If you turn the spring up in the rear it will lower the rear, but iam not sure what that will do to your rebound and that type of thing, and as for the fronts, stock raptor shocks just come with the cheap turning step things on the bottom of the shock, so there is not much you can do there. And those cheap lowing kits are for flat tracks and/or for extremely flat riding, because on a trail it would beat you and your machine up. Sorry that iam not much help other than telling your that there is nothing really dramatic that you can do to the fronts and that i am not quite sure how to "tune" the rear if you turn the spring, but one tip (and you proabably already know this) is when your in corners on the trail, just spin the rear tires as you are leaning....spinning the tires and breaking the ass-end free are how i get around the corners fast, anyway sorry for rambling....
Ride height adjustment
I am looking at lowering my '03 rappy. Damn thing seems awfully tippy, I bought it used and have no idea what the previous owner did to the suspension. I weigh about 165 lbs. If I loosen the spring adjusting nut will that even lower it?, or just soften the spring? I have absolutly no idea about adjusting the suspensions on these things!! compression ? rebound? dampining? it's all greek to me!! LOL any help would be great
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
This might help you dial it in for you..........
http://atv.off-road.com/atv/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=192286
http://atv.off-road.com/atv/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=192286
Cool!!, Thanks. That clears things up a little, I will have to try these adjustments out when it get a little warmer out. :thumbsup:
Setting the preload correctly won't make much of a ride height difference. You'll need to get aftermarket shocks to lower it much.
its low enough, make it wider to fix you prob....you'l lbang rocks all day long if you get lower, get stuck in every rut...if you just run roads, it may be ok....hope you goy a belly pan
I disagree. To a point, tire height has more to do with ground clearance than suspension height.
front a arms? if the only adjustment you can do to lowerir is shorter stroking the shock, or lowering kit or anything else, you change the angle of the a arms lowering the front of the frame and cause the a arms to be closer to the ground. Short of gull wing arms you are exposing yourself to way more rocks and ruts
But ultimately your rear axle is the lowest point of the quad.
Pewter is right. The rear axle bearing housing & brake disk, sprocket etc, is the lowest point.
If you are setting your bike up to suit yourself, you need to start with your weight, you said 165lb, & what kind of riding you do.
If you ride trails, jump a bit, but not high or far, then you can safely lower the suspension quite a bit.
You only need the full travel if you do hard core motorcross, or BIG jumping.
I'm 6'5" 255lb, & I have my bike set up quite soft at the rear, to help keep the bike lower.
The raptor as a stock bike is narrow & tall.
Most 450's are 4-6" wider, & all carry their weight much lower. They are the benchmark for handling.
Start with the rear
If you trail ride & don't do big jumps, you can put 2" spacers on eachside at the rear. this widens the bike by 4"
If you go hard-core, buy an axle dura-blue or similar, they are adjustable from std width to +6"
You can also buy adjustable links for your rear suspension to lower it down.
This is the best way to get the rear lower, esp if you ride hard, as it will allow you to run the spring pre-load higher.
The front is best modifyed by getting 05-07 YFZ450 front shocks.
This lowers the front by about 1", & gives you much better shocks at the same time, & are generally not too expensive 2nd hand on ebay.
To widen the front, you can:
put spacers on (cheapest)
or buy off-set rims (dearer)
This gains the width needed, but does load up the stock ball joints more, & can make the steering heavier.
Not reccommended if you ride real hard, & jump a lot
The best way is to fit longer A-arms.
This is prob the most expensive route, but the best.
If you are setting your bike up to suit yourself, you need to start with your weight, you said 165lb, & what kind of riding you do.
If you ride trails, jump a bit, but not high or far, then you can safely lower the suspension quite a bit.
You only need the full travel if you do hard core motorcross, or BIG jumping.
I'm 6'5" 255lb, & I have my bike set up quite soft at the rear, to help keep the bike lower.
The raptor as a stock bike is narrow & tall.
Most 450's are 4-6" wider, & all carry their weight much lower. They are the benchmark for handling.
Start with the rear
If you trail ride & don't do big jumps, you can put 2" spacers on eachside at the rear. this widens the bike by 4"
If you go hard-core, buy an axle dura-blue or similar, they are adjustable from std width to +6"
You can also buy adjustable links for your rear suspension to lower it down.
This is the best way to get the rear lower, esp if you ride hard, as it will allow you to run the spring pre-load higher.
The front is best modifyed by getting 05-07 YFZ450 front shocks.
This lowers the front by about 1", & gives you much better shocks at the same time, & are generally not too expensive 2nd hand on ebay.
To widen the front, you can:
put spacers on (cheapest)
or buy off-set rims (dearer)
This gains the width needed, but does load up the stock ball joints more, & can make the steering heavier.
Not reccommended if you ride real hard, & jump a lot
The best way is to fit longer A-arms.
This is prob the most expensive route, but the best.
Well for my 2nd (project) quad I got +2 +1 LT a-arms and elka triple rates and a durablue eliminator 2+2 axle mounted to a +2 swinger w / elka dual rate rear suspension and the elka linkage. I think I am gonna use those extended hub's (G-force I think) on my '03 but I just might get rid of her and get a 700. We'll see, I was just wondering if there was something I could do cheap and quick to get me by for a month or so until I get the other quad up and running!! Thanks for all the input guys, I was wondering about the lowering links you see on ebay for like 85us they say adjustable between 1 and 4 inches below stock. This could take a month to get here though being in Canada.
You can flip the rear link on the 660 and get about 2" drop. It makes it nice and stable. Mine was flipped when I got the guad. For my 700, I just bought the G-force rear hubs. What a difference I tell ya. Well worth it. :thumbsup:
See the flip Idea was exactly what I was looking for!!! I will have to check that out today. Thanks dude, glad to hear you like the g-force aswell :thumbsup:
No problem bud. Everybody told me that I was not gonna like the hubs. Sheese, they are great. But the flipping idea is a good one. The guy I bought my 660 from was a tad smaller that me. He goes around 170-180. He figured the flip trick out and it worked great for him. Me on the other hand, I go 250-260. I flipped it back to stock and just tightened the pre-load up some. Worked great. On my 700, I dont have the option on the flip. It kinda sucks. I had to get a lowering kit from a member here. All I need was the rear bar. I have the YFZ front shocks on it for the front lowering kit. They dropped it down about an inch. Between that and the hubs, this thing is stable as hell. I can damn near make a turn on the side of a house!!! HAHAHAHh0tr0d18 said:See the flip Idea was exactly what I was looking for!!! I will have to check that out today. Thanks dude, glad to hear you like the g-force aswell :thumbsup:
That would be nice!! I feel like if I whip the ass end around and hit a rut thats it. Really, it's happened twice to me. The second time it took my stem with it. I tend to get a little carried away at times though. Oh well
HAHA I know what you mean there. My 660 spent alot of time on its roof!!!h0tr0d18 said:That would be nice!! I feel like if I whip the ass end around and hit a rut thats it. Really, it's happened twice to me. The second time it took my stem with it. I tend to get a little carried away at times though. Oh well
I'll see how the next one goes once I get it together, powder coater has it now. I need an engine, seat and rad now. All else it bought and ready to go. I can't wait
Another option, not a cheap one like the link flip is a lighter weight spring. Google "Eibach" or you might call Elka, believe thier a Canadian company, either of them can hook you up with a spring for your weight range. The right spring will give you the correct sag and full travel.
gotta be careful with the link flip, some guys have bent shocks cos the susp binds up at full travel I hear.
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Raptor Forum
A forum community dedicated to Yamaha Raptor owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, news, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
