts. You can often get an inch or more without hurting how the bike handles, as long as you lower both ends.
Your Options At A Glance
| Method | Lowers By | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rear preload / sag | A little | Free |
| Shock ride-height clevis | About 1″ (25 mm) at the rear | Free |
| Raise the fork tubes | Match the rear | Free |
| Lowering link | About ¾″ (20 mm) alone, about 1¾″ (45 mm) with the clevis | Buy a part |
| Lower seat | About ¾–1″ | Buy a part |
Start with the free adjustments. Only reach for parts if you still need more.
1. Set Your Sag
Before changing anything else, make sure your rear spring preload is set for your weight. The stock spring suits a rider of roughly 180–210 lb. A lighter rider can back off the preload, which lets the bike settle further under you and sit a little lower, while staying within the recommended 3–4 inches of race sag.
This is covered step by step in the suspension adjustment guide. Don’t go past the recommended sag just to lower the bike: too little preload makes the rear bottom out easily and wallow in corners.
2. Shorten The Shock With The Ride-Height Clevis
The bottom of the stock rear shock (the aluminum block where it bolts to the linkage, called the clevis) is threaded, so you can shorten the shock without any new parts. At its shortest setting it drops the rear about an inch.
- Put the bike on a stand so the rear wheel is off the ground and the shock is unloaded.
- Remove the lower shock bolt so the clevis is free.
- Loosen the jam nut directly above the clevis.
- Turn the clevis up the shock shaft to make the shock shorter. Count your turns so you can set it back, and keep within the factory adjustment range.
- Tighten the jam nut against the clevis, refit the lower shock bolt, and torque it to the service manual spec.
The clevis is soft aluminum. Use a proper box-end wrench or a large adjustable wrench, not channel locks, or you’ll chew it up.
3. Raise The Fork Tubes In The Triple Clamps
If you only lower the rear, the bike’s weight shifts back and the steering gets lazy and vague in corners. Lower the front by a similar amount by sliding the fork tubes up through the triple clamps:
- Support the bike securely so the front wheel is off the ground.
- Loosen the pinch bolts on the upper and lower triple clamps, one fork leg at a time.
- Slide the tube up the same amount on both sides. Measure from the top of the clamp to the top of the fork tube with a ruler, and make both legs match exactly.
- Torque the pinch bolts to spec.
As an example, one owner lowered the front 12 mm and the rear 18 mm and was happy with the result. The handlebars limit how far the tubes can go up. Raising the forks also quickens the steering, so go in small steps. Too far and the front starts to “knife,” turning in more sharply than you expect. Before riding, check that the front tire can’t touch anything at full fork compression.
4. Fit A Lowering Link
A lowering link replaces one of the stock linkage parts under the swingarm. Its different length changes the linkage geometry so the rear sits lower. The best known is the YamaLink, which drops the rear about 20 mm by itself, or about 1¾ inches (45 mm) when combined with the clevis adjustment above. Its maker says 1¾ inches is the most you should lower a WR and still keep the handling balanced. Some other brands claim up to 2 inches.
A lowering link also changes the linkage leverage, which can change how the rear suspension feels. If you go this route, lower the front to match (step 3), and recheck your sag afterward. Links with a built-in grease fitting are worth having, because the WR’s linkage bearings appreciate regular grease.
5. Swap The Seat
A lower aftermarket seat (or having your stock seat foam cut down by an upholsterer) takes off another ¾ to 1 inch, and it doesn’t change how the bike handles at all. The trade-off is comfort: less foam can mean a sore backside on long days. Some lower seats are also wider, which can actually make it harder to reach the ground, so compare before you buy.
Don’t Forget The Kickstand
Once the bike is lower, the stock kickstand is too long. The bike stands too upright and is easy to knock over toward the right. The cheap fix is the WR250X kickstand, which is 12.0 inches long against the WR250R’s 13.5 inches and bolts straight on (Yamaha part 3D7-27311-11-00). See the differences between the WR250R and WR250X for more parts the two bikes share.
Also keep in mind that every inch you lower the bike comes off the 11.8 inches of ground clearance, which matters on rocky trails.
