I have a 1987 Kawasaki KE100 and the forks in the front are really soft, the bottom out too easily. Could anyone tell me how I would go about pulling them off and stiffening them up.
The KE100 was not a performance bike. Poor suspension is going to be a fact of life. Stiffening the suspension too much will throw out the rebound and may cause the front end to bounce a lot. I would start by pulling the springs and measuring them. If they are out of spec, you may be able to get a new pair from your dealer and they may not be that expensive, maybe $25 a piece or less. If the suspension is still not stiff enough with spec springs, then you could add shims. A more viscous oil will also stiffen things up all around and will help control the rebound if you go too stiff with the spring.
The easiset way to stiffen your front springs is to cut a few coils off. Make sure you measure in advance so that you will not get coil bind. Basically, if you remove 10% of the coils the spring will be about 10% stiffer. It really does work.
Add spacers so that you still have the right amount of preload. Raising the oil level will help stiffen the last bit of travel and improve bottoming resistance.
Basically, you can dramatically improve your forks with a little bit of your time, some spacers (washers will work) and a few ounces of fork oil.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
