I'm a lot happier now that I've done this. Just come back from a spirited ride in the hills and it is cornering similar prior to lowering. Was also stable at high speeds on straight sections.
I'm a newbie on this board but have been lurking for awhile - interested in the TR650 but am also a stub (5'2"). This weekend at Mid Ohio I found out about the Kouba Link and my hope is renewed! Bobzilla, I'm also in Indy and would love to see your bike some time. Thanks folks, Aaron in Indy
I work at Bicycle Garage on the southside, give me a call to check out my TR. You will dig it and have to go get one right away.
I had a new link shoved in and the front forks raised a bit. I can tip toe both feet on the ground and walk the bike around like that, but only just. Still, the bike seems quite light that it is all quite manageable. Have to kind of do a spastic stand back and kick kind of thing to get a leg over when there is luggage on the back though
Hi all. Also being short in the leg, I've fitted the 1-3/4 Koubalink and dropped the forks. Definitely better, with the added bonus of being more stable at high speed. But I could do with going lower. I also thought that it's a bit high geared, especially when trying to navigate more difficult off-road stuff. I know I could change the gearbox sprocket, but I wondered whether I could kill two birds with one stone. The Strada version is fitted with an 17" rear wheel and I read somewhere that there was a spoked version. If I could get one (big if) and fit it to the Terra with an appropriate dual-sport tyre, would that both lower the gearing and lower the seat height (without affecting suspension travel or seat/footpeg distance)? Sounds like a perfect solution.....! Has anyone tried this or got any thoughts on the effects of doing it?
The Terra with ABS has a 17" spoked rear wheel. You would have to reprogramme your instrument panel or ECU as there would be speedo error.
Dear Hansi, Thanks for your pictures of the special ring to lower the bike. Where or how to order this kind of ring ? Regards, John
Hey there, your story here is very encouraging. I'm 5'6" and 124 pounds but thin and not muscle-y; I'm looking at the TR as my new forever bike. All the "problems" listed in various threads are hardly problems compared to the serious carb/engine/cheap-o parts issues that will leave a person helpless on an abandoned fire road... I once owned a KLR 650, lowered and dialed in, but it was still pretty intimidating when I stopped on a camber, with the bike loaded, and while I was a new-ish rider. (The 7 gallon gas tank at my chest didn't help!) I was happy to sell it to a 6'2 19 year old kid who, by now, has travelled half the world with it, as should happen with the KLR. Anyway, I have better skills and I'm optimistic that I'm gaining strength... The TR seems perfect - I'll get the lowering link for the 1.75" and get a custom seat to shave the extra 1" off the top. If you're riding this bike withOUT either of those, I'm impressed. I'm in Seattle, WA; I'll look for you again when I get the bike in hand. Thanks for this post. You obviously have a little riding experience
Well my dealer installed the lowering ring and before he already let the fork go down also a 30 mm or so. The bike is lower now and it is easier to put my leg over the saddle and to manoevrate with lower speeds or standing still or parking the bike. My ring was 125 euro, but I think it is a elegant solution and gives shorter people a lot more confidence in this all/offroad bike. In fact it is one of the lowest all/off road bikes or maybe the lowest, I do not know. I do know that for many years let's say the last 20 years I never looked at off road bikes, because they were always much to high. (Especially BMW and KTM seems to be build for 2 meter people minmum). Regards, John
BMW has a smaller wheel sensor ring( tone ring) for a 17 inch wheel. Just install the ring on the rear wheel. I believe it was Wunderlich that has the smaller tone ring.
Here's another option for effectively lowering the bike. Seat Concepts now has a low version of their seat which looks pretty sexy in the photo. It's $160 for foam and cover. They will install it for you for $20, not bad. "New wider and 15mm lower seating area is more comfortable than stock while giving you a lower seat height."
On the Seat Concepts website, on the page describing the low seat, there is a note at the bottom stating that the picture is not a pic of the low seat...it's a pic of the "stock" seat. I emailed them asking for a pic of the actual low seat and they replied that they didn't have one (??). I'd sure like to see a picture of the actual low seat before I pull the trigger.
I suffered similar, i weigh close to 100kg, & sag was less than 20mm - Terry Hay at shock Treatment, lowered the rear shock, changed the 10.30 kg spring for a 9.80 kg that was also 10mm shorter, the front was lowered by 20 mm internally plus 10 mm extra preload to compensate for the Safari tank Very pleased with the results, Birdsville Track loop was 4,500 klms, 900 klms desert The lowering links are not the go, be warned
Well that kinda sucks as I thought the seat in the image was pretty nice looking and not much like my stock seat.
