. . . yeah I know, the ones everyone that has 'em has worked hard at improving.
Bought 'em off Eb*y and replaced the stock rig on my KDX last fall/early winter. Big improvement over the KDX OEM for turning, speed, and bigger hits . . . except that they're too harsh.
When I got 'em I replaced the seals. There were many that suggested removing several of the bigger, 24mm shims in the BV so soften things up so I went from 10 in each to 4, leaving the rest of the stack alone: 22, 20, 18, 16, 11 (all 0.1mm).
I tried to crack open the cartridges (they had been opened before as evidenced by visible threads through the stake holes) but couldn't with what I had and I was afraid of damaging something, so I sent the cartridges only to MX-Tech to overhaul. Whatever they did - and they did something to "update" them as explained to me but I very stupidly did not commit it to memory - it made the movement considerably stiffer. But they did say that it would be easier for me to open them in the future, that part I do remember!
Anyway, I made the fork conversion and ended up with the oil level (5wt) at 110mm. Compression clickers 3 clicks from softest, rebound clickers 8 from slowest (not that they're necessarily optimized). I still need to measure the spring rate - they feel stiff but that's good 'cause I'm 235lb.
So I like to ride the woods (roots, rocks, mud, logs, etc) but at the same time I follow my son around on the track (he's the mx guy). I don't push things on the track: the KDX is, quite honestly, not made for it and I certainly am not good enough to compensate, so the real need is woods riding.
In my quest for plush I won a set of new gold valves REALLY cheap on Eb*y and they're on their way. And I'm ready to open the cartridges and play (and when I do I'll post what I've got in there).
I've spent a couple of hours for each of several days reading through posts on different websites regarding these forks. Quite a bit of time and energy in improving this fork . . .
but I don't think I'm ready for that (yet). Not that I mind tearing into the forks and changing things around, but I'm just not good enough to optimize like others have. Believe me when I say I'm impressed by what I've been reading, I hope to eventually be able to do some of that. Or be good enough to realize the need to do some of that.
So, finally, here's a few questions that I would most sincerely appreciate a few words from those with some of that know-how:
*Was removing the 24mm shims in the base valve a good idea? I never felt the forks with all of the shims. I did read where removing them doesn't always result in the desired outcome (I don't yet understand why but I'll get there).
*What should I really expect to happen by installing the gold valves? They certainly are highly-praised and I would anticipate at least some improvement . . . would you agree? They certainly were a bargain.
*Are there any obvious, no-brainer things I can do in the cartridges? I realize there's limitations with these units. I also realize that many have done a whole heck of a lot of work with these. I've read enough that I'm starting to actually lose a sense for what I should try to improve first. I'm convinced that turning the midvalve into a check valve is not a good idea.
*Fork oil level: OK to go lower? What works for you guys?
*Is there a diagram or photo somewhere that actually depicts the different circuits within the cartridge? I can understand how the base valve works; the cartridge internals, on the other hand . . .
I know this is more elementary stuff that I'm asking for but it seems like a good place to start. Many, many thanks ahead of time for a few minutes of your time!
Bought 'em off Eb*y and replaced the stock rig on my KDX last fall/early winter. Big improvement over the KDX OEM for turning, speed, and bigger hits . . . except that they're too harsh.
When I got 'em I replaced the seals. There were many that suggested removing several of the bigger, 24mm shims in the BV so soften things up so I went from 10 in each to 4, leaving the rest of the stack alone: 22, 20, 18, 16, 11 (all 0.1mm).
I tried to crack open the cartridges (they had been opened before as evidenced by visible threads through the stake holes) but couldn't with what I had and I was afraid of damaging something, so I sent the cartridges only to MX-Tech to overhaul. Whatever they did - and they did something to "update" them as explained to me but I very stupidly did not commit it to memory - it made the movement considerably stiffer. But they did say that it would be easier for me to open them in the future, that part I do remember!
Anyway, I made the fork conversion and ended up with the oil level (5wt) at 110mm. Compression clickers 3 clicks from softest, rebound clickers 8 from slowest (not that they're necessarily optimized). I still need to measure the spring rate - they feel stiff but that's good 'cause I'm 235lb.
So I like to ride the woods (roots, rocks, mud, logs, etc) but at the same time I follow my son around on the track (he's the mx guy). I don't push things on the track: the KDX is, quite honestly, not made for it and I certainly am not good enough to compensate, so the real need is woods riding.
In my quest for plush I won a set of new gold valves REALLY cheap on Eb*y and they're on their way. And I'm ready to open the cartridges and play (and when I do I'll post what I've got in there).
I've spent a couple of hours for each of several days reading through posts on different websites regarding these forks. Quite a bit of time and energy in improving this fork . . .
but I don't think I'm ready for that (yet). Not that I mind tearing into the forks and changing things around, but I'm just not good enough to optimize like others have. Believe me when I say I'm impressed by what I've been reading, I hope to eventually be able to do some of that. Or be good enough to realize the need to do some of that.
So, finally, here's a few questions that I would most sincerely appreciate a few words from those with some of that know-how:
*Was removing the 24mm shims in the base valve a good idea? I never felt the forks with all of the shims. I did read where removing them doesn't always result in the desired outcome (I don't yet understand why but I'll get there).
*What should I really expect to happen by installing the gold valves? They certainly are highly-praised and I would anticipate at least some improvement . . . would you agree? They certainly were a bargain.
*Are there any obvious, no-brainer things I can do in the cartridges? I realize there's limitations with these units. I also realize that many have done a whole heck of a lot of work with these. I've read enough that I'm starting to actually lose a sense for what I should try to improve first. I'm convinced that turning the midvalve into a check valve is not a good idea.
*Fork oil level: OK to go lower? What works for you guys?
*Is there a diagram or photo somewhere that actually depicts the different circuits within the cartridge? I can understand how the base valve works; the cartridge internals, on the other hand . . .
I know this is more elementary stuff that I'm asking for but it seems like a good place to start. Many, many thanks ahead of time for a few minutes of your time!
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