The single biggest complaint from CRF 250l owners is that the suspension is sprung way too light and the damping is inadequate. The bike seems to be set up for a 100-pound beginner rider- Here's how to fix that. A heavier spring or adjusting the pre-loadwill not resolve the issue.
Ohlins STX46 Shock for 2013-2020 CRF 250L The shock is equipped with a stiffer spring for 150-185 lb riders (68 - 84 kg) and offers precise rebound and damping control. (If you are installing on an ABS model, please click here to view the ABS install supplement sheet) The kit comes with great instructions and there is an installation video below.
Unfortunately, Ohlins does not offer a stiffer spring for the 250L. The best you can do is run the compression and rebound 20% firmer than normal and run your preload at the stiffer end of the sag setting.
We recently installed the kits on our CRF's and noted 3 things that are sort of glossed over in the instructions.
1- When installing the rear shock, the remote reservoir line at the top of the shock must be oriented so the line is positioned towards the rear of the bike and the line routed around the left side of the shock towards the front of the bike where the reservoir mounts on the left side of the engine.
2-Removing the top shock bolt isn’t too hard, but re-installation takes 2 people. One to operate a ratchet installing the top shock bolt from the right side of the bike and a second person to position the nut in place from the left side of the bike using a magnetic pickup
tool or by taping the nut to the end of a screwdriver. The airbox/battery bracket is what’s in the way-
3- To remove the fork spring, you need to remove a steel retaining clip located inside the fork tube at the top of the spring. It takes 2 people to do this. One to use a flat blade screwdriver or similar tool to depress the spring a bit while the other person uses a dental pick or similar tool to pull the retainer clip out of the groove. There's not a lot of preload on the spring, so it's not dangerous, it's just a tight space that requires 3- 4 hands! :-)
