Fix for harsh forks on breaking bumps?

[slickpuss]

I remember this being one of the problems with the Showa forks for 2002 but havent been able to find good solutions for it online. It feels like there isnt any suspension at all when hitting small sharp bumps such as breaking bumps. Blazing down a long hill full of them results in numb hands and no grip strength.

I thought that the gold valves addressed this but I didnt want to just install them without some helpful feedback.

What has worked for you guys?

 

[Matt90GT]

well there is a plenty of ways to address this.

My suggestions is to start at the ICS springs and go down to like a 1.61 rate. Do some revalving after that. But like I said someone else may have a different way of going about it.

 

[slickpuss]

I might also mention that the suspension works great on every other type of obstacle. It just specifically has issues on the first few inches of travel during mid to high speed bumps.

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

What is your sag set at?

 

[slickpuss]

Its been a while since I set it but I believe it was around 102mm. This problem has been apparent even before I have set the sag. And in adjusting all the adjustments up and down drastically for motocross, rocky outdoor trails or anything else this one problem has seemed to never be resolved.

I really appreciate your input and do not consider myself to be a suspension expert, it just seems like setup may not be the issue. But I would love to be wrong, so please continue with your train of thought if you have a suggestion.

I would probably just send my suspension out but it performs great except for this one problem, also I have all the tools to work on it and am not afraid to make alterations myself. But I know I could storm down hills or charge corners at a gear higher if I could fix this.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

On an 02? How many times have the forks been taken apart and inspected? Your issue, braking bumps, sure sound like the beginning of the stroke. I had to ask about the sag, too much(under 100mm) and bye bye initial stroke of the forks. I would bet the farm Jeremy could fix that issue. I am pretty sure he has told me that most fork springs do not go under the service limit, BUT? Then there is the normal wear and tear, and how often the oil has been changed. Is the correct amount in now, and weight? And this has to be assuming you have the correct springs for your weight? The static sag confirms this. I can tell you that some older suspension gets pricey for worn out parts. I do not recall ever riding an 02 cr250, but if the adjusters can not dial it in, its either worn out, or bad to begin with. I would call him, cause I am no EXPERT either!

 

[slickpuss]

Thanks for the info. Ill have to put some calls in to some suspension companies. Ive rebuilt the forks once a few years ago. New bushings and oil. I remember when I did it there was evidence of wear on some of the bushings, but for the most part it looked pretty good.
The spring could be a bit light, but I would imagine that would cause the opposite problem. Its the stock springs and Im about 185 without gear on. Id love to have the suspension just fully built by a company, but Ill have to see if I ever see my California state refund or just get to hold this nice IOU forever.

 

[Matt90GT]

You are just on the light side for the stock springs. I weight 180#s without gear and have an 05 crf450. Actually 3 of us that I work on the forks have 05/06 bikes. The pistons are a bit larger than the earlier year forks you have, but other than that the same design.

I am running stock 06 250F springs front and rear on the bike. For the forks, run the stock 365cc of oil in the outer tubes (torco rff5wt) but then went to a RG3 shim stack and 1.61 ICS springs with the oil lock collars. Also added a shim to the midvalve to keep the forks up higher in the stroke. Suspension is sweet! Much better in all the small chop and still soaks up all the big stuff. Fromt outdoor to indoor we just go in/out 2 clicks and it is pretty dialed. Out back did a bit more to the shock, but once you start in on the forks, you will notice how bad the rear shock is. So my advice plan on doing both ends at the same time.

 

[Pete Payne]

:think: The 02 cr250 has a 1.6 ics spring - stock.
This condition is caused by to many compounding forces adding up to quickly. such as:

spring force
secondary air spring
valving resistance

one of the easier things to do is lower the oil level .

remember spring for rider weight and valve for the conditions.

 

[Matt90GT]

Stock is 2.1 on all CRF450s with the showas.

The CR250s come stock with the 1.61 rate in them.

 

[RM_guy]

Enzo subtanks. If all else fails--or in conjunction--these babies are great. I never thought I had much trouble with my forks in the chop (MX Tech revalved them for me) but I had some extra cash and decided to throw the sub tanks on. Made a huge difference and I found I could ride a gear higher in the rough single track because the front end was so much better planted. Best upgrade I made.

Avoid subtanks that just attach to the fork air bleed hole. They won't work as well because the bleed hole is too small to allow the right flow through.