Motorcycle Suspension Components
                                 with other products available from Kientech Engineering

 
                      Installation Instructions
                         Fits:  Honda 85-up XR600R &  93-up XR650L 
                                                  (Lowers rear 1 3/4")

                                      XR650L "Installed" Pictures Below.

1)   Raise the motorcycle with a bike stand, milk crate, etc., so the rear wheel is just slightly off the ground.  Remove the two 17 mm nuts off the bolts that hold the link to the rocker and the engine cradle, push the front bolt out the right side first. The swing arm may need to be raised slightly to allow the bolt to slide out. Next remove the rear mounting bolt out the left side.  (Chain buffer may need to be pulled down or removed on the bottom to allow the bolt head to pass by.)  The link should now drop out the bottom. 

2)  Remove the four seals and push the two inner sleeves out of the stock link and reinstall them in the new link. **Important:  The new link comes with new bearings (bearings are the same as the stock link bearings) but do not come with the new sleeves.  The new bearings in the KoubaLink do have plastic sleeves inside the bearings to retain the needles until the steel sleeves are in place.  These plastic sleeves have to be pushed out with a pencil or punch before installing the steel sleeves from the stock link.  After installing the two bearing sleeves and the four
seals on the new link it is ready to be installed on the bike.

3)   Install the new link by holding it up inside the front and rear mounting brackets on the bike (grease fittings facing down/engraving readable from the right) and push the rear mounting bolt in from the left side first, then push the front bolt in from the right side after aligning the mounting eye with the front brackets.  You will have to raise the rear wheel to align these eyes.  Install the two 17 mm mounting bolt nuts, and torque to approx. 25 lb-ft.  You may want to pump a little grease into the two grease fittings at his point. 

4)  For the best performance, set the race sag (amount of vertical movement of the rear axle FROM no weight to bike weight plus rider weight) at 3.5" with rider in full riding gear, standing on the pegs.  If the links are for lowering purposes ONLY, sag can be set at 100mm/3.90", and will lower the rear of the bike 1.750" on all the XR650L's. and near that on all other models. The easiest way we have found to adjust the rear spring preload is to use a long punch to loosen the top jam nut  and grasp the spring at the bottom and turn the spring and the preload nut at the same time.  **You may have too put some lube on the shock threads to allow the nut to turn freely.  Turning the spring/nut "clockwise" increases the preload and decreases the sag.  Do not forget to tighten the jam nut with the punch after setting the sag.

5)   Loosen the eight (four per leg) 12 mm headed pinch bolts on the triple clamps and slide the fork tubes up until they are even with the bottom of the handlebars. There should be about 1" showing  from the top of the fork cap flange down to the top of the top triple clamp) Torque the triple clamp pinch bolts to 15 lb-ft.   Disclaimer:  Lowering the rear more than the front can change the geometry and could affect the handling, also sliding the fork tubes up too far will allow the tire to
contact the fender/triple clamp on full compression, so be careful out there. 
 

Right Side View Stock Link             05 XR650L       Right Side View After Installation
 

If you like what the KoubaLink does for your suspension, please tell everyone, if you do not, please tell us.  We can be contacted at our email address below and are always interested in your questions or comments.
 

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