Tall or Short Rider ?
By MxTrainingJournal.com
Just head on out to the local track and look around. Pay attention to all the motocross riders. The common factor is the difference between them. They all come in different sizes and shapes. But bike builders have to design and build for the masses, just as car companies do. For a high performance, custom ride, you'll have to make your own changes to shave seconds off your lap times.
Tall Riders....
Taller than average riders are a typical case where mods are required to maximize performance and rider comfort. Never forget that the goal is to achieve a bike/human unit. Travis Preston belongs to the "tall guy" club. What does he do to mod his Sobe No Fear/Samsung Mobile/Honda CRF450R?
- The most obvious thing to do is raise the seat. It's the easiest thing to do and sets the stage for all other mods.
-
Think about the bar height next. Also an easy fix, just a few millimetres higher on the bars and/or mounts make things equal with the seat mod.
- Some taller riders just can't get it right without cutting down the sub frame. Is this ok? Sure, but keep it to a minimum and accurate - don't risk throwing things out of whack; never let an amateur with a torch close to your ride.
- How big are your hands? If you are a much taller rider than the manufacturer counts on, you're hands will be bigger too. Bigger levers are in order because you never want to sacrifice flexibility, comfort, and access. The weight gain is negligible, trust me.
- Finally, think about your bike's suspension. If you're taller, chances are you're bigger (I know, it's all lean muscle mass; ahem!). Anyway, in this case consider adding stiffer suspension. It will pay off in the long run.
Short Riders...
Face it - some of us are, as they say, vertically challenged. But we still love to ride and race and the factories try to suit us as best as they can with tech innovations like shorter shocks, linkage mods, and sub frame variations, but they can't afford to meet everyone's needs. So what can you do?
- You might try running the forks high in the clamps or sagging the rear shocks to try to compensate, but those things compromise other things, like the bike's geometry and how it handles on the corners. Is it worth it? That's a personal call.
-
Try adjusting your bars a bit further back. Have you tried to run your mounts lower? It's a no-brainer that the height of the foot pegs can make a difference.
- Try lowering your seat. You should have some flexibility in this adjustment and it'll make a world of difference. Most riders like the compromise between the lowest and the highest setting.
-
Lowering your sub frame works well too. The trick is to cut it accurately and then re-weld it. Be accurate though, any misalignments might not be noticed but will play hell with your body alignment and performance. Lowering it by about eight millimetres is about the max you want to go.
- Taller foot pegs are a good solution. There are some factory replacements on the market now which fit the bill.
In the long run, the best approach is to use a combination of all these mods rather than to go to extremes on just one.
|