Fork spacers

[gritsandsausage]

Hi guys,

Looking for comments.

Stock front end with .90 straight rate springs and Gold valve Emus-

What length Spacers should I start with to get into the free sag sweet spot?

After some snooping, I've read 17mm from a post from Hord and 24mm somewhere else.

I'm new to the dark arts of suspension tuning

[gritsandsausage]

What? 17 views and no replies? Uh, is this this a Masengill type post?

Signinged,

Dum in stupidberg....

[NT696]

Personal preference.
Read all you can about it, find out waht the longest spacer you come up with and start from there. Try it, and then start cuttin them down from there. They are at the top, so it is pretty easy to try, and then change. Off the top of my head, mine are set to 24mm. I'm 180lbs and ride moderate. Get the F2 fork caps that give you the ability to adjust the preload. The instructions for calculating the length are also included in the Race Tech pdf sticky at the top of this forum. Make them longer than they suggest, and work down rom there.
Good luck!

[gritsandsausage]

Right on....I'll read up on that.
You bring up another thought.
F2 fork caps: I figure they fit stock forks since they are both 41mm.

Where might one go looking for those preload caps? I've looked for them before and had no luck. If anyone has some tips on where to locate a set of preload caps, that'd be super fantastic.

[NT696]

Yes, they are a direct bolt-on part. Standard F2 (not '94) fork preload caps.
-Got mine from the dealer, about $40 for the pair.
There may be better on-line sources like canyonchasers, JD Hord, bikebandit to name a few.

[JR]

The most common modifications are to replace the stock springs with Progressive #1126 fork springs (or Racetech straight rate springs), replace the fork oil with heavier (10-15 weight) oil, and either weld up a couple of holes in the damper rods or install Racetech gold valve cartridge emulators (and actually drill more holes in the damper rods) which get you adjustable compression and rebound damping (although you will have to open up the forks to adjust these parameters). Another modification common to the forks is to get a set of adjustable fork caps from a Honda CBR600 F2 (pre-cartridge version). Spacer length should be adjusted based on all the above modifications as well.

The stock springs can be stiffened by cutting some of the coils (all things being equal, a shorter spring will offer more resistance). Start by cutting two coils from the soft (tightly wound) end of each spring. You will need longer spacers to compensate. One inch (inner diameter) PVC pipe is inexpensive, easy to cut, and works well for making spacers. A good rule of thumb is that the spring rate is correct if spacers are flush with the top of the fork tube, and when assembled, static sag (see below) falls within the desired range. If the springs are still too soft, cut off another coil

Setting sag Per Race Tech
Step 1: Extend the fork completely and measure from the dust seal to the bottom of the triple clamp. This measurement is L1.

Step 2: Take the bike off the sidestand, and put the rider on board in riding position. Get and assistant to balance the bike from the rear, then push down on the front end and let it extend very slowly.

Where it stops, measure the distance between the wiper and the bottom of the triple clamp again. Do not bounce. This measurement is L2.

Step 3: Lift up on the front end and let it drop very slowly. Where it stops, measure again. Don't bounce. This measurement is L3. L2 and L3 are different due to stiction or drag in the seals and bushings, which is particularly high for telescopic front ends.

Step 4: Halfway between L2 and L3 is where the sag would be with no drag or stiction. Therefore L2 and L3 must be averaged and subtracted from L1 to calculate true spring sag: static spring sag = L1 - [l2 + l3) / 2].

Step 5: To adjust sag use the preload adjusters, if available, or vary the length of the preload spaces inside the fork.

Street bikes run between 25 and 33 percent of their total travel, which equates to 30 to 35mm. Roadrace bikes usually run between 25 and 30mm.

[gritsandsausage]

Hey thanks man