are inverted forks ok for rooted woods?

[Nevada Sixx]

hi,, i notice some enduro bikes have old style forks, and all mx bikes have inverted forks. can mx forks stand up to the punishment of running over roots and bumps as well as kdx style forks? or will they tend to have blown seals more often?
thanks.

 

[jmutiger]

They will stand up to it just fine.. There is a big benefit to the upside forks, you will have quite a bit more under axle height, which can increase your confidence when dealing with a really tight rut. I went over the bars once on my KDX because I snagged a rock in the side of a rut.

With inverted forks you do have to pay a bit more attention to damaging your lower legs.. Suppose you are trying to make it up a steep hill, and you can't make it and drop your bike, and you were in a bit of a rut.. Now the bike is going backwards down the hill, scrapping your lower legs on all sorts of stuff imbedded in the dirt. I'd personally recommend seal savers in addition to the regular roost blocking fork guards.

ps. The WR250F has inverted forks.. Ride one of those and then try to compare it with a KDX's forks.. There simply is no way to compare the feel of the 2, the Inverted Kayaba's are worlds better in all condtions. (except maybe in steering precision/stiffness).

Jon!

 

[Lorin]

I agree. My inverted forks work well (once properly valved), but will be a little more likely to pick up dirt than a standard, conventional set up with the rubber booties (ala KDX). To be honest, I didnt realize what "fork flex" was until I bought a bike with larger, inverted forks. It took the absence of flex before I realized what it was.

 

[Nevada Sixx]

it also seems like inverted forks would leak oil more so than kdx type forks since the seals point downward. any truth to that?

 

[marcusgunby]

Inverted forks and normal forks have a equal chance of leaking oil IMO.I beleive any modern fork should be able to be modified to work well in 95% of the conditions we ride.

 

[Nevada Sixx]

hey marcus, you have left alot of good responses in our forums,,are you a factory tech guy? or what is your background in riding and mechanics?

 

[marcusgunby]

Hmm my life history?i starting riding when i was 11(30 now) and racing when i was 16.I had to do all my own m/c so i bought every mag sold to learn.Couldnt afford to send stuff to shops so if it needed fixing i did it, or broke it learning.Carried on like that until 99, bought a KTM125sx-struggled with such a new bike and sought help-found a british championship rider(ricky higgs) who was in the same boat.We tried stuff and with his contacts and dad i was able to learn/try more stuff than before.In 2000 we stayed KTM but really struggled with the suspension-i couldnt find anyone to help so we went it alone-what a shock to the system-the PDS shocks are no place to start.Never really got them to handle(great engines however) in 2001 we went to hondas-great chassis but the engines were not great-lol.Ricky never really got his confidance back after the KTMs and rode Husky for a bit but then gave up.I decided it was a waste to not use some of the skills i have learnt so i do suspension for enjoyment and for locals.I have the luxury of having enough time to go out testing alot compared to full time suspension tuners.I have been doing it a good few years now and i feel i have just started to feel confidant on getting suspension dialed in.If you find someone who gives good results then appreciate him as its not as easy as i first believed.

On threads like bottom end rebuilds i dont often post-this is because i have been lucky and have had few failures-i dont feel bottom ends are my strengths.Also i dont like doing them.

 

[marcusgunby]

forgot to say-im a dialysis machine(kidney machine) service engineer for a living, so alot of time i have to diagnose problems-its a skill that improved with use, so it helps me on this forum.Our patients struggle to tell me the problems they are having as they dont have the lingo/background -just like newbie riders.

 

[Rcannon]

Marcus, your job would be awful! I can imagine making just one mistake...Uh!!!!

 

[arjay]

Hi Marcus, how did Ricky Higgs get on with the Husky? What were your impressions of the bike - engine and suspension? Any nescessary mods to either? I remember reading about his signing to Motorex Husqvarna at the time but then didn't hear much after.

 

[marcusgunby]

He liked the Husky-it was very powerful and trick-he rode the 250 and 125 but didnt do that well on either.He was very talented but didnt end up enjoying riding much.I didnt get to ride it as he had a paid machanic from husky.Howver the 2002 factory huskys are at a friends house and im hoping to ride them this weekend:)

 

[arjay]

Have fun, let us know how you got on.

 

[Barbarian]

Wow, to be that talented and not enjoy it. Being serious about racing can really end up being a drag I've found. Especially when their is always somebody better than you.

 

[marcusgunby]

Rcannon i do make mistakes in my job-you just hope its not going to do anything serious-the machines have many inbuilt safety features.

Barbarian it could seem weird but having to ride 3 times a week for hours at a time isnt something many actually enjoy after many years-it does become like a job-routine, and our lousy winters dont help.Alot of the top Uk riders are now going to america and spain etc to keep motives over the winter-the smaller setups cant afford such luxury and have to brave our climate.