Other than getting rid of the bike which I dont want to do.

Its a 83 yamaha IT 490.

I tippy toe it when I sit on it. And thats only because I am fat.

If I can get it a little lower say 2" I would be really happy. I am sorta new to the whole bike thing. I used to ride older bike's in the 70s and they where a bit shorter.

Any options? Or should I tape blocks to my feet?

you can cut the seat foam down thats what all the frestyle riders do you can gain alot but it will then be a rougher ride when sitten down

or plan # 2 BLOCKS:flipoff2:

Yep cutting the seat down option has been addressed :)

Thinking of cranking the coil down on the mono shock.

other than that I dont really know what else to do.

I have a 28” inseam, so I got good at stopping near a slope/rock/log on the left side.

I also got good at starting my bike while off the bike. I don’t know if I could do that with a 490!

There are a bunch of us short guys that race MX. We used to bring egg crates or some small box to the starting gate. Once you’re on the pegs, you’re better off! :D

Sorry I’m not much use, but my brother and I started asking around about lowering his street bike and it was big $$$.

i'm 6' tall and i had to jump up to start my IT. the kick starter is so dang high on them.

lowering the front is easy just lower the clamps on the fork tubes but that throughs all of the handleing to hell. so if you can lower the rear then the whole thing can be brought down.

if my memory serves me right there isn't any linkage the shock just bolts directley to that truss that's welded to the swingarm. maybe some sort of cool link that located the rear shock pin back more or cut and weld. you will probabley run the rear tire into the fender though. maybe a bump stop. double the stock one up.

i've lowered two bikes now and both times ended up being a royal pain in the neck. neither one was straight forward.

cutting the seat foam seems to be the cheapest and least time consuming way of getting your feet to the ground.

yeah the seat cushion is gonna get cut thats all there is to it.

I had it out tonight and was playing with it and my neighbor brought down his yz 250. 2001.

We had some impromto drag races in my back yard.

I had him by a bike length everytime.

This thing is scary fast. ! :eek: I cant get over how good it is in first and at low speeds.

Man you get into the pipe and you better be sitting on the gas tank. :D

Not quite as cushy as my buddies yz but I like it!

Just wish I could touch the ground

Hell I'm 6'2 and still can't stand flat footed on some 250 .

Lowering a mono shock is simple, just loosen the upper "large" nut about 4 or 5 turns, and the suspension will drop a couple inches. This will also soften it up as well, so be careful not to go to far. My RM 250 is lowered about 2 inches, and I just lowered my friends DRZ 400 3 inches, those things are way to tall for trail riding!

Do you really want to be able to flat foot on a MX bike?

I am 6'6" and flatfoot my 94 RM 250.

My friends say your really suppose to have your heel off the ground cause it is alittle safer / foot less likely to get snagged. I think they are just talking out of their asses cause I smoke them in the single track woods trails.

What do you think?

I personally wouldn't want to give up any clearence on a MX bike. I would lower it slightly but try to get it as high as possible.

yeah I cranked the nut down and then the bike was too soft so preloaded the spring and took a electric nife to the seat foam and removed 2" out of it..

I still tippy toe but I can at least flat foot it on one foot and still be comfortable on the bike.

I am 5' 7'' and ride a stock height XR400 and can barely touch the ground with riding boots on (they dont flex easily). You will get used to starting the bike with the stand down or left legged. The best thing i can tell you to do is when you think you are in trouble and need to put a foot down. Get on the gas and ride it out untill it is suitable terrain. Ride in the front, that way nobody slows you down by their mistakes on the trail. In MX i dont see it being any big deal. Woods, rocks, mud, ruts, and hills are a different animal.

I know U said U didn't want to get rid of it but had to add my $0.02. Most guys that have replied have been tall...6' or so...I'm only 5'6" and I had a problem touching the ground on a 125. But liked riding a lot so I went and got a quad. The best thing I couldv'e ever done. Got a Honda '86 TRX 250R Now all is good and I can have fun riding.

Good topic. I got a 28" inseam as well and it always has been a issue for me in buying a bike. I wanna get a 250 someday and will just have to learn to stop by logs, hills, etc.

I'm only 5'4" so I know what you guys are talking about. In the past I've lowered a bike or two but only by about 1/2", just not willing to give up much ground clearance.

Right now I'm riding a 300KTM that I don't plan on lowering. You just get used to stopping near rocks, logs, in ruts or off-camber stuff. It doesn't take much of a rock or slope before you can tippy toe on one foot (you don't need to touch both).

The only place I have a real problem is slow technical off-camber stuff, when I loose my balance and the bike wants to lean down the hill. The ground is just way too far away from my short ass legs:D . When that happens sometimes I just jump off, rather then fall helplessly to the ground with the bike.