crf450 suspension

[flynbryan]

aside from a revalve job has anyone heard of some good ways to get the front end on the crf to settle in corners? ex: race sag, spring rates,etc..... any help will be appreciated. :worship:

 

[marcusgunby]

Is this a 02 or 03?

 

[flynbryan]

its an 02'

 

[DEANSFASTWAY]

Some folks have been dropping down a spring rate , or have you tried raising the forks a litlle in the tubes ? Probably have already.Maybe a little more preload on the rear/less rear sag?Maybe let thebuilt up air pressure in the tubes out when the bike is on the ground be careful as to not let the plugs go flying through the air or poke you in the eye . Or better yet remove the plugs while on the stand and install them with the bike on its wheels . This might not make much of a difference though as the air space only really affects the last parts of the fork action . GOOD LUCK

 

[HONDA65]

How much do you weigh? That would help alot. Where you have your sag set will affect the turning as well.

 

[ochster]

Another aspect of suspension set-up, that should be performed after break-in, is a thorough teardown and inspection of the componets. There are many discrepancies that can happen on assy., or are common from one brand to another. A competent suspension guy would be versed in these issues.

 

[marcusgunby]

Was it the 02 that had loose rebound shim assemblies?that would make it steer badly and not handle.

 

[Shawn Mc]

All honda did in 03 was raise the back end 7mm. Has anyone changed a linkage arm to achieve this? Im wondering if you can get the 03 linkage and put it on the 02 and basically end up with the same thing?
Although if your rebound wasnt working properly, none of this would matter.

 

[shockdoc]

Like Marcus said many of the '02's had loose rebound piston nuts. I would have a competent suspension builder service them for you first.


doc

 

[flynbryan]

thanks for the feedback guys. i weigh 174lbs. and i run the race sag at 100mm. also my shock is really startin to deteriorate, ive been steadily having to increase the compression on the shock. im sure ya'll will jump on this one quick....the bike still has the suspension fluid from the factory. will this have a great deal to do w/the balance? ive always been one of those people to only change the fluid when the seals went(i know this is bad practice) what is a good rule of thumb for fluid services? to futher help ya'lls diagnosis i have .47 rate fork springs(stock) and a 5.6 rate shock spring. unlike most of the magazines who have been saying the shock is great right out the box i had to go to a stiffer shock spring(even though i do ride over the front of the bike. so heres the latest stuff to give to ya'll. sorry i didnt include it sooner :silly: we might have been able to solve the problem a while back. thanx again for all your help.